Susan Backlinie Bio
Susan Backlinie was an American actress and model. She was born Susan Jane Swindall on September 1, 1946, in Ventura, California, United States. She has also been worked professionally as S.J. Swindall, S.J. Backlinie, and Susan J. Backlinie.
Susan Backlinie stepped into the Penthouse spotlight in January 1973 as a featured model at 26. Her 33-24-34 figure, blue eyes and blond hair shaped the distinctive look of her Penthouse feature.
Susan Backlinie had the kind of Penthouse presence that became more interesting with time. Her January 1973 pictorial, “The Lady and the Lion,” appeared before the role that would make her instantly recognizable to film audiences, which gives the feature a fascinating place in her story. Penthouse caught her first as a model and physical performer, before Hollywood turned that same athleticism, fearlessness, and ease around water into one of the most unforgettable opening scenes in cinema history.
Backlinie’s career was never limited to conventional acting. She worked as a stunt performer, swimmer, and animal trainer, with particular strength in aquatic work—skills that later became crucial when Steven Spielberg cast her as Chrissie Watkins in Jaws. The role required far more than a standard screen presence. Her famous night-swim sequence took days to film, with Backlinie secured in a harness while the crew created the violent movement that made the attack feel terrifyingly real. The performance worked because she understood how to surrender to the mechanics of the scene without losing control of the character.
Her appearance in Jaws in 1975 transformed her into a permanent part of film history, but Penthouse had already documented the qualities that made her such a compelling subject: physical confidence, naturalism, and a willingness to work in unusual environments. She later returned to Spielberg’s orbit with a playful cameo in 1941, parodying the Jaws opening, and also appeared in Day of the Animals, another nature-turns-hostile thriller. She posed nude again for Mayfair in 1977, extending the glamour-modeling side of a career that moved easily between still photography, stunt work, and film.
What makes Susan Backlinie memorable is that the image and the action were always connected. She was not simply photographed because she looked striking; she had the physical discipline and nerve to make difficult scenes believable. Her January 1973 Penthouse appearance now reads almost like a prologue—an early portrait of a woman whose body language, courage, and instinct for performance would soon be seen by millions.
