
Karen Black
Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portraying eccentric and offbeat characters, and established herself as a figure of New Hollywood. Her career spanned over 50 years and includes nearly 200 credits in both independent and mainstream films. Black received numerous accolades throughout her career, including two Golden Globe Awards, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. A native of suburban Chicago, Black studied theater at Northwestern University before dropping out and relocating to New York City. She performed on Broadway in 1965 before making her major film debut in Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy Now (1966). Black relocated to California and was cast as an acid-tripping prostitute in Dennis Hopper's road film Easy Rider (1969). That led to a lead in the drama Five Easy Pieces (1970), in which she played a hopeless beautician, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Black made her first major commercial picture with the disaster film Airport 1975 (1974), and her subsequent appearance as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby (1974) won her a second Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Black starred as a glamorous country singer in Robert Altman's ensemble musical drama Nashville (1975), also writing and performing two songs for the soundtrack, which won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack. Her portrayal of an aspiring actress in John Schlesinger's drama The Day of the Locust (also 1975) earned her a third Golden Globe nomination, this time for Best Actress. She subsequently took on four roles in Dan Curtis' anthology horror film Trilogy of Terror (1975), followed by Curtis's supernatural horror feature, Burnt Offerings (1976). The same year, she starred as a con artist in Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot. In 1982, Black starred as a trans woman in the Robert Altman-directed Broadway debut of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, a role she also reprised in Altman's subsequent film adaptation. She next starred in the comedy Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983), followed by Tobe Hooper's remake of Invaders from Mars (1986). For much of the late 1980s and 1990s, Black starred in a variety of arthouse, independent, and horror films, as well as writing her own screenplays. She had a leading role as a villainous mother in Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses (2003), which cemented her status as a cult horror icon. She continued to star in low-profile films throughout the early 2000s, as well as working as a playwright before her death from ampullary cancer in 2013. Description above from the Wikipedia article Karen Black, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2015 · Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · Wild in Blue as Justine
- 2012 · Dark Blood as Motel Woman
- 2011 · Some Guy Who Kills People as Ruth Boyd
- 2010 · Nothing Special as May
- 2009 · Stuck! as The Neighbor Lady
- 2009 · Repo Chick as Aunt De La Chasse
- 2007 · Hollywood Dreams as Luna
- 2007 · Ghost Writer as Renee
- 2007 · Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! as Jennifer
- 2005 · Firecracker as Sandra / Eleanor
- 2005 · Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula as Agrippina
- 2004 · Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild as Self
- 2003 · Paris as Chantelle
- 2003 · House of 1000 Corpses as Mother Firefly
- 2003 · Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood as Self
- 2002 · Curse of the Forty-Niner as Aunt Nelly
- 2002 · Teknolust as Dirty Dick
- 2001 · Soulkeeper as Martha la Magnifica
- 2001 · Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Vera Morgan
