Hollywood at the turn of the century was a slaughterhouse full of pretty faces, most of them lined up to be chewed up and spat straight into the bargain bin at Blockbuster. Susan Ward? She played it both ways. One moment she’s the clean little dream girl dragged through soap opera hell, the next she’s a spoiled rich bitch setting fire to the curtains in some teen thriller nobody rented twice. Then she’s grinning in the background of a sitcom, or stuck playing the mother who’s already half-dead inside on some family show. She never made the big climb, never hit the top shelf, but the scraps she left behind tell you exactly what Hollywood was selling back then—cheap beauty, recycled roles, and a whole lot of wasted nights.
Soap Beginnings: Camille on All My Children (1995)
Like many actors cutting their teeth in the mid-90s, Susan Ward started in daytime soaps. On All My Children, she played Camille, a recurring role that didn’t steal the spotlight but gave her enough experience in the fast-paced, line-heavy world of daytime drama. Soap operas are the NFL training camps of acting — brutal hours, endless exposition, and the demand to cry, scheme, or seduce at the drop of a cue card. Ward survived, which meant she was ready for her next step.
Teen Drama Primer: Bree on Malibu Shores (1996)
Ward then graduated to Aaron Spelling’s short-lived teen drama Malibu Shores. Cast as Bree, she got her first taste of primetime television. The series, centered around wealthy teens living in coastal California, wasn’t exactly Beverly Hills, 90210, but it gave Ward valuable exposure. The show lasted only ten episodes — not long enough to become iconic, but just enough to put Ward on the radar of casting agents who liked their actresses young, photogenic, and capable of delivering both angst and sparkle.
Fantasy Guest Star: Psyche on Hercules and Xena (1996–1997)
In one of those odd career pit stops unique to the 90s, Ward popped up as Psyche in both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. The role let her dip into mythology-lite camp, surrounded by bad wigs, leather skirts, and stunt doubles flinging themselves across foam sets. It wasn’t career-defining, but it proved she could play sweet and ethereal — qualities that would soon be tested in soap operas and thrillers alike.
The Breakout: Meg Cummings on Sunset Beach (1997–1999)
If Susan Ward is remembered for one television role, it’s as Meg Cummings on Sunset Beach, Aaron Spelling’s daytime soap opera that ran from 1997 to 1999. Meg was written as the virginal small-town heroine swept into the insanity of California’s most cursed beach town.
For two years, Ward embodied Meg, whose storylines included love triangles, mysterious strangers, and enough kidnappings to qualify as a recurring punch card at the local police station. Ward’s Meg was wide-eyed but not passive; she held her own against soap’s vampy rivals and scheming villains. Audiences connected with her — partly because Ward played her not as a cardboard cutout of innocence but as someone caught between naivety and a growing sense of steel.
Sunset Beach only lasted three seasons, but it gave Ward her biggest platform. She appeared in nearly every episode, becoming the face of the series. For many fans, she was the heart of the show.
The Dark Turn: Brittany Foster in The In Crowd (2000)
When Sunset Beach ended, Ward pivoted to film. Her first leading role was in The In Crowd, a glossy teen thriller that dropped her directly into the early-2000s wave of post-Cruel Intentions psychodrama.
As Brittany Foster, Ward shed the girl-next-door image and embraced full-on villainy. Brittany was the quintessential “psycho rich girl,” manipulating everyone around her and slashing through the plot with malicious charm. Ward gave the role more depth than the script deserved, balancing icy calculation with sudden bursts of madness. The movie flopped theatrically, but cable TV and DVD rentals gave it a second life. For a generation of late-night viewers, Brittany Foster became Susan Ward’s most memorable screen persona.
It’s ironic: while The In Crowd didn’t make Ward a star, it showed she could anchor a film — even if that film’s legacy now lives mostly as a cult curiosity.
Supporting Roles in Early-2000s Cinema
Ward never quite escaped the gravitational pull of B-list Hollywood, but she appeared in some notable films:
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Going Greek (2001): As Wendy, Ward played the kind of sorority character who oscillates between comic relief and eye candy. It was a college comedy of its time — which is to say, instantly forgettable.
