Susan Ker Weld was born on August 27, 1943, in New York City. When her father, Lathrop Motley Weld, died three years later at the age of 49, the cute little girl, whose name by then had somehow been transmogrified into "Tuesday", took over the role of the family breadwinner. She became a successful child model, posing for advertisements and mail-order catalogs. Her work and the burden of responsibility estranged her from her mother Aileen and her two elder siblings and catapulted the preteen girl into adulthood. At nine years of age she suffered a nervous breakdown, at ten she started heavy drinking. One year later she began to have affairs, and at the age of twelve she tried to commit suicide. In 1956 she debuted in the low-budget exploitation movie Rock, Rock, Rock and decided to become an actress. After numerous TV appearances in New York she went to Hollywood in 1958 and was cast for Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!, something of a breakthrough for her. Over the next few years Tuesday became Hollywood's queen of teen, playing mainly precocious sex kittens. Her wild private life added to the entertainment of her fans. Critics acknowledged her talent, directors approved of her professionalism, and in the late 1960s she even managed to grow out of her child/woman image and find more demanding roles - she had been "sweet little 16" for about 16 years. However, Tuesday Weld didn't achieve first-magnitude stardom. Maybe she was just unlucky with her selection of jobs (she turned down Lolita, Bonnie and Clyde, True Grit, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, among others); maybe her independence-loving mind made her instinctively shrink back from the restraints of superstardom. In any case, she kept on performing well in films that had either not much flair or not much success. From the mid-'70s on she focused more and more on made-for-TV movies, which was ironic in that the best (Once Upon a Time in America) and the most successful (Falling Down) films that came her way happened after her big-screen career had pretty much petered out.
Featured on the cover of the album "Girlfriend" by 'Matthew Sweet ' (1991). Was considered for the title role in Lolita. Turned down the role of Bonnie in Bonnie and Clyde. She was director Roman Polanski's first choice for the title role in Rosemary's Baby because he thought her pure, American looks would contrast well with the film's dark undertones. The studio preferred Mia Farrow, however, who had become a star on the enormously popular night-time soap opera Peyton Place. A few years later, Polanski wanted her to star in his film version of _"Macbeth" (1971)_. She lost the part when she refused to do a nude sleepwalking scene. The role was eventually played by Francesca Annis. When asked by a reporter what drove her into seclusion in the 1970s, she answered, "I think it was a Buick." As a 14 year old starlet, A Hollywood movie mag reported her measurements to be 36-19-35 Turned down the films Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, True Grit and Cactus Flower. Son, Patrick (with Dudley Moore), born in 1976. Had a daughter, Natasha, born in 1966, with her screenwriter/husband, Claude Harz. Graduated from Hollywood Professional School in 1960 and was the class valedictorian. Singer Walter Egan recorded "Tuesday Weld", his self-penned tribute to the actress, on his 1980 album "The Last Stroll". Donald Fagen mentions her in his song "New Frontier" on the album "The Nightfly": "Introduce me to that big blonde/She's got a touch of Tuesday Weld." Refused to screen test (as did Natalie Wood) for the part of Daisy Buchanan in the 1974 remake of "The Great Gatsby".