This movie star’s life was more dramatic than any of her films. It started and ended with unimaginable tragedy.
1. She Became Notorious In The Worst Ways
All celebrities want to leave behind a legacy, but never in the way Susan Cabot did it. This includes childhood demons, CIA conspiracies, affairs with a king, a secret love child, medical experiments, a brutal end—and a high-profile murder trial that exposed everything. This sounds too far-fetched for even a movie, but it’s the real story of this fallen star.
Los Angeles Daily News, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Had A Rough Childhood
In 1927, Cabot was born into a family in crisis. A dad abandoning his family would’ve been miserable in any situation, but it was apocalyptic for Cabot. After all, her mom struggled with her mental health and ended up institutionalized. With both parents still alive, Susan Cabot became an orphan.
Allied Artists, War Of The Satellites (1958)
3. She Had To Escape
It was already the beginning of the end of her life. Susan’s extended family refused to take her in, so she spent her childhood in and out of group homes. Eight foster homes, to be exact. On top of that, Susan endured every kind of abuse and developed lifelong PTSD. One day, she had enough.
Susan wanted to, or had to, escape foster “care”. She plotted an unconventional escape plan.
American International, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
4. She Was A Teen Bride
Enter, Martin Sacker. He was a childhood friend, a painter, an interior designer, and a path to freedom. 17-year-old Susan married him to escape foster care and pursue her dreams. Turns out, she “always wanted to be an artist, but I was sidetracked”. Now free, Susan found herself in the Big Apple with big demons, but even bigger ambitions.
American International, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
5. She Followed Her Dreams
There are a-listers…and there’s Susan. “I really felt that she was one of those people who should have had a major career, and for whatever reason, a career did not take place,” director Roger Corman mourned. Despite Susan’s talent, she ended up typecast into problematic “exotic” roles in low-budget films. Susan could’ve faded into obscurity, but she had one more ace up her sleeve.
Roger Corman, Entheta, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
6. She Was A Monster
The horror movie The Wasp Woman turned out to be her most iconic—and ironic—role. Susan played a cosmetics mogul who tested an anti-aging serum on herself, only to transform into a rampaging wasp. Susan had no way of knowing that her final film—which explored the violent consequences of experiments gone wrong—would become a case of life imitating art.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
7. She Called It Quits
Susan’s marriage of convenience eventually became a marriage of inconvenience. So after seven years of being husband and wife—at least on paper—Martin and Susan called it quits. Susan was young, beautiful, successful, and now single.
The divorce freed Susan to date whoever she wanted. Well, it did until the CIA got involved.
Allied Artists, Wikimedia Commons
8. She Was Set Up With A King
Jordan’s King Hussein visited LA in 1959 and made a scandalous request: the 23-year-old asked the CIA to find him “female companionship”. He wanted a woman who was not only discrete, but would also “satisfy” him. The spymasters decided that Susan fit the bill. The CIA made Susan an offer they thought she couldn’t refuse. Her response was shocking.
Willem van de Poll, Wikimedia Commons
9. She Rejected A King
Susan rejected the CIA and King Hussein’s proposition—but this entanglement was just getting started. At first, Susan wasn’t interested in being a political pawn or a mistress lover. Shockingly, the CIA doesn't always take no for an answer. Convinced that the actress and the king were the perfect match, they sprung into action to convince Susan.
Allied Artists, Surrender - Hell! (1959)
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10. She Fell For A King
After Susan’s rejection, she and King Hussein bumped into each other at a party. And by bump, I mean the CIA engineered their meeting. Sparks flew when Susan finally met him in person. She even described King Hussein as “the most charming man I have ever met”.
The CIA’s politically motivated matchmaking turned into real dates—and everyone noticed.
Oldslicer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
11. She Was The Talk Of The Town
Susan and King Hussein tried to keep their relationship a secret. The key word is tried. Soon enough, they became the center of gossip and media speculation. In response, Susan and King Hussein doubled down and downplayed their relationship.
But it became clear to anyone paying attention that this was more than a passing fancy.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
12. She Had A Long Term Lover
Susan and King Hussein continued to surprise people. Instead of fizzling out like most spring flings, they remained secret lovers for seven years. Their third wheel, the CIA, continued meddling and politicking the entire time. The agency even provided Susan with a hotel room and a fake identity.
But this situationship eventually turned into a Situation.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
13. She Had A Love Child
In 1964, Susan disappeared from the limelight and left everyone in the dark. She returned two years later with a toddler in tow. Turns out, the unmarried and publicly single actress left to give birth to her son Timothy. People wondered who the baby daddy was and had their suspicions. Susan responded to this speculation with wild explanations.
Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
14. She Lied About Her Baby Daddy
She may have been too inspired by her movies. Susan claimed that she married a mystery British diplomat. Conveniently, he was nowhere to be found—because their totally real marriage was in trouble. But Susan couldn’t keep her story straight.
She told others that Timothy’s dad was a secret agent who went on a mission and never returned. The likely explanation, while obvious, is just as scandalous.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
15. She Was Abandoned
Hussein was Jordan’s married ruler, Susan’s secret lover, and Timothy’s likely biological father. Hussein’s financial aid supports this theory. The monarch continued providing funds, even well after their breakup. But Susan and Hussein’s oopsie love child didn’t end their relationship. It was something entirely different.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
16. She Was Dumped
When Hussein broke up with Susan in 1964, the cause seemed clear. After all, that was the year she gave birth to Timothy. However, he reportedly called it quits after discovering Susan’s Jewish background. Afterward, Hussein left Susan to raise their son alone. But their relationship took another surprising turn.
Howard Sochurek, Wikimedia Commons
17. She Was A Friendly Ex
Susan and Hussein remained on good terms—and her partners noticed. One of her husbands even shared that the exes had “almost like a brother-sister relationship, they really hit it off, aside from the romance that they had many years before. They just had a good friendship”. This meant that Susan could just call up Hussein for money.
The king even continued calling Susan on her birthday and her mom’s birthday. But Hussein wasn’t the only ex in the picture.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
18. She Had Competing Baby Daddies
Even though Susan and actor Christopher Jones only had a three-week relationship, he remained convinced that Timothy was his child. He ghosted her after their fling, by the way. Christopher’s proof was: a physical resemblance, shared family health issues, and his…virility. Having fathered seven other children with multiple women, one more wouldn’t be crazy.
What’s clear is Susan’s experiences with pregnancy and motherhood were messy—and they only worsened from here.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
19. She Had A Difficult Pregnancy
Just when Susan thought she was in the clear, life threw another curveball at her. Susan revealed her scary pregnancy: "Both the baby and I barely made it. The poor little fellow spent his first four months in an oxygen tent”. Then came the dwarfism diagnosis.
Susan gambled with Timothy’s health, and paid the ultimate price for it.
Allied Artists, Surrender - Hell! (1959)
20. She Subjected Her Son To Experiments
An experimental treatment for dwarfism seemed like a good idea at the time. Researchers injected an experimental growth hormone—derived from cadavers, by the way—into Timothy.
On paper, the experiment seemed effective. Without it, a fully grown Timothy would’ve stood at four feet. Instead, he grew an additional foot and a half. But this plan had a dark side.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
21. She Made The Wrong Call
The experiment turned into a real-life horror film. Alarm bells went off as more patients developed Creutzfeldt Jakob disease, also known as mad cow disease, over the years. When the researchers investigated this, they realized that they used a contaminated batch.
The fatal brain disease has a long incubation period, no diagnostic method, and no treatment. Susan and Timothy had no choice but to wait it out.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
22. She Found Love Again
There’s moving fast, and then there’s whatever this was. Sparks flew when Susan met Michael Roman at her acting workshop. He was an aspiring actor and 15 years her junior. He proposed three days after their first meeting. They married soon after, and Roman even adopted Timothy. But their happily ever after couldn’t have been further away.
American International, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
23. She Had Issues
It didn’t take long for cracks to appear, and Timothy found himself at the center of many fights. But it wasn’t the typical step-parent drama. Michael genuinely made an effort to parent his troubled son. But Susan didn’t even trust Michael to be alone with Timothy—and she let him know with her screaming fits.
Michael and Susan spent years in therapy until finally calling it quits in 1981. Michael escaped, but spent the rest of his life mourning his family’s fate.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957).
24. She Quit Acting
When Susan disappeared from the limelight again, it was permanent. The movie star’s decision to cancel her work contracts left people scratching their heads in confusion. This time, there was no secret love child. She just retreated into her home and rarely left.
People couldn’t help but wonder what Susan’s deal was. The truth was heartbreaking.
Allied Artists, Surrender - Hell! (1959)
25. She Struggled With Her Mental Health
To say that Susan hit rock bottom would be an understatement. Her mental health issues only worsened—and it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Susan regularly saw a psychologist to no avail. The doctor even confessed that Susan was so sick and troubled that they found their sessions draining. Once Susan could no longer take care of herself, her home was the next to go.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
26. She Lived In Appalling Conditions
From the outside, Susan’s Los Angeles home and neighborhood were picturesque. But the interior was a different planet: Years worth of garbage and rotten food accumulated in teetering piles. To make matters even worse, three large dogs and her son also lived with her.
