Karen Black
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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.
Known for
Credits
Easy Rider (1969)
as Karen
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
as Mother Firefly
The Player (1992)
as Karen Black
The Great Gatsby (1974)
as Myrtle Wilson
Airport 1975 (1974)
as Nancy Pryor
Nashville (1975)
as Connie White
Crazy for Love (2005)
as Grace's Mom
Eternal Evil (1985)
as Janus
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
as Rayette Dipesto
Family Plot (1976)
as Fran
Teknolust (2002)
as Dirty Dick
Capricorn One (1977)
as Judy Drinkwater
Mascara (1999)
as Aunt Eloise
Invaders from Mars (1986)
as Linda Magnusson
Wamego: Ultimatum (2009)
as Self
Hostage (1987)
as Laura Lawrence
Burnt Offerings (1976)
as Marian Rolf
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
as Linda Magnusson (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Day of the Locust (1975)
as Faye Greener
The Roller Blade Seven (1991)
as Tarot
Killer Fish (1979)
as Kate
In Praise of Older Women (1978)
as Maya
Evil Spirits (1991)
as Ella Purdy
Who Is Henry Jaglom? (1997)
as Self
Whitepaddy (2006)
as Mrs. Leider
Mirror Mirror (1990)
as Susan Gordon
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996)
as June Rhodes
Judgement (1992)
as Tiffany Powers
Light Speed (1998)
as High Priestess
Quiet Fire (1991)
as Kim Martino
Crime and Passion (1976)
as Susan Winters
Martin's Day (1985)
as Karen
The Outfit (1973)
as Bett Harrow
Men (1997)
as Alex
Cut and Run (1985)
as Karin
Trilogy of Terror (1975)
as Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia
Plotting 'Family Plot' (2001)
as Self
Suffering Man's Charity (2007)
as Renee
The Double 0 Kid (1992)
as Mrs. Elliot
Red Dirt (2000)
as Aunt Summer
Curse of the Forty-Niner (2002)
as Aunt Nelly
Wild in Blue (2014)
as Justine
One Long Night (2007)
as Barbara
Night Angel (1990)
as Rita
The Independent (2000)
as Karen Black
The Last Horror Film (1982)
as Karen Black (uncredited)
Airports (2025)
Actor
Paris (2003)
as Chantelle
A Gunfight (1971)
as Jenny Simms
Savage Dawn (1985)
as Rachel
Dogtown (1997)
as Rose Van Horn
Drive, He Said (1971)
as Olive
Born to Win (1971)
as Parm
Some Guy Who Kills People (2011)
as Ruth Boyd
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998)
as Whip Lady
Cisco Pike (1972)
as Sue
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
as Joanne
Law and Disorder (1974)
as Gloria
Zapped Again! (1990)
as Homeroom Teacher
Soulkeeper (2001)
as Martha la Magnifica
Fallen Arches (2000)
as Lucy Romano
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)
as Auntie Lee
Hard Contract (1969)
as Ellen
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987)
as Ellen Jarvis
First Time Long Time (2009)
as Dr. Shneidel
Children of the Night (1991)
as Karen Thompson
Chanel Solitaire (1981)
as Emilienne d'Alençon
Mommy's Little Monster (2012)
as Mrs. Melnick
Haunting Fear (1990)
as Dr. Julia Harcourt
Karen Black: Actress at Work (1999)
as Self
Bound and Gagged: A Love Story (1993)
as Carla
The Children (1990)
as Sybil Lullmer
Birth of Industry (2004)
as Sara
Dark Blood (2012)
as Motel Woman
Homer and Eddie (1989)
as Belle
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)
as Self
Bad Manners (1984)
as Gladys Fitzpatrick
Letters from the Big Man (2011)
as Sean's Colleague
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2009)
as Self
Gypsy 83 (2001)
as Bambi LeBleau
She Loves Me Not (2013)
as Karla
Final Judgement (1992)
as Mrs. Sorrel
You're a Big Boy Now (1966)
as Amy Partlett
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
as Self (archive footage)
Dinosaur Valley Girls (1995)
as Ro-Kell
Crimetime (1996)
as Millicent
The Invisible Kid (1988)
as Mom
Wanderlust (2006)
as Herself
Ooga Booga (2013)
as Mrs. Allardyce
Maria My Love (2012)
as Maria
The Blue Tooth Virgin (2008)
as Zena
Read You Like a Book (2006)
as Kate
Altman on His Own Terms (2000)
as Self
A Single Woman (2008)
