KAREN BLACK

'Karen Black' (born July 1, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Career

Personal life

Filmography

In Production

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Black was born 'Karen Blanche Ziegler' in Park Ridge, Illinois, the daughter of Norman A. Ziegler and Elsie Reif, a writer of several prize-winning children's novels; her paternal grandfather was Arthur Ziegler, a classical musician and the first violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.^[1][2] Her sister is actress Gail Brown. She attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for two years, before moving to New York, where she appeared in a number of Off-Broadway productions.

Career

Black made her Broadway debut in 1965's ''The Playroom'', which received good reviews and for which she was nominated for a Drama Circle Critic Award for Best Actress. Her film debut was in ''The Prime Time'' (1960) and her first big role was as Amy Partlett in ''You're a Big Boy Now'' (1966), which was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. She subsequently appeared on the TV series ''The Second Hundred Years'' (1967) as Marcia Garroway.
Black became a well-known actress after her role as Karen in ''Easy Rider'' (1969). She has over 100 film performances to her credit, including her role as Fran in Hitchcock's ''Family Plot'' (1976) and her turn as Rayette Dipesto in ''Five Easy Pieces'' (1970), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for ''Five Easy Pieces'', and she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture for her role as Myrtle Wilson in ''The Great Gatsby'' (1974). She was also nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama for her role as Faye Greener in ''The Day of the Locust'' (1975). She also starred in Airport 1975 as Chief Cabin Attendant Nancy Pryor with a memorable line, "There's no one left to fly the plane!" She also appeared in the made for television three-part horror film, ''Trilogy of Terror''. Followed by an obscure, dual role in the 1977 thriller film, "The Strange Possession of Mrs Oliver".
Black was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Series for the film ''Nashville'' (1975). During the late 1970s, she starred in the Dan Curtis horror film about a haunted house, ''Burnt Offerings'', which also featured Bette Davis in one of her final roles.
Black has made a number of guest starring appearances on popular shows, including ''The Big Valley'', ''Mannix'', ''Adam-12'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''Murder, She Wrote'', Family Guy, and ''.
In 2003, Black starred as Mother Firefly in the ''Rob Zombie'' horror movie, ''House of 1000 Corpses''.
In March 2005, Black received the Best Actress Award at the Fantasporto International Film Festival in Porto, Portugal, for her work in the critically-acclaimed Steve Balderson film ''Firecracker'' (2005), in which she plays two roles, Sandra and Eleanor. She and actor John Hurt were both presented with Career Achievement Awards as well.
Karen's career as a playwright was launched in May 2007 with the opening of "Missouri Waltz" at the Blank Theater in Los Angeles, a play in which Black stars as well. Conceived as a play with music, rather than a musical, the play contains songs by Harriet Schock. The play is a bittersweet comedy about two ghosts who haunt their ancestral home in New Madrid, Missouri.

Personal life

Black has had two husbands, screenwriter L.M. Kit Carson (divorced) and film editor Stephen Eckelberry (married 1987 - present). She and Carson have one son, Hunter Carson (born December 25, 1975), who had an acting career in the mid 1980s; and she and Eckelberry have one daughter, Celine Eckelberry (born in November 1987).

Filmography

In Production

★ ''Pull'' (2008) (announced) .... Genie

★ ''Watercolors'' (2007) (post-production) .... Mrs. Martin

★ ''One Long Night'' (2007) (post-production) .... Barbara

★ ''Suffering Man's Charity'' (2007) (completed) .... Renee

★ ''Irene in Time'' (2007) (completed) .... Sheila

2000s

★ ''Firecracker'' (2001) .... Sandra

★ ''Gypsy 83'' (2001) .... Bambi LeBleau

★ ''House of 1000 Corpses'' (2001) .... Mother Firefly

★ ''Our Souls to Keep'' (2000) .... Magnificent Martha

★ ''Donor, The'' (2000)

★ ''Hard Luck'' (2000) .... Aunt Judy

★ ''Oliver Twisted'' (2000)

★ ''Independent, The'' (2000) .... Herself

1990s

★ Karen Black: Actress at Work (1999) .... Herself

★ Red Dirt (1999) .... Aunt Summer

★ Sugar: The Fall of the West (1999)