Like her home, Susan’s relationship with Timothy was messy.
Allied Artists, Surrender - Hell! (1959)
27. She Had A Dysfunctional Mother-Son Dynamic
We know this because a neighbor spilled the beans on Susan and Timothy’s relationship. They were “very, very close… she never went any place without him. He was very dependent on her”. While some might’ve viewed their relationship as codependent or unhealthy, no one could’ve predicted that Timothy would soon end his mom’s life.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
28. She Had An At Home Emergency
On December 10, 1986, 23-year old Timothy called emergency services to report that intruders broke into their home, injured him, and took off with $70,000. The art student claimed that he wasn’t aware of his mom’s status. When emergency services arrived, they weren’t prepared for the mess they were walking into—and I don’t just mean Susan’s actual home.
American International, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
29. She Had Aggressive Dogs
As emergency services pulled in, Susan’s son waited calmly outside their home. Timothy informed them that he believed Susan was injured in her bedroom. They rushed in—only to immediately rush out. The paramedics learned the hard way that this mother-son duo had three big aggressive Akitas.
For six hours, they had to tiptoe around these dogs. Once the paramedics entered Susan’s room, the next chapter of this nightmare began.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957).
30. She Had A Brutal End
It was another horror movie come to life. Paramedics opened Susan’s bedroom door to find her lifeless body surrounded by splatters of red. The mystery intruder covered Susan’s face with a sheet before bludgeoning her. When paramedics lifted the fabric off, they realized the force involved.
Susan was unrecognizable—and that’s putting it mildly.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
31. She Had A Suspicious Son
Investigators had questions for the only witness, but Timothy only left them with even more questions and suspicions. The student insisted that the intruder—a man dressed as a ninja warrior—forced his way into the home. The intruder then knocked out Timothy. By the time he woke up, the ninja and Susan were long gone.
It didn’t take long for officers to pull apart his increasingly inconsistent story.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
32. She Had An Inconsistent Son
When officers looked at Timothy, they saw red flag after red flag. After all, Susan suffered fatal injuries from this mystery intruder. Meanwhile, Timothy claimed to fight him, but only had minor bruises and cuts to show for it. On top of that, they saw no signs of forced entry.
The officers took their suspect in for questioning. They aimed to break him.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
33. Her Son Confessed
By the end of the three hour interrogation, Timothy broke down. Susan’s son confessed that he was responsible. There was no intruder, and there was certainly no ninja intruder. Timothy invented this story because he thought no one would believe his side of the story.
Having secured a confession, officers needed just one more thing to lock Timothy away for life.
Allied Artists, War Of The Satellites (1958)
34. Her Son Gave It Up
After the officers drove Timothy home, they finally gained access to his bedroom. Previously, his aggressive dogs refused to let anyone else in. Timothy rummaged around his room until he found a secret box.
He opened it, and revealed the weapon. With a confession and the weapon, it seemed like an open-and-shut case. Not quite.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
35. Her Son Went For An Unconventional Defense
After pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, Timothy’s lawyers argued that he shouldn’t—and couldn’t—be held responsible. The team explained how his health issues, the experiment, and his current medications impacted his sanity.
They even went as far as declaring that Timothy was “a human experiment gone wrong”. But they still took it even further.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
36. Her Son Changed His Story
Instead of portraying Timothy alone as insane, his team decided to go after his mom too. Timothy tearfully testified that on her last day, an unwell Susan forgot who he was. After she began screaming at him, he tried calling paramedics for her sake.
Susan responded by going after him with a barbell bar, then a scalpel. Timothy couldn’t stop himself.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
37. She Started The Fight
In response, Timothy grabbed the bar from Susan and hit her head. Again and again. After hiding the instruments, he called emergency services. Timothy insists he initially went with the ninja story because he was convinced that no one would believe Susan was mentally ill.
But this time, his team went all in to convince everyone.
American International, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958).
38. She Became The Accused
Timothy’s attorneys explained their client’s over-the-top reaction away as a mere side effect from his medication. Instead, they emphasized Cabot’s alleged role as not only the initiator of the conflict, but the underlying cause of Timothy’s instability.
But they knew this wasn’t enough. The team needed to dig for more proof of Susan’s instability, even if it destroyed her legacy.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
39. She Was Exposed
Timothy’s team summoned a cast of witnesses to expose his mother’s instability and justify Timothy’s instability. His tutor testified that Susan regularly screamed at Timothy for no reason. A pediatrician wrote a report describing Susan as excessively dramatic and protective.
