Susan Sarandon reveals the shocking reason she kept her ex-husband’s last name

Susan Sarandon is known for her 21-year romance with Oscar winner Tim Robbins, but the “Stepmother” star was married to her college sweetheart long before she made it big.

Way back in 1967, the aspiring actress – then 22 years old and named Susan Tomalin – married Chris Sarandon, whom she met at the Catholic University of America.

She took his last name and used it for her first feature film, “Joe,” which was released three years after they tied the knot.

The couple split in 1975, but Susan continued to use her alliterative stage name even after her divorce from Chris was finalized in 1979 – and she has now revealed the reason why.

“He was a very kind man and he kept me alive, so I’m glad I have that name,” Susan, now 78, told The Times this week.

During their marriage, Chris and Susan were both aspiring actors who worked odd jobs to keep their heads above water.

By the time they broke up in 1975, Susan scored a starring role in ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ and was well on her way to becoming a household name.

Despite their divorce and the decades that have passed, Susan and Chris – who had no children together – have remained on good terms.

The “Dead Man Walking” actress even appeared live on stage with her ex-husband last year to discuss their romance.

“When I met Chris, I thought, and rightly so, that he knew everything because he took me to black and white movies and introduced me to literature and basically saved my life with his kindness,” she told the crowd.

She turned to Chris and said, “I value my foundation and my survival. One of the reasons I’m here is to say that publicly.”

Susan never remarried, but she has had several high-profile romances.

After her divorce from Chris in the mid-1970s, the Oscar winner dated French director Louis Malle and Italian director Franco Amurri, with whom she had a daughter, Eva.

She started dating Tim Robbins in 1988, and the former couple share two sons, Miles and Jack. They divorced in 2009.

Chris, meanwhile, married model Lisa Cooper in 1980. The couple had three children, Stephanie, Alexis and Michael, before divorcing in 1989.

He married actress Joanna Gleason in 1994, and the couple is still together.