Born in 1946, she has dedicated her life to films, fighting for causes she considers just, and her family. Susan Abigail Sarandon (née Tomalin, but adopted her first husband’s name, Chris Sarandon, as her stage name) is not only one of the most popular faces in Hollywood but also in events related to endometriosis, a disease that she learned about late in life, which she was able to overcome with her conviction.

At Bright Side, we are moved by stories about overcoming obstacles, and for this reason, we chose to tell the story of Susan Sarandon, who despite many biological and cultural factors, was able to build her family.

Early career

Sarandon’s film career began in 1970, with her starring role in Joe, a dramatic feature film. She then jumped to the small screen with the soap opera, A World Apart, and by 1975, the year she turned 29, she was launched to fame after appearing in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Physical pain and few certainties

By 1984, she already had more than 25 jobs in series and movies, and nothing more and nothing less than an Oscar nomination for “Best Actress” (Atlantic City, 1980). As for her personal life, she was in a relationship with Italian director Franco Amurri and brought with her certain warnings about being a mother.

This was because she had certain physical symptoms that doctors could not diagnose and, therefore, the treatments were not accurate and had little explanation. However, even in this unfriendly context, she became pregnant when she was close to 40.

The birth of her first daughter

“Don’t have the baby,” and “It will ruin your career,” were some of the things other people used to tell her. But the actress did not follow that advice and went ahead with her pregnancy. In time, her first daughter, Eva Amurri, who today is an actress and content creator, was born.

The diagnosis came late, but she finally got an answer.

It was not until her forties that a definitive diagnosis was given to her. The actress suffered from “endometriosis,” a benign disease where the remains of the endometrium (internal part of the uterus), which flakes off during each menstruation and causes bleeding, invades other organs, such as the rectum, the bladder, the ovaries, etc.

This condition can generate pain in different parts of the body, and it often leads to infertility since a woman with endometriosis has fewer and poorer quality oocytes.

A love without age barriers and 2 more children

The relationship with Amurri ended, but in 1988, she began a relationship with actor Tim Robbins, 12 years younger, who she met while filming Bull Durham. With him, she had her other 2 sons, John “Jack” Henry, born in 1989, and Miles Robbins, born on May 4, 1992.

“I had my first baby at 39 and my third at 45, and with each child, [people were] like, ’Are you crazy? Don’t!’” Sarandon revealed in an interview.

4 Generations in a single image

Her eldest daughter, Eva Amurri, is the mother of 3 kids: daughter Marlowe, from 2014; sons Major James, from 2016, and Mateo, from 2020. In both Amurri and Sarandon’s posts, you can see the actress being an engaged and loving grandmother. And the great-grandmother seems to be one too, as this 2017 photo shows 4 generations of the family coming together to celebrate her ninety-fourth birthday.

Speaking out for others

To have the family that this movie legend has today, she had to overcome many physical barriers and not take “no” for an answer when it came to her disease. “It’s not okay to miss out on a part of life because of pain and excessive bleeding,” Sarandon said in 2011 at an EFA (Endometriosis Foundation of America, Inc.) event.

In that presentation, the actress also put the spotlight on the fact that more must be said in order to eliminate the loneliness that surrounds this disease.

“Suffering should not define you as a woman.”

Susan Sarandon is now 75 years old, a mother of 3 and grandmother of 3 grandchildren. The ending of her story is a happy one, but she raised her voice about endometriosis so that others would talk about their pain, not get used to it, and get diagnosed and treated as soon as possible to live a better, quality life.

What is special about the stories of the mothers in your family? Perhaps this is the ideal time to leave them a nice message.