This doctor noted that these antics played a role in his immaturity and instability. It gets even worse.
Allied Artists, Surrender - Hell! (1959)
40. She Had A Bad Reputation
Cabot’s psychologist testified that she was extremely unwell. Susan even confessed not wanting to live at points. He admitted that treating her took a toll on him—and those were just 50-minute sessions. He couldn’t imagine having to live with Susan and her fears.
Consequently, the psychologist pitied Timothy. The picture these witnesses painted wasn’t pretty—and the worst was incoming.
Universal International, Gunsmoke (1953)
41. She Shocked Everyone
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the right video is worth a million. Timothy’s team shared a tour of Susan’s garbage and rotten food-filled home. It worked. The judge confessed, “It was beyond my imagination that a person of such success and notoriety at one time could live in such indescribable conditions”.
Now on a roll, Timothy’s lawyers’ next claim drove the country wild.
The Film Group, Inc., Wikimedia Commons
42. She Faced Crazy Accusations
Cabot might’ve taken her vanity too far. Timothy’s team claimed that she believed her son’s medications had anti-aging benefits, and wanted in. According to them, Susan injected herself in hopes of looking younger. Since they claimed that this regime led to Timothy becoming more unstable, they also implied it had the same effect on Susan. Basically, Christmas came early for the media.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
43. She Captivated The Country
The irony wasn’t lost on anyone. After all, The Wasp Woman was Susan’s most iconic movie. She played a character who turned into a monster after messing around with sketchy anti-aging treatments. Ex-husband Michael eventually refuted these claims, but the damage was already done.
It already catapulted Susan into Hollywood legend territory and there was no coming back down.
The Film Group, Inc,, Wikimedia Commons
44. She Inspired Mixed Feelings
Prosecutors already had the confession and weapon, but this case couldn’t have been more complicated. They initially clung to their murder charges. But Timothy’s lawyers demonstrated this wasn’t a black-or-white case. Justice wasn’t obvious.
His team made their case for dropping the original charges in favor of a less serious one and crossed their fingers.
American International, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
45. Her Trial Got Complicated
After much deliberation, the prosecutors agreed to drop their initial charges in favor of involuntary manslaughter. Perhaps the defense’s sympathetic portrayal of Timothy worked. Or perhaps the prosecutors realized they couldn’t prove the higher charges. But ultimately, it was Judge Darlene Schempp’s call. It was a call that she struggled to make, especially since Timothy’s love for Susan shined through.
Allied Artists, War Of The Satellites (1958)
46. Her Son Was Sentenced
In November 1989, Judge Schempp finally reached a verdict. She found Timothy guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a major downgrade from his initial charges. Since Timothy already spent nearly three years in pre-trial custody, he didn’t have to spend any more time behind bars. Instead, he received three years probation and mandatory psychiatric treatment. Timothy’s family—or what was left of it—took it as a win.
American International, Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
47. Her Son Escaped
Timothy’s grandmother didn’t hold back: “Oh, what we have gone through. Timothy and I are just drained. It’s time to start a whole new life. We are taking him away from this area, this town”.
Timothy’s remaining family stuck to their word. They tried their best to move on from this ordeal while it became infamous. Timothy passed in 2003.
Sunset Productions, Sorority Girl (1957)
48. She Lost Her Home
In case anyone’s wondering, the place that Susan and Timothy once called home is gone. The new owners demolished the original house and replaced it with a more luxurious one (And who could blame them?). Just like that, the neighborhood returned to its old glamor. It’s almost as if that horrible December day never happened. Decades later, with the only two witnesses long gone, what really happened that night remains a mystery.
The Filmgroup, The Wasp Woman (1959)
49. She Still Inspires Artists
Susan Cabot continues to inspire, albeit in the most morbid ways. Notably, true crime writer James Marrison considers her death one of the most compelling, inspirational, and strange cases he’s ever looked into. Many aspects made their way into his first Inspector Guillermo Downes novel, in which a recluse’s body is discovered.
Other artists took more direct inspiration from the tragedy of Susan Cabot.
Allied Artists, Surrender - Hell! (1959)
50. She’s The Subject Of A Play
Once again, Susan’s death eclipsed her entire life. In October 2023, Ode To The Wasp Woman made its Off Broadway debut. While the play also chronicles the last 48 hours of three low-budget other actresses, its title references Susan’s iconic role. Our continued fascination with the wasp woman ensures she’ll never fade.
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