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Karen Black
Karen Black

Karen Black

Jul 1, 1939 — Aug 8, 2013 (74 years) Park Ridge, Illinois, USA
139 Movies 23 Series
Karen Black, an actress from Park Ridge, Illinois, USA, began their career in the 1960s. They are internationally recognised for roles such as Karen in Easy Rider, Mother Firefly in House of 1000 Corpses and Karen Black in The Player. Their work further includes House of 1000 Corpses and The Player. They have 139 films and 23 TV productions to their name, working mainly across genres like drama, thriller, comedy.
Known for
Burnt Offerings
Burnt Offerings
as Marian Rolf
 Trilogy of Terror
Trilogy of Terror
as Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia
 Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces
as Rayette Dipesto
 Airport 1975
Airport 1975
as Nancy Pryor
74R.I.P.
139Movies
23Series
Karen Black, an actress from Park Ridge, Illinois, USA, began their career in the 1960s. They are internationally recognised for roles such as Karen in Easy Rider, Mother Firefly in House of 1000 Corpses and Karen Black in The Player. Their work further includes House of 1000 Corpses and The Player. They have 139 films and 23 TV productions to their name, working mainly across genres like drama, thriller, comedy.
Known for
Burnt Offerings
Burnt Offerings
as Marian Rolf
 Trilogy of Terror
Trilogy of Terror
as Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia
 Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces
as Rayette Dipesto
 Airport 1975
Airport 1975
as Nancy Pryor
74 R.I.P.
R.I.P.
139
Movies
23
Series
Movies
TV Shows
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Wild in Blue
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Wild in Blue
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Full Filmography
Wild in Blue
Wild in Blue
Justine
2014
Film She Loves Me Not
She Loves Me Not
Karla
2013
Film Ooga Booga
Ooga Booga
Mrs. Allardyce
2013
Film Dark Blood
Dark Blood
Motel Woman
2012
Film OowieWanna
OowieWanna
The Donna
2012
Film Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone
Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone
Tarot
2012
Film Letters from the Big Man
Letters from the Big Man
Sean's Colleague
2011
Film Some Guy Who Kills People
Some Guy Who Kills People
Ruth Boyd
2011
Film Double Duty
Double Duty
Annabelle
2009
Film
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Karen Black still alive?
Karen Black passed away on August 8, 2013 at age 74.
What are the most famous roles of Karen Black?
Karen Black is best known for roles in Easy Rider, House of 1000 Corpses, The Player.
How many movies has Karen Black been in?
Over a 53-year career (since 1960), Karen Black has appeared in 171 movies and 35 TV shows.
What was Karen Black's first movie?
The career of Karen Black began with The Prime Time (1960).
What is Karen Black's most recent movie or series?
Karen Black's most recent release is Bottomless Pit, which premiered on October 21, 2015.
What TV shows has Karen Black appeared in?
On television, Karen Black has appeared in Miami Vice, Saturday Night Live, Murder, She Wrote, Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
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Karen Black
Karen Black
1939-07-01 · Park Ridge, Illinois, USA

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.

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