as Storyteller
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia (2013)
as Self (archive footage)
The Last Word (1979)
as Paula Herbert
Repo Chick (2009)
as Aunt De La Chasse
Portnoy's Complaint (1972)
as Mary Jane Reid a.k.a. Monkey
Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage (1999)
as Self
Dead Girls Don't Tango (1992)
as Insp. Wilson
Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983)
as Zee
Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild (2004)
as Self
Out of the Dark (1988)
as Ruth Wilson
George Sluizer - Filming beyond Bounderies (—)
as Self
Tuesday Never Comes (1992)
as Michelle
Where the Ladies Go (1980)
as Helen
Invisible Dad (1998)
as Courtney Whitmer
Irene in Time (2009)
as Sheila Shivvers
Caged Fear (1991)
as Blanche
Little Laura and Big John (1973)
as Laura
Ralph S. Mouse (1991)
as Miss Kuchenbacker
The Pyx (1973)
as Elizabeth Lucy
America Brown (2005)
as Marianne Brown
Twisted Justice (1990)
as Mrs. Granger
Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts (2018)
as (archive footage)
Stir (1997)
as Dr. Gabrielle Kessler
Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman (2003)
as Mrs. Buttleman
The Underground Comedy Movie (1999)
as Mother
Rubin & Ed (1992)
as Rula
Double Duty (2009)
as Annabelle
Conceiving Ada (1999)
as Lady Byron / Mother Coer
Watercolors (2008)
as Mrs. Martin
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk (2014)
as Self – Joanne (archive footage)
The Grass Is Singing (1981)
as Mary Turner
Plan 10 from Outer Space (1995)
as Nehor
Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs (1998)
as Self
Mr. Horn (1979)
as Ernestina Crawford
Hollywood Dreams (2007)
as Luna
Charades (1998)
as Jude
The Prime Time (1960)
as Betty
Return of the Roller Blade Seven (1993)
as Tarot
Stuck! (2009)
as The Neighbor Lady
Flight of the Spruce Goose (1986)
as Gloria
Bury the Evidence (1998)
as The Mother
The Donor (2001)
as Mrs. Springle
Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula (2005)
as Agrippina
New York Crossing (1996)
as Mrs. Tender
Separate Ways (1981)
as Valentine Colby
The Little Mermaid (1987)
as Sea Witch
Dr. Rage (2005)
as Molly
Angel Blue (1998)
as Social Worker
Meet the Eye (2009)
Actor
The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway (1988)
as Martha Gelhorn
Blood Money (1991)
as Barrett
BBStory: An American Film Renaissance (2010)
as Self
Nothing Special (2010)
as May
Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop (1980)
as Investigator Evelyn Carter
Every Minute Is Goodbye (1996)
Actor
Because He's My Friend (1978)
as Anne
Bottomless Pit (2015)
as Karen Black
Cries of Silence (1996)
as Rose Walsh
Club Fed (1990)
as Sally Rich
Too Bad About Jack (1994)
Actor
Fatal Encounter (1990)
as Joan Caldwell
Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue! (1994)
Actor
A Light in the Darkness (2002)
as Mrs. Melnick
Rhinoceros (1974)
as Daisy
The Squeeze (1978)
as Clarisse Saunders
Overexposed (1990)
as Mrs. Trowbridge
Paradise Cove (1999)
as Ma
Best of Tromadance Film Festival: Volume 1 (2002)
as ("Los Vampirios Moronious" short)
On the tracks of a filmmaker (1988)
as Karen Black
Starstruck (1995)
as Bertha
Dixie Lanes (1988)
as Zelma Putnam
Miss Right (1982)
as Amy
Henry Jaglom Finds 'A Safe Place' (2010)
as Self
Oliver Twisted (2000)
as Mrs. Mary Happ
The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (1977)
as Miriam Oliver / Sandy
The Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley (1995)
as Evelyn
Firecracker (2005)
as Sandra / Eleanor
Malaika (1998)
as Jessica Martin
The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black: Teather Penumbra (1994)
Actor
OowieWanna (2012)
as The Donna
Legend of The Roller Blade Seven (1993)
as Tarot
The Trust (1993)
as Maria Vandermeer
WAMEGO: Making Movies Anywhere (2004)
as Self
Contamination (2008)
as Mavis
Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone (2012)
as Tarot
Vacationland (—)
as Louise