Susan Elizabeth Brown was born 6th May, 1946 in Bristol and trained at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Kent. She made her first TV appearances in 1959, and went on to act in programmes such as Man at the Top and Within These Walls and also had a recurring role in the children's drama The Kids from 47A. After several years of television and stage roles she first appeared in Coronation Street in the regular role of Connie Clayton from January to September 1985.
The Claytons were the first attempt to introduce a brand new family whose individual members had made no previous appearances on the programme since the Cleggs in April 1968. In addition, they were very much an "ordinary" family with no defining characteristics of the type that made other residents of Coronation Street stand out. In a 2002 interview with the Sheffield Star, Ms Brown admits that, "The family never worked really. Brookside had started some months previously and the producer of the moment was impressed, as indeed we all were. The Clayton were a Brookside family who went into the Street and it was just never going to work." After several months the production team reached the same conclusion and they were axed, although the characters of Connie and daughter Andrea Clayton did reappear briefly in 2000 however the part of Connie was then played by Irene Skillington.
Susan's career continued apace with roles on television in Making Out, September Song and Torchwood among others. A favourite role was a television version of the Argentinean play Nona with comedian Les Dawson in his only straight acting role. Bearing no rancour to the Street, she returned to the programme in June 2006 to play Maureen Tully.
She has also had a long stage career, acting with the RSC and the Royal Court among other companies with roles in including The Wild Duck, Romeo and Juliet, Butterfly Kiss, The House of Bernarda Alba, Playing Sinatra, The Vortex, The Way of the World and A Woman of No Importance.