Susan Dee Robbins: The Real Story Behind Dale Robertson’s Devoted Wife and Author

Susan Dee Robbins isn’t a name you’ll find on a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. But she’s woven deeply into one of classic television’s most enduring legacies. As the wife of Western actor Dale Robertson and the author of Bucking Hollywood, she represents something rare in celebrity culture — a woman who chose quiet strength over spotlight, and loyalty over limelight. Her Susan Dee Robbins biography is a study in what it means to live with purpose, love, and grace entirely on your own terms.

Susan Dee Robbins — Quick Biography at a Glance

Who Is Susan Dee Robbins? Early Life and Career

Born in 1954 in California, Susan Dee Robbins lived a relatively private life before meeting the actor who would change her life forever. She didn’t grow up chasing fame or auditioning for roles. Instead, she carved a path of independence, professionalism, and adventure.

After completing her education, Susan joined American Airlines as a flight attendant — a career that, in the 1970s, was considered one of the more glamorous yet demanding professions available to women. It gave her the chance to travel, meet people from all backgrounds, and develop a composed, self-assured personality. That composure would serve her well in the decades to come.

Their meeting led to a lasting relationship and marriage. She did not have biological children but became a stepmother to Dale Robertson’s daughters, Rebel and Rochelle. Her backstory isn’t defined by Hollywood connections — it’s defined by the choices she made before any of that began.

How Susan Met Dale Robertson — A First-Class Love Story

The meeting that changed Susan Dee Robbins’ life happened mid-flight. They met on a flight in the late 1970s while Susan was working as a flight attendant with American Airlines. Among her passengers that day was a tall, charming man with a face familiar to millions — Dale Robertson, already celebrated for his rugged performances in Tales of Wells Fargo and Iron Horse.

Their initial interaction was polite and professional, but the conversation soon revealed mutual admiration and shared values. Dale, who had long been typecast as the noble cowboy, found in Susan a kindred spirit who appreciated authenticity over glamour. Their connection blossomed naturally, away from the cameras and publicity. After a period of quiet courtship, the two married on February 2, 1980, in a private ceremony attended by close friends and family.

Dale and Susan were married in 1980, the fourth marriage for the actor and outdoorsman. Click Info Time Despite a 23-year age gap, the partnership proved remarkably resilient — lasting over three decades.

Life on the Ranch — Leaving the Glamour Behind

Once married, Susan Dee Robbins made a decisive shift. She left her airline career and relocated with Dale to his ranch in Yukon, Oklahoma. This wasn’t a sacrifice dressed up as compromise — it was a genuine embrace of a simpler, more grounded lifestyle.

In his later years, Robertson and his wife, Susan Robbins, whom he married in 1980, lived on his ranch in Yukon, Oklahoma, where it was reported he owned 235 horses at one time, with five mares foaling grand champions. Susan became a full partner in that ranch life — managing the household, supporting Dale’s equestrian passion, and building a home that shielded them both from the relentless churn of Hollywood publicity.

The couple bred horses and maintained a working ranch. Dale preferred being known as a rancher rather than just a Hollywood actor. Susan embraced that identity completely. For more than three decades, the Oklahoma ranch wasn’t just their address — it was their world.

Dale Robertson’s Life and Legacy: What Susan Witnessed

To understand Susan Dee Robbins, you need to understand the man she stood beside. Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923 – February 26, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series Tales of Wells Fargo and railroad owner Ben Calhoun in Iron Horse.

Dale Robertson died in 2013 at age 89 after a career that spanned more than 40 years, from the late 1940s through the early 1990s. He appeared in some 30 films. His two most famous TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo and Iron Horse, ran in the ’50s and ’60s. Later in his career, he appeared in such well-known series as Dynasty and Dallas. At Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Susan witnessed all of it — the fading of an era, the quieting of a career, and ultimately, the decline of the man himself. Susan had to relocate her spouse to Rancho Santa Fe when his health began to fail. Her reasons were that they would be close to her brother-in-law and sister who were also residents of the ranch.

Due to his declining health, he relocated to the San Diego area in what would be his final months, dying at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, California, on February 26, 2013, from lung cancer and pneumonia.

Dale Robertson’s Key Career Facts

Bucking Hollywood — Susan Dee Robbins’ Writing Journey

After Dale’s death, Susan didn’t give interviews or seek media appearances. She did something far more meaningful — she wrote a book. Susan says she is not a professional writer but wanted to write this book totally herself with her own thoughts, ideas, time frame, and no ghost writer. She laughs when someone says, “Well, you are a writer now.

So what is Susan Dee Robbins’ writing style? It’s personal, unfiltered, and grounded in lived experience. There’s no ghost-written polish, no PR gloss. Susan said her husband loved to tell stories about his Hollywood days, and she scribbled down notes over the years, which helped when she began to write the book.

In 2019, Susan published Bucking Hollywood, a biography about Dale’s life and career. The book is packed with photographs, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and personal reflections only a spouse could provide.

• Dale’s childhood and rise to fame in Hollywood
• His experience working on Western film and television sets
• Personal stories from their ranching life in Oklahoma
• The philosophy Dale carried as both an actor and a cowboy
• His views on the changing entertainment industry

Is Susan Dee Robbins Still Alive? Setting the Record Straight

There’s been ongoing online speculation about Susan Dee Robbins’ status. People regularly search “is Susan Robertson still alive” or look for a Susan Dee Robbins obituary. The answer is clear.

Is Susan Dee Robbins still alive? Yes, she is alive as of 2025. Despite recurring searches, there is no Susan Dee Robbins obituary. roximately 71 years old and continues to live a private, peaceful life. She does not maintain any social media presence and has not remarried. Susan now resides in San Diego, California, to be closer to family.

The recurring searches say more about Dale Robertson’s enduring legacy than about any actual news. People love the man and naturally wonder about the woman who loved him.

Susan Dee Robbins’ Estimated Net Worth and Assets

The Legacy of Susan Dee Robbins — Quiet, But Unforgettable

People often ask who is the actress Susan Dee — and the answer is: she was never an actress. She was something less glamorous and far more essential. She was the anchor. Though she never appeared in front of the camera, Susan Dee Robbins became a cornerstone of Dale Robertson’s life. She chose love, loyalty, and privacy over fame.

Even though she avoided fame, Susan Dee Robbins left an undeniable mark — as a preserver of Dale’s legacy, a model of private strength, and through her life in Oklahoma, she became part of America’s ranching tradition.

Her story teaches something worth remembering: not every meaningful life is a public one. Susan Dee Robbins lived fully, loved fiercely, and left behind a book that ensures the real Dale Robertson — the rancher, the storyteller, the man — won’t be forgotten. That’s a legacy most people would envy.