Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American vocalist, guitarist and actress. She is best known as a co-founder of The Bangles. 　　Hoffs was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Jewish family.She is the daughter of Tamar Ruth (née Simon) and Joshua Allen Hoffs, a psychoanalyst.Her mother played Beatles music for Hoffs when she was a child, and she began playing the guitar in her teens. Hoffs attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, graduating in 1976. While in college she worked as a production assistant and made her acting debut in the 1978 film Stony Island. 　　In 1980, Hoffs graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor's degree in art. When she entered Berkeley she was a fan of classic rock bands that played in large stadiums. While a student at Berkeley, she attended the final Sex Pistols show at Winterland Ballroom and a Patti Smith concert. Exposure to punk rock changed her career goal from a dancer to musician in a band.She eventually joined Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson in what would later become the pop music group The Bangles.