★ Underground Comedy Movie, The (1999) .... Mother

★ Mascara (1999) .... Aunt Eloise

★ Bury the Evidence (1998) .... The Mother

★ Fallen Arches (1998) .... Lucy Roman

★ Light Speed (1998)

★ Stripping for Jesus (1998)

★ Waiting for Dr. MacGuffin (1998) .... Dental Assistant

★ Charades (1998) .... Jude
... aka Felons (1998)

★ My Neighbor's Daughter (1998) (TV) .... Social Worker
... aka Angel Blue (1998) (TV) (USA: video title)

★ I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998) .... Honey Child
... aka Ed Wood's I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998)
... aka I Awoke Early the Day I Died (1999) (USA)

★ Dogtown (1997) .... Rose Van Horn

★ Invisible Dad (1997) (V) .... Courtney Whitmer

★ Malaika (1997) .... Jessica Martin

★ Modern Rhapsody (1997)

★ Stir (1997) .... Dr. Kessler

★ Men (1997) .... Alex

★ Conceiving Ada (1997) .... Lady Byron/Mother Coer
... aka Leidenschaftliche Berechnung (1998) (Germany)

★ Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) (V) .... June Rhodes
... aka Deadly Harvest (1996) (V)

★ Crimetime (1996) .... Millicent

★ Dinosaur Valley Girls (1996) .... Ro-Kell

★ Every Minute Is Goodbye (1996) .... Schubert
... aka Death Before Sunrise (1996) (UK: cable TV title)
... aka Devotion (1996) (USA: alternative title)

★ New York Crossing (1996) .... Mrs. Tender

★ Who Is Henry Jaglom? (1996) .... Herself

★ Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley, The (1995) .... Evelyn

★ Plan 10 from Outer Space (1994) .... Nehor

★ Jonas in the Desert (1994) .... Herself

★ "Tales of the City" (1993) (mini) TV Series .... Herself
... aka "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City" (1993) (mini)

★ Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1993) .... Auntie Lee

★ Cries of Silence (1993) .... Rose

★ Double 0 Kid, The (1993) .... Mrs. Elliot

★ Return of the Roller Blade Seven (1993) .... Tarot

★ Trust, The (1993) .... Maria Vandermeer

★ Bound and Gagged: A Love Story (1992) .... Carla

★ Caged Fear (1992) .... Blanche
... aka Hotel Oklahoma (1992)

★ Final Judgement (1992) .... Mrs. Sorrel

★ Hitz (1992) .... Tiffany Powers
... aka Judgement (1992)

★ Legend of the Rollerblade 7, The (1992) .... Tarot

★ Player, The (1992) .... Herself

★ Killer's Edge, The (1991) .... Barrett
... aka Blood Money (1991)

★ Quietfire (1991) .... Kim

★ Roller Blade Seven, The (1991) .... Tarot

★ Rubin and Ed (1991) .... Rula

★ Children of the Night (1991) .... Karen Thompson

★ Children, The (1990) .... Sybil Lullmer
... aka Meine liebe Rose (1990) (West Germany)

★ Club Fed (1990) .... Sally Rich

★ Evil Spirits (1990) .... Ella Purdy

★ Fatal Encounter (1990)

★ Haunting Fear (1990) .... Dr. Julia Harcourt

★ Mirror, Mirror (1990) .... Mrs. Gordon

★ Night Angel (1990) .... Rita

★ Overexposed (1990) .... Mrs. Trowbridge

★ Twisted Justice (1990) .... Mrs. Granger

★ Zapped Again! (1990) (V) .... Substitute Teacher

1980s

★ Judgement (1989) .... Tiffany Powers

★ Circus of the Stars #14 (1989) (TV) .... Performer (Elephant Act)

★ Homer & Eddie (1989) .... Belle

★ Dixie Lanes (1988) .... Zelma

★ Invisible Kid, The (1988) .... Mom

★ Out of the Dark (1988) .... Ruth

★ Platinum Blonde (1988)

★ Hostage (1987) .... Laura Lawrence

★ It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987) .... Ellen
... aka Island of the Alive (1987) (USA)

★ Lot swierkowej gesi (1987) .... Gloria
... aka Flight of the Spruce Goose (1987) (USA)

