From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Susan Blakely is an American film actress and actress, who has mainly played supporting roles. She is best known for her leading role in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. Blakely also has appeared in films including The Towering Inferno, Report to the Commissioner, Capone, The Concorde ... Airport '79, and Over the Top. Blakely arrived in Hollywood in the early 1970s, and began appearing in supporting roles in films including Savages, The Way We Were, and The Lords of Flatbush. Her first major role was as Patty Simmons in the 1974 disaster film The Towering Inferno. The following year, she played the female lead roles in films Report to the Commissioner alongside Michael Moriarty, and Capone opposite Ben ...