Jessica Randolph Harper (born October 3, 1949) is an American actress, singer and author. Harper began her feature film career with a starring role in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), and subsequently featured in films including Love and Death (1975), Inserts (1975) and My Favorite Year (1982). She may be best known for her portrayal of ballerina Suzy Bannion, the protagonist of Dario Argento's cult classic Suspiria (1977), and appeared in a supporting role in Luca Guadagnino's 2018 remake. For her performance in the original 1977 production, Harper was nominated for a Photoplay Award, whilst her turn in the 2018 version earned her an Independent Spirit Award.
Her other films include Stardust Memories (1980), Shock Treatment (1981) (the follow-up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show in which she replaced Susan Sarandon as Janet Majors, née Weiss), Pennies from Heaven (1981), The Blue Iguana (1988), Safe (1995), Minority Report (2002), Bones and All (2022) and Nightbitch (2024).
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Early life
Harper was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Eleanor (née Emery), a writer, and Paul Church Harper Jr., a painter and the former chairman of the Needham Harper Worldwide advertising agency in New York. She attended the North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka, Illinois, and Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She has two sisters—Lindsay Harper duPont, an illustrator, and Diana Harper, a teacher—and three brothers—her twin brother William Harper, a composer; Sam Harper, a screenwriter and director; and Rev. Charles Harper.
