Susan Sarandon made her big-screen debut in the 1970 American drama film ‘Joe’ directed by John G. Avildsen. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and was a phenomenal commercial success, grossing over $26 million on a budget of $106,000. Following her debut, Sarandon went on to star in films like ‘Lady Liberty’ (1971), ‘The Apprentice’ (1971), ‘Lovin' Molly’ (1974), ‘The Front Page’ (1974), ‘The Great Waldo Pepper’ (1975), ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975), ‘One Summer Love’ (1976), ‘Checkered Flag or Crash’ (1977), ‘The Great Smokey Roadblock’ (1977), ‘Pretty Baby’ (1978), and ‘Something Short of Paradise’ (1979). In 1980, she starred as ‘Sally Matthews’ in the romantic crime film ‘Atlantic City’ directed by Louis Malle. The film opened to wide critical acclaim and earned 5 Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress for Sarandon. That same year, she also appeared in the Jack Smight-directed American romantic comedy film ‘Loving Couples.’ The film received a lukewarm response from critics. She was next seen ‘Tempest’ (1982), ‘The Hunger’ (1983), ‘The Buddy System’ (1984), ‘Compromising Positions’ (1985), ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ (1987), ‘Bull Durham’ (1988), ‘Sweet Hearts Dance’ (1988), ‘The January Man’ (1989), ‘A Dry White Season’ (1989), and ‘White Palace’ (1990).
The year 1991 saw the release of the American female buddy road crime film ‘Thelma & Louise’ where Sarandon portrayed Louise Sawyer. The film received critical acclaim and grossed over $45.4 million on a budget of $16.5 million. Sarandon also earned the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in the film. She was again nominated for the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Michaela Odone in the American drama film ‘Lorenzo's Oil’ directed by George Miller. The film was praised by critics but couldn’t perform at the box office. She went to become a recipient of the ‘BAFTA Award’ for her performance as Regina "Reggie" Love in the 1994 American legal thriller film ‘The Client’ directed by Joel Schumacher. The film garnered praise from critics and was a commercial success. In 1995, she starred as ‘Sister Helen Prejean’ in the Tim Robbins-directed American crime drama film ‘Dead Man Walking.’ The film was well-received by critics and was a major box office success, grossing over $83 million on an $11 million budget. Sarandon also became a recipient of the ‘Academy Award’ and ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ for her performance in the film.Â
She continued to star in films like ‘James and the Giant Peach’ (1996), ‘Twilight’ (1998), ‘Stepmom’ (1998), ‘Cradle Will Rock’ (1999), ‘Joe Gould's Secret’ (2000), ‘Cats & Dogs’ (2001), ‘Igby Goes Down’ (2002), ‘Noel’ (2004), ‘Alfie’ (2004), ‘Elizabethtown’ (2005), ‘Irresistible’ (2006), ‘Enchanted’ (2007), ‘Speed Racer’ (2008), ‘The Greatest’ (2009), ‘Solitary Man’ (2009), and ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ (2010). In 2012, she starred as ‘Jennifer’ in the American science fiction comedy-drama film ‘Robot & Frank’ directed by Jake Schreier. The film received a positive response from critics and scored an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. She was next seen in films like ‘Snitch’ (2013), ‘The Last of Robin Hood’ (2013), ‘Tammy’ (2014), ‘Hell and Back’ (2015), ‘3 Generations’ (2015), ‘Zoolander 2’ (2016), ‘Ace the Case’ (2016), ‘A Bad Moms Christmas’ (2017), ‘The Death & Life of John F. Donovan’ (2018), ‘Blackbird’ (2019), ‘Fearless’ (2020), and ‘Jolt’ (2021). She was last seen in the 2021 American comedy film ‘Ride the Eagle’ directed by Trent O'Donnell. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
