Susan Bernard: actress, model, author and steward of Hollywood photography

Early life and family

Bernard was born in Los Angeles, California, into a family connected to the entertainment and photographic world. Her father, Bruno Bernard, sometimes credited as "Bernard of Hollywood," was a well-known portrait and pin-up photographer who worked with many Hollywood stars. Growing up around cameras and studios influenced her early interest in acting and modeling.

Career in film and modeling

Bernard gained recognition in the mid-1960s for her film role in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, a title that later achieved cult status for its bold style and memorable performances. Alongside acting, she pursued modeling and appeared in pictorials for prominent magazines, which contributed to her public profile during that era.

Writing, business and archival work

Later in life Bernard worked as an author and businesswoman. She engaged in activities to document and protect her father’s photographic archive, helping to catalog, exhibit and license images taken by Bruno Bernard. Her efforts aided broader appreciation of mid-20th-century Hollywood portraiture and pin-up photography.

Legacy and recognition

While Bernard’s screen career was relatively brief, her association with an iconic cult film and her modeling work secured a lasting cultural presence. In addition, her role as a custodian of photographic material provided historical context for the work of one of Hollywood’s noted photographers. She is remembered by fans of 1960s cinema and by those interested in classic Hollywood imagery.

Selected highlights

• Notable film role: Linda in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965).
• Modeling: appeared in pictorials for national magazines, including Playboy.
• Archival work: stewarded and promoted the photographic archive of her father, Bruno Bernard.

Susan Bernard died in Los Angeles on June 21, 2019, of a heart attack at age 71. Her contributions span popular culture, publishing and the preservation of Hollywood photographic history, leaving a multifaceted legacy beyond her early screen appearances.