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Shallow Hal (2001): In a supporting role as Jill, Ward stood alongside Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow in the Farrelly Brothers comedy. It wasn’t a big part, but it gave her exposure in a studio film with box-office reach.
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Wild Things 2 (2004): Cast as Brittney Havers, Ward dove headfirst into the erotic-thriller swamp that defined many straight-to-DVD titles of the era. It was salacious, silly, and over-the-top — but Ward leaned into the camp, cementing her place as a recognizable face in late-night cable rotations.
These roles weren’t prestigious, but they broadened her range. She could be comic, seductive, or sinister — and sometimes all three at once.
Guest Spots and Procedurals (2002–2009)
Ward’s bread and butter during the 2000s became guest appearances on network television, particularly in procedural dramas. She popped up on Friends as Hayley in “The One with the Sharks,” CSI: Miami, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Criminal Minds.
These appearances capitalized on Ward’s ability to shift between approachable and dangerous — she could be the charming girlfriend in one episode and the femme fatale suspect in another. For casting directors, she was a reliable presence: glamorous enough to draw attention, but grounded enough to sell an emotional beat.
The TV Pivot: Chloe Kmetko on Make It or Break It (2009–2011)
After years of bouncing between films and guest spots, Ward landed her second signature television role in Make It or Break It. Cast as Chloe Kmetko, the single mother of gymnast Emily Kmetko, Ward played against her earlier typecasting.
Chloe was not a femme fatale or a wide-eyed ingénue. She was a struggling mom trying to support her daughter’s Olympic dreams. Ward grounded the role with warmth and pragmatism, portraying Chloe as fiercely protective but often out of her depth.
The show, centered on the cutthroat world of elite gymnastics, gave Ward steady work for two seasons. It also introduced her to a younger audience who hadn’t seen her in Sunset Beach or The In Crowd. For many millennials, Chloe Kmetko was their first introduction to Susan Ward.
Other Notable Roles
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Just Legal (2005–2006): Ward had a main role as Kate Manat in this short-lived courtroom dramedy starring Don Johnson. It didn’t last, but it showed she could handle more adult material.
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Jack Hunter and the Lost Treasure of Ugarit (2008): Ward starred as Liz in this miniseries, which blended Indiana Jones-style adventure with TV movie pacing.
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Dead and Deader (2006): A Syfy original film where Ward played Holly. It’s the kind of title that defines mid-2000s cable horror — cheap, cheesy, and oddly charming.
The Fade-Out: Major Crimes and Retirement
Ward’s last credited role was in 2012, guest-starring as Annette Raber in an episode of Major Crimes. After that, she quietly retired from acting, settling down with her husband, David C. Robinson, and their child. Robinson, a film executive, had cast Ward in The In Crowd years earlier — a fitting full-circle moment.
While Ward’s career ended earlier than many of her peers, she left behind a résumé that covered nearly every corner of late-90s/2000s entertainment: soaps, teen thrillers, sitcoms, procedurals, family dramas, and direct-to-DVD curiosities.
And Now?
Susan Ward may not have become a marquee name, but she carved out a unique niche. She was versatile — capable of playing the wholesome soap heroine, the dangerous femme fatale, or the maternal figure. Her career mirrors Hollywood’s shifting tides: from daytime soaps in the 90s to glossy thrillers in the 2000s to cable dramas in the 2010s.
What makes her interesting isn’t just the roles themselves but the way she inhabited them. In Sunset Beach, she anchored chaos with sincerity. In The In Crowd, she chewed scenery as a sociopath. In Make It or Break It, she gave heart to a series about ambition and pressure.
If there’s a dark humor in her career, it’s that she was often better than the material. Whether trapped in a killer-rich-girl thriller or a half-baked Syfy original, Ward elevated what she touched.
And maybe that’s the mark of a real working actor: not superstardom, but consistency. Susan Ward didn’t need a blockbuster to prove she could act. She did it in soaps, in thrillers, on cable dramas — and left just enough memorable roles to ensure she isn’t forgotten.