- 2001 · The Donor as Mrs. Springle
- 2000 · The Independent as Karen Black
- 2000 · Red Dirt as Aunt Summer
- 2000 · Altman on His Own Terms as Self
- 1998 · I Woke Up Early the Day I Died as Whip Lady
- 1998 · Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs as Self
- 1997 · Men as Alex
- 1997 · The Hunger as Miss Gati / Landlady
- 1997 · Stir as Dr. Gabrielle Kessler
- 1996 · Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering as June Rhodes
- 1996 · E! True Hollywood Story as
- 1996 · Crimetime as Millicent
- 1993 · Tales of the City as Self
- 1993 · Moon Over Miami as
- 1992 · Auntie Lee's Meat Pies as Auntie Lee
- 1992 · The Double 0 Kid as Mrs. Elliot
- 1992 · Final Judgement as Mrs. Sorrel
- 1992 · The Player as Karen Black
- 1991 · Children of the Night as Karen Thompson
- 1990 · Mirror Mirror as Susan Gordon
- 1990 · Club Fed as Sally Rich
- 1990 · Night Angel as Rita
- 1990 · Zapped Again! as Homeroom Teacher
- 1990 · Twisted Justice as Mrs. Granger
- 1989 · Homer and Eddie as Belle
- 1988 · Out of the Dark as Ruth Wilson
- 1988 · The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway as Martha Gelhorn
- 1987 · It's Alive III: Island of the Alive as Ellen Jarvis
- 1987 · The Little Mermaid as Sea Witch
- 1986 · Invaders from Mars as Linda Magnusson
- 1985 · Savage Dawn as Rachel
- 1985 · Cut and Run as Karin
- 1984 · Murder, She Wrote as Dr. Sylvia Dunn
- 1984 · Miami Vice as
- 1984 · E/R as
- 1983 · The Hitchhiker as Kay Mason
- 1982 · Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean as Joanne
- 1982 · Faerie Tale Theatre as Guest Interviewee
- 1982 · Faerie Tale Theatre as Sea Witch
- 1981 · Chanel Solitaire as Emilienne d'Alençon
- 1981 · Separate Ways as Valentine Colby
- 1980 · Power as Rose Vanda-Buchanan
- 1979 · Killer Fish as Kate
- 1979 · The Last Word as Paula Herbert
- 1979 · Mr. Horn as Ernestina Crawford
- 1978 · In Praise of Older Women as Maya
- 1977 · Capricorn One as Judy Drinkwater
- 1976 · Burnt Offerings as Marian Rolf
- 1976 · Family Plot as Fran
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1975 · Nashville as Connie White
- 1975 · The Day of the Locust as Faye Greener
- 1975 · Trilogy of Terror as Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia
- 1974 · Airport 1975 as Nancy Pryor
- 1974 · The Great Gatsby as Myrtle Wilson
- 1974 · Rhinoceros as Daisy
- 1973 · The Outfit as Bett Harrow
- 1973 · Police Story as
- 1972 · Ghost Story as Barbara Sanders
- 1972 · Cisco Pike as Sue
- 1971 · Born to Win as Parm
- 1970 · Five Easy Pieces as Rayette Dipesto
- 1969 · Easy Rider as Karen
- 1968 · Adam-12 as Susan Decker
- 1968 · The Name of the Game as Monica Garrison
- 1967 · Mannix as
- 1967 · The Carol Burnett Show as Self - Guest / Various Characters
- 1967 · Judd for the Defense as
- 1967 · The Invaders as Claudia Stone
- 1965 · The F.B.I. as Lorraine Chapman
- 1965 · The Big Valley as Carla
- 1965 · Run for Your Life as Jennifer Palmer
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1961 · The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- Future · Science Fiction Film Awards as Herself
- 2018 · Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts as (archive footage)
- 2015 · Bottomless Pit as Karen Black
- 2013 · She Loves Me Not as Karla
- 2013 · Ooga Booga as Mrs. Allardyce
- 2012 · Maria My Love as Maria
- 2012 · OowieWanna as The Donna
- 2012 · Mommy's Little Monster as Mrs. Melnick
- 2012 · Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone as Tarot
- 2011 · Letters from the Big Man as Sean's Colleague
- 2010 · BBStory: An American Film Renaissance as Self
- 2010 · Henry Jaglom Finds 'A Safe Place' as Self
- 2009 · Double Duty as Annabelle
- 2009 · Irene in Time as Sheila Shivvers
- 2009 · Wamego: Ultimatum as Self
