Susan Essman (born May 31, 1955) is an American comedian, actress, producer, and writer. She is best known for her role as Susie Greene on Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024), as the voice of Mittens in Bolt (2008), and as Bobbi Wexler on Broad City (2015-2019).
Early life Essman was born on May 31, 1955 in the Bronx, New York City, and was raised in the suburb of Mount Vernon. Her father, Leonard Essman, was an internist and clinical oncologist. Her mother, Zora (née Pressman), taught Russian at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the great-granddaughter of silent film actor and Russian opera impresario Leo Feodoroff. Essman is Jewish; her grandparents emigrated from Russia and Poland.
Career Performing Essman has been traveling and appearing at clubs throughout the country for more than three decades. In 1988, she appeared on HBO with Joy Behar and other rising female comedians on On Location: Women of the Night II. On January 5, 1989, she was a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Her first half-hour special premiered on September 20, 1992 on HBO’s One Night Stand. As much of her comedy draws from her ethnic background, she has been featured in such documentaries as Heroes of Jewish Comedy and A History of Jewish Comedy.
Essman made her UK standup comedy debut at the Corn Exchange at the Newbury Comedy Festival in July 2007. While in England, she appeared on the British television show 8 Out of 10 Cats.
Essman began her acting career with small parts in two 1988 films – Crocodile Dundee II and Punchline – but is best known for her role as Susie Greene, the wife of Jeff Greene (portrayed by Jeff Garlin), on the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Essman told The New York Times that, by the show's third season, she could not "walk down the street anymore without people stopping her and begging her to say [her character's catchphrase] 'You fat fuck'". In 2007, Slate named Essman's character one of the best on television, and a reason the publication looked forward to the return of the show.Slate, Lapidos, Juliet. November 23, 2003: "Oh, How We've Missed You! The Best Characters on Television"
She also provided the voice of Helen Higgins on the Comedy Central series Crank Yankers; she was an occasional correspondent on the first season of the network's The Daily Show. She appeared on Comedy Central's Roast of Bob Saget on August 17, 2008, provided the voice of "Mittens" (the cat) in the 2008 Disney animated film, Bolt, and later reprised the role in the 2009 short Super Rhino, released on the film's home media. She also made an appearance on the Regis Philbin version of Million Dollar Password.
In June of 2026, Essman was announced to have a guest appearance in the upcoming season 2 of Adults.
Writing Essman's book, What Would Susie Say: Bullshit Wisdom About Love, Life and Comedy, was published in October 2009 by Simon & Schuster.
Personal life Essman was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002 and used to be a pescatarian — "not a moral thing", she explains, but "aesthetic"; chicken "grosses me out" — and "lives on sushi". She married Jim Harder, a commercial real estate broker, in September 2008. She owns a Shih Tzu named Popeye.Famous Shih Tzu Dogs – Celebrities Who Own a Shih Tzu allshihtzu.com Her sister, musician and composer Nora Essman Morrow, died in 2023.
Essman is a good friend of Joy Behar and has appeared on The View multiple times. In 2009, Behar hosted an event at the 92nd Street Y with Essman as a guest.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1988 Crocodile Dundee II Subway Tour Guide 1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze Soho Woman 1997 Volcano Anita 1997 What's Your Sign? Carla 2000 Keeping the Faith Ellen Friedman 2005 Lt. Rita Carbone 2008 Bolt Mittens (voice) A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 2010 Cop Out Laura 2012 Putzel Gilda 2017 Band Aid Shirley 2017 Gilbert Herself Documentary 2024 The Easy Kind Janice
Television Year Title Role Notes 1988–1989 Baby Boom Charlotte Elkman 13 episodes 1991–1992 True Colors Mrs. Wampler 2 episodes 1993 Women Aloud Panelist Episode: "Waist Management" 1994 Hardcore TV Sports Lady 2 episodes 1995 Ned and Stacey Aunt Ceil Episode: "Thanksgiving Day Massacre" 1997–2004 Law & Order Performer 2 episodes 1998 Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Herself (voice) Episode: "Waltz" 2000–2024 Curb Your Enthusiasm Susie Greene Main role; 86 episodes 2002 The King of Queens Marcia Episode: "No Orleans" 2002 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Ron Sherwood's Secretary Episode: "Badge" 2002–2003 Crank Yankers Helen Higgins (voice) 4 episodes 2003 Kim Possible Sadie (voice) "Car Trouble" 2006 Dora the Explorer Queen Bee (voice) Episode: "Dora's First Trip" 2009 Loving Leah Malka Television film 2009–present American Dad! Mrs. Lonstein (voice) Recurring role 2012 Adventure Time Barb (voice) Episode: "Web Weirdos" 2013 Blue Bloods Judge Clarice Karl Episode: "Front Page News" 2015 Weird Loners Evelyn Goldfarb 2 episodes 2015–2019 Broad City Bobbi Wexler 8 episodes 2015–2018 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Arlene Heller 4 episodes 2016–2019 Those Who Can't Leslie Brohn 10 episodes 2017 Edie Robb Episode: "So Swayze It's Crazy" 2018 Beat Bobby Flay Self (guest) Episode: "Skirting By" 2019 Bless This Mess Donna 7 episodes 2020–present Harley Quinn Sharon Quinzel, Grandma Quinzel (voice) 2 episodes 2022 Hacks Elaine Carter 2 episodes 2022 Bob's Burgers Lorraine (voice) Episode: "Sauce Side Story"2024Lego Marvel Avengers: Mission DemolitionGloria (voice)Disney+ special 2024 The Simpsons Aunt Sadie Krustofsky (voice) Episode: "Homer and Her Sisters"2025Celebrity Jeopardy!Herself (Contestant) 2025 And Just Like That... Rhonda Episode: "Better Than Sex" 2026 Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness Susan B. Anthony Episode: "Buzz"2026Adults Arlene WaltersEpisode: “The Scrub”
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Project Result Ref.2006 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series Curb Your Enthusiasm 2010 2015 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series Broad City 2018 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series Curb Your Enthusiasm
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