Susan Kelechi Watson

November 11, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Susan Kelechi Watson, born November 11, 1981, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her work on the television show “Louie” and for her role as Beth Pearson in “This Is Us.” She was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the latter. We’ll help you celebrate her special day right here.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Susan Kelechi Watson

Nickname:

Sue

Birth date:

November 11, 1981

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Scorpio

Height:

5' 5"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$4 million

Background

Susan Kelechi Watson was born in Brooklyn on November 11, 1980, and her parents were born in Jamaica. Her middle name Kelechi is of Nigerian Ibo origin and means “Thank God.” Watson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Graduate Program in Acting at the Tisch School of the Arts. And very few people know, but she trained for a long time to be a dancer. Also, she was chosen by Phylicia Rashad, a Howard University colleague, to study Shakespeare with a London theatre company. Watson had a recurring role on the television show “Louie” from 2012 to 2014 and in addition, she also had recurring roles on “N.C.I.S.,” “The following,” and “The Blacklist.”

She appeared in a play at the American Airlines Theater in New York by playwright Richard Greenberg entitled “A Naked Girl on the Appian Way” in 2005. She is best known for her role as Beth Pearson in “This Is Us” and was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the latter. Watson played Andrea Vogel in the Fred Rogers biopic “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” opposite Tom Hanks in 2019.

After Watson’s first audition for “This Is Us,” she tried out for a play written by her friend, Danai Gurira, that went so badly that she started googling how to start a new life in Montreal, working in a coffee shop and living in a $500-a-month apartment.

Career timeline

2004

A Star On the Rise

She gets her first role, Paula, in the series "Hack," in the episode 'Extreme Commerce.'

2007

Her First Movie

She gets her first role, Genevieve Egan, for "Alibi," a T.V. movie.

2012

Her Big Role

She gets her biggest role so far in the series "Louie."

2016

Her Main Role

She plays Beth Pearson in the series "This Is Us," this being her first leading role.

2022

She Does Voice Acting

Just when you think she's going to stop surprising, she comes along and voices an as-yet-unrevealed character in the animation "Rumble."

Why We Love Susan Kelechi Watson

She’s Sterling K. Brown's friend
It is little wonder that Susan Kelechi Watson and Sterling K. Brown have such great chemistry on screen as they have known each other for many years. They first met when they were both students and they share the same training background.
Dancing is a part of her life
When she was younger, she studied ballet, tap, modern, jazz, Caribbean, Brazillian, and African dance forms. She is particularly passionate about ballet. In "This Is Us," her character Beth becomes a dance teacher.
She is close to Mandy Moore
Watson and the rest of her cast on "This Is Us" are very close, but she has a special bond with Mandy Moore, who plays Rebecca Pearson. Not only are these two very good friends, but Watson was also a part of Mandy Moore’s bachelorette party and they spend a great time together outside of filming.

5 Surprising Facts

New York girl
Watson was born and raised in New York City but moved to Los Angeles as an adult for work and although she got plenty of work in television series while living in Los Angeles, she decided to return to her home city.
Coffee shop job
Just one month before she landed her breakthrough role as Beth Pearson on "This Is Us," Watson was considering moving to Montreal, Canada to work in a coffee shop.
Shakespeare at Oxford
She was accepted into a program to study Shakespeare at Oxford, but it was too expensive, however, she was awarded a scholarship to study at Oxford thanks to actress Phylicia Rashad.
Surprises
Phylicia Rashad, who helped her get her scholarship to Oxford, years later starred with her in "This Is Us."
Favorite food
Her favorite food is pizza.

Susan Kelechi Watson FAQs

What happened to Susan Kelechi Watson?

Since 2016, she has starred in the N.B.C. drama series “This Is Us” as Beth Pearson.

How old is Beth Pearson?

Beth is around 17 when all of this goes down, and losing her dad affects her enormously, although you wouldn’t know it from the way the Big Three act around her in the present.