- 2009 · No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos as Self
- 2008 · A Single Woman as Storyteller
- 2008 · Watercolors as Mrs. Martin
- 2008 · Contamination as Mavis
- 2007 · One Long Night as Barbara
- 2006 · Read You Like a Book as Kate
- 2006 · Wanderlust as Herself
- 2006 · Whitepaddy as Mrs. Leider
- 2005 · America Brown as Marianne Brown
- 2005 · Dr. Rage as Molly
- 2004 · WAMEGO: Making Movies Anywhere as Self
- 2003 · Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman as Mrs. Buttleman
- 2002 · Best of Tromadance Film Festival: Volume 1 as ("Los Vampirios Moronious" short)
- 2002 · A Light in the Darkness as Mrs. Melnick
- 2001 · Gypsy 83 as Bambi LeBleau
- 2001 · Plotting 'Family Plot' as Self
- 2000 · Fallen Arches as Lucy Romano
- 2000 · Oliver Twisted as Mrs. Mary Happ
- 1999 · Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage as Self
- 1999 · The Underground Comedy Movie as Mother
- 1999 · Mascara as Aunt Eloise
- 1999 · Conceiving Ada as Lady Byron / Mother Coer
- 1999 · Paradise Cove as Ma
- 1998 · Charades as Jude
- 1998 · Bury the Evidence as The Mother
- 1998 · Angel Blue as Social Worker
- 1998 · Invisible Dad as Courtney Whitmer
- 1998 · Malaika as Jessica Martin
- 1998 · Light Speed as High Priestess
- 1997 · Menage a Trois as Miss Gati
- 1997 · Who Is Henry Jaglom? as Self
- 1996 · New York Crossing as Mrs. Tender
- 1996 · Dogtown as Rose Van Horn
- 1996 · Cries of Silence as Rose Walsh
- 1995 · The Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley as Evelyn
- 1995 · Plan 10 from Outer Space as Nehor
- 1995 · Dinosaur Valley Girls as Ro-Kell
- 1995 · Starstruck as Bertha
- 1994 · The Voluptuous Horror Of Karen Black: Teather Penumbra as
- 1994 · Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue! as
- 1994 · Too Bad About Jack as
- 1993 · Bound and Gagged: A Love Story as Carla
- 1993 · Legend of The Roller Blade Seven as Tarot
- 1993 · The Trust as Maria Vandermeer
- 1993 · Return of the Roller Blade Seven as Tarot
- 1992 · Judgement as Tiffany Powers
- 1992 · Tuesday Never Comes as Michelle
- 1992 · Rubin & Ed as Rula
- 1992 · Dead Girls Don't Tango as Insp. Wilson
- 1991 · Quiet Fire as Kim Martino
- 1991 · The Roller Blade Seven as Tarot
- 1991 · Caged Fear as Blanche
- 1991 · The Killers Edge as Barrett
- 1991 · Ralph S. Mouse as Miss Kuchenbacker
- 1990 · Haunting Fear as Dr. Julia Harcourt
- 1990 · The Children as Sybil Lullmer
- 1990 · Overexposed as Mrs. Trowbridge
- 1990 · Evil Spirits as Ella Purdy
- 1990 · Fatal Encounter as Joan Caldwell
- 1988 · Dixie Lanes as Zelma Putnam
- 1988 · The Invisible Kid as Mom
- 1988 · On the tracks of a filmmaker as Karen Black
- 1987 · Hostage as Laura Lawrence
- 1986 · Flight of the Spruce Goose as Gloria
- 1985 · Martin's Day as Karen
- 1985 · Eternal Evil as Janus
- 1984 · Bad Manners as Gladys Fitzpatrick
- 1983 · Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? as Zee
- 1982 · The Last Horror Film as Karen Black (uncredited)
- 1982 · Miss Right as Amy
- 1981 · The Grass Is Singing as Mary Turner
- 1980 · Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop as Investigator Evelyn Carter
- 1980 · Where the Ladies Go as Helen
- 1978 · The Squeeze as Clarisse Saunders
- 1978 · Because He's My Friend as Anne
- 1977 · The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver as Miriam Oliver / Sandy
- 1976 · Crime and Passion as Susan Winters
- 1974 · Law and Disorder as Gloria
- 1973 · The Pyx as Elizabeth Lucy
- 1973 · Little Laura and Big John as Laura
- 1972 · Portnoy's Complaint as Mary Jane Reid a.k.a. Monkey
- 1971 · A Gunfight as Jenny Simms
- 1971 · Drive, He Said as Olive
- 1969 · Hard Contract as Ellen
- 1966 · You're a Big Boy Now as Amy Partlett
- 1960 · The Prime Time as Betty