Susan Olsen recently opened up about what happened after she played an important role in 'The Brady Bunch' from 1969 to 1974.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleSusan Olsen is best known as 'Cindy Brady' on The Brady Bunch, playing the youngest sibling with pigtails from age 7. After the sitcom, she appeared in reunions but later left acting, working in radio and as a graphic artist.
The actress is currently making headlines after she recalled her career in an interview with Remind magazine on August 14, 2026. Susan said during the conversation that she was 23 years old when she realized her dislike for acting. While she switched professions a long time ago, the latest conversation has brought the spotlight to her personal life.
Outside the entertainment industry, Susan Olsen has kept much of her personal life private, but she has spoken publicly about her family and marriages in interviews over the years.
She has been married twice before her current marriage. Her first marriage was to Steve Ventimiglia, a musician and kickboxer. They tied the knot in August 1988 and divorced in 1990. The couple did not have children together. Olsen later missed a Brady reunion film, A Very Brady Christmas, released in 1988, because it was filmed during her honeymoon with Ventimiglia.
Her second marriage was to Mitch Markwell, a medical equipment salesman. They married in 1995 and divorced in 2004. During this marriage, they had one son, Michael Markwell, who was born in 1997. Michael was named after Mike Lookinland, who played 'Bobby Brady.'
Susan Olsen has discussed raising Michael openly. She previously revealed that Michael is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. In interviews, she said she stepped away from the spotlight to focus on motherhood, and she has praised stay-at-home moms, noting that she was one herself.
Olsen once recalled aspects of her marriage to Markwell during a conversation with FOX. She said they grew marijuana together, something she described as her husband’s idea. She explained that she found the plant fascinating but left the marriage in part because it bothered her that they were doing something illegal.
Susan Olsen married comedian Chris “Crazy Legs” Fonseca in 2009. They first met while performing together at Loonee’s Comedy Corner in Colorado. Chris, who has cerebral palsy, is a stand-up comic and choreographer with five children from prior relationships. The couple splits time between Los Angeles and San Antonio, Texas.
Susan Olsen recently appeared for an interview with Remind magazine on August 14, 2026, where she recalled her career after building a fan base with her performance in The Brady Bunch. She portrayed 'Cindy Brady,' the youngest daughter on the ABC sitcom that ran from 1969 to 1974.
Olsen admitted that she kept chasing acting roles long after the show ended, though she wasn’t sure why. She believed a big part of it was wanting to make her mother proud, a motivation that carried into her early 20s. After finishing high school, Olsen said she got into USC. In hindsight, she questioned why she never joined the film program, because she already had an interest in that side of production. She now feels her place was behind the camera all along, and she finds it strange she didn’t see it sooner.
The real shift happened when Susan Olsen was 23 years old. She booked a job, read the script on the drive home, and had an immediate realization that she did not like acting. Despite taking the part, she called both her coach and her agent afterward to say she was walking away. She decided the work just wasn’t for her. Right after that, opportunities in graphic design started opening up, and that path stuck. She still works as an artist today.
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