Suzee Pai
Penthouse Pet of the Month, January 1981

Suzee Pai Bio

August 8, 1962 / Leo / Age 63

Suzee Pai is an American-born Penthouse model, actress, born Sue Frances Pai on August 8, 1962 in Toledo, Ohio, United States.

Suzee Pai was crowned Penthouse Pet of the Month in January 1981, stepping into the spotlight at just 18 years old. With her statuesque 34-24-34 figure, charming brown eyes, silky black hair, and natural breasts, Suzee radiates a fresh, playful energy — the kind of youthful allure that feels fearless, spontaneous, and impossible to ignore.

Photographed by Pat Hill, Suzee’s pictorial highlighted her luminous features and poised confidence. There was an undeniable screen quality about her — expressive eyes, sculpted beauty, and a composure that translated seamlessly from print to film. Penthouse readers responded instantly, and she later returned for a follow-up pictorial in June 1982, reinforcing her status as one of the magazine’s standout early-’80s Pets.

Before and alongside her modeling career, Suzee built a résumé that stretched across sports, fashion, and film. She worked as a fashion model in New York City and brought her energy to the field as a Liberty Bells cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles. Her competitive spirit even carried her onto television, where she competed in the spokesmodel category during the second season of Ed McMahon’s Star Search.

Hollywood soon followed. In 1981, she appeared memorably as Siakwan in Sharky’s Machine, and later as the enigmatic Miao Yin in the cult favorite Big Trouble in Little China (1986), a role that cemented her place in pop culture history. Though a scene she shot for First Blood (1982) was ultimately cut from the theatrical release, it garnered enough attention to be featured in Playboy’s annual Sex in the Cinema pictorial in November 1982. She also expanded her international profile with a role in the Indonesian film Peluru dan Wanita (1988), credited as Sue Francis Pai.

On television, she took on a recurring role as piano player Billie Low in the series Nick & Hillary (1988), further demonstrating her range beyond modeling. Yet by the 1990s, Suzee chose to step away from the spotlight, keeping a notably low profile and leaving behind a concise but memorable body of work.

Her January 1981 Penthouse pictorial captured her at a moment of momentum — radiant, self-assured, and poised on the edge of a multifaceted career. She wasn’t confined to a single lane; she moved between modeling, athletics, television, and film with confidence and curiosity.