Anyone interested in exploring cult movies during the 1960s or 1970s may not need to be introduced to Susan Anspach. Susan Anspach is an acclaimed actress whose name is remembered for her stellar performance in Five Easy Pieces, shared with co-star Jack Nicholson. Her performances in Five Easy Pieces (1970), Play It Again, Sam (1972), and The Big Fix (1978) cemented her reputation as one of Hollywood’s most compelling character actresses of the era.
The movie brought fame to her life; at the same time, it kept her in public attention due to the news of her pregnancy. Dating Jack Nicholson during the filming of Five Easy Pieces initiated a whirlwind romance with the actress & she eventually became pregnant, which was initially denied by Jack.
The pregnancy status and authenticity of paternity with Jack Nicholson made her relationship status complicated. The actress had two children. One of them was born from her relationship with actor Steve Curry, namely Catherine Curry, while the other was born while filming the movie Five Easy Pieces with her co-star Jack Nicholson.
Neither Steve nor Jack gave Susan a legally recognised married status. Are you eager to know the whereabouts of Susan Anspach’s children and the rollercoaster journey of the Hollywood actress who is the mother of two kids, Caleb and Catherine? Read it from scratch.
Table of Contents
How many kids did Susan Anspach have?
Susan Anspach had two children. Catherine Curry was her daughter, who was born on October 15, 1968, to Steve Curry, the castmate from Hair. After 2 years, during her filming for Five Easy Pieces with co-star Jack Nicholson, she conceived and, on September 26, 1970, gave birth to her son Caleb.
Neither Steve Curry nor Jack Nicholson acknowledged her by giving a legally recognised married status to Susan Anspach and denied accepting Catherine and Caleb as their daughter and son, respectively. Later, Mark Goddard married Susan and legally adopted both of her children.
Brief bio of Susan Anspach
Born on 23 November 1942, Susan Anspach was an acclaimed Hollywood actress remembered by fans for her stellar performance in the 1970 film Five Easy Pieces opposite Jack Nicholson. Susan Anspach’s early upbringing was not easy. The daughter of Gertrude and Renald Anspach was deprived of proper care from her parents during the early years of her upbringing.
Until she reached six, Anspach had grown up under the supervision of her great-aunt, as Anspach’s grandfather did not approve of the marriage and disowned him. After losing her aunt at six, Susan went back to live with her parents, but the abusive home environment compelled her to leave her own home at age 15. Roman Catholic organization assisted her in moving with a family located in Harlem.
In 1960, Anspach graduated from William Cullen Bryant High School. Being a brilliant student, she received a full scholarship from the Catholic University of America. Her choice of subjects was drama and music, and she studied them well. Pullman Car Hiawatha was a one-act play through which she made her professional debut. After completing her college studies, she relocated to New York City.
Who is Catherine Goddard
Born to Susan Anspach and her castmate Steve Curry, Catherine never received the acknowledgement of being a daughter from her biological father, Steve. After her mother married Mark Goddard, her daughter was recognised as the adopted daughter of Mark. Born on October 15, 1968, Catherine Goddard is a production assistant and actress who has the credit of working on the 1996 TV movie Crazy Horse as a set dresser.
Who is Caleb Goddard
Bob Rafelson directed the movie Five Easy Pieces, which gave Susan the recognition from her heartthrob fans. It was the time when Susan Anspach came close to Jack Nicholson for the filming of Five Easy Pieces. Both developed an off-screen chemistry, and the intimacy that took shape from that time eventually led to Susan becoming pregnant. During the production of the 1970 movie, Susan conceived a son, Caleb.
The romantic fling between the duo transformed into off camera pregnacy that entirely led to a probable cause of lifelong dispute. For many years, Nicholson publicly denied paternity of Caleb. According to Susan Anspach’s own statements in interviews, Nicholson eventually acknowledged Caleb privately, though this acknowledgment was never made publicly by Nicholson himself. Susan was 6 months into her pregnancy when Mark Goddard married Susan and accepted Caleb Goddard as his adopted son.
According to the information listed on IMDb regarding the celeb, he was seen acting in one episode of The Slap Maxwell Story, a TV series. Apart from that, he never appeared in the entertainment industry. After completing his graduation degree from Georgetown University, he made a career at CNN as a broadcast journalist. At present, he is working at the U.S. Department of State, which is a white-collar job.
Susan Anspach’s Relationships, Marriages, and Family
The actress Susan Anspach received a plethora of disdain in the name of the institution of marriage. The acclaimed actress married twice, and neither of her marriages lasted beyond a few years. During the filming of Five Easy Pieces, she became pregnant from her off-screen chemistry with Oscar-winning Jack Nicholson. Susan also had an affair with Steve Curry, and her relationship with him also resonated in something similar to Jack’s. On October 15, 1968, she gave birth to her daughter, Catherine, with Steve.
Both her children were accepted by Mark Goddard as adopted children after Susan married him in June 1970. Indeed, it eventually terminated when Goddard divorced Susan in October 1978. Later, Anspach tied the knot with musician Sherwood Ball in 1982 and divorced in the year 1986. Hence, it is seen that Susan Anspach never got a stable partner to live her life with her spouse and faced turbulence in her married life.
Read More: Meet Jack Nicholson’s Children: Inside the Oscar Winner’s Family
In closing
Susan Anspach’s story — from a difficult childhood in New York to the heights of 1970s Hollywood and the complicated private life that followed — is ultimately a story of resilience. Both her children, Catherine and Caleb, have built lives outside the Hollywood spotlight their mother occupied. They carry forward a family name — Goddard — given to them not by their biological fathers, but by a man who chose them. Susan Anspach passed away on March 2, 2020. Her performances endure. So does her children’s story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jack Nicholson really Caleb Goddard’s father?
Yes. Jack Nicholson is the real biological father of Caleb Goddard. His mother, Susan Anspach, became pregnant during the filming of the movie Five Easy Pieces with her co-star, Jack Nicholson.
Nicholson publicly denied accepting Caleb as his son for years. Susan was 6 months into her pregnancy when Mark Goddard married Susan and adopted Caleb as his son. Henceforth, it is true that Jack Nicholson is Caleb’s biological father.
Did Susan Anspach have a daughter?
Yes, the relationship of Susan Anspach with actor Steve Curry made her pregnant, but he refused to accept Catherine as her daughter. Later, she was adopted by Mark Goddard, her official spouse.
Who adopted Susan Anspach’s children?
Mark Goddard adopted both of Susan’s children. Mark Goddard married Susan and legally adopted both of her children, namely Caleb and Catherine.