★ Ralph S. Mouse (1987) (TV)

★ Invaders from Mars (1986) .... Linda Magnusson

★ Blue Man, The (1985) (TV) .... Janus
... aka Eternal Evil (1985) (TV)

★ Inferno in diretta (1985) .... Karin
... aka Amazon: Savage Adventure (1985)
... aka Cut and Run (1985)
... aka Straight to Hell (1985) (International: English title: literal title)

★ Savage Dawn (1985) .... Rachel

★ Growing Pains (1984) .... Mrs. Fitzpatrick
... aka Bad Manners (1984)

★ Little Mermaid, The (1984) (TV) .... Sea Witch
... aka Faerie Tale Theatre: The Little Mermaid (1984) (TV)

★ Martin's Day (1984) .... Karen

★ Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983) .... Zee

★ Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982) .... Joanne

★ Donna giusta, La (1982) .... Amy
... aka Miss Right (1982) (USA)

★ Chanel Solitaire (1981) .... Emilienne D'Alençon

★ Separate Ways (1981) .... Valentine Colby

★ Gräset sjunger (1981) .... Mary Turner
... aka Grass Is Singing, The (1981)
... aka Killing Heat (1981) (USA)

★ Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop (1980) (TV) .... Officer Evelyn Carter
... aka Other Side of Fear, The (1980) (TV)

★ Where the Ladies Go (1980) (TV) .... Helen

★ Power (1980) (TV) .... Rose

1970s

★ Last Word, The (1979) .... Paula Herbert
... aka Danny Travis (1979)

★ Noumero, To (1979)
... aka Number, The (1979)

★ Mr. Horn (1979) (TV) .... Ernestina Crawford

★ Because He's My Friend (1978) (TV) .... Anne

★ Killer Fish (1978) .... Kate
... aka Deadly Treasure of the Piranha (1978)
... aka Killer fish agguato sul fondo (1978) (Italy)
... aka Naked Sun, The (1978)
... aka Treasure of the Piranha (1978)

★ Squeeze, The (1978) .... Clarisse
... aka Diamond Thieves (1978)
... aka Heist, The (1978)
... aka Rip-Off, The (1978)

★ In Praise of Older Women (1978) .... Maya

★ Capricorn One (1978) .... Judy Drinkwater

★ Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver, The (1977) (TV) .... Miriam Oliver/Sandy

★ Burnt Offerings (1976) .... Marian Rolf

★ Family Plot (1976) .... Fran

★ Ace Up My Sleeve (1975) .... Susan Winters
... aka Crime and Passion (1975) (USA)
... aka Frankensteins Spukschloß (1975) (West Germany)

★ Nashville (1975) .... Connie White

★ Day of the Locust, The (1975) .... Faye Greener

★ Trilogy of Terror (1975) (TV) .... Julie/Millicent/Therese/Amelia

★ Law and Disorder (1974) .... Gloria

★ Airport 1975 (1974) .... Chief Cabin Attendant Nancy Pryor

★ Great Gatsby, The (1974) .... Myrtle Wilson

★ Outfit, The (1974) .... Bett Jarrow

★ Little Laura and Big John (1973) .... Laura

★ Rhinoceros (1973) .... Daisy

★ Pyx, The (1973) .... Elizabeth Lucy
... aka Hooker Cult Murders, The (1973)

★ Cisco Pike (1972) .... Sue

★ Portnoy's Complaint (1972) .... Mary Jane Reid (The Monkey)

★ Born to Win (1971) .... Parm
... aka Addict (1971)
... aka Born to Lose (1971)

★ Gunfight, A (1971) .... Jenny Simms

★ Drive, He Said (1971) .... Olive

★ Five Easy Pieces (1970) .... Rayette Dipesto

1960s

★ Easy Rider (1969) .... Karen

★ Hard Contract (1969) .... Ellen

★ "Second Hundred Years, The" (1967) TV Series .... Marcia

★ You're a Big Boy Now (1966) .... Amy Partlett

★ Prime Time, The (1960) .... Painted Woman
... aka Hell Kitten (1960)

References

1. http://www.karenblack.net/biography/biography.html
2. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800014448/bio

External links

★ Official Karen Black Online

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★ Podcast interview March 2007