Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July , â€" August , ) was an
American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to
prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the
s, frequently portraying eccentric and offbeat characters, and
established herself as a figure of New Hollywood. Her career spanned
over years and includes nearly 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 before
making her major film debut in Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy
Now (). Black relocated to California and was cast as an LSD-tripping
prostitute in Dennis Hopper's road film Easy Rider (). That led to a
lead in the drama Five Easy Pieces (), in which she played a hopeless
waitress, 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 (), and her
subsequent appearance as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby () 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 (), 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 ) 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 (), followed by
Curtis's supernatural horror feature, Burnt Offerings (). The same
year, she starred as a con artist in Alfred Hitchcock's final film,
Family Plot.In , Black starred as a trans woman in the Robert
Altman-directed Broadway debut of Come Back to the & 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?
(), followed by Tobe Hooper's remake of Invaders from Mars (). For
much of the late s and s, 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
Corpses (), which cemented her status as a cult horror icon. She
continued to star in low-profile films throughout the early s, as well
as working as a playwright before her death from ampullary cancer in .
American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to
prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the
s, frequently portraying eccentric and offbeat characters, and
established herself as a figure of New Hollywood. Her career spanned
over years and includes nearly 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 before
making her major film debut in Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy
Now (). Black relocated to California and was cast as an LSD-tripping
prostitute in Dennis Hopper's road film Easy Rider (). That led to a
lead in the drama Five Easy Pieces (), in which she played a hopeless
waitress, 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 (), and her
subsequent appearance as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby () 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 (), 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 ) 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 (), followed by
Curtis's supernatural horror feature, Burnt Offerings (). The same
year, she starred as a con artist in Alfred Hitchcock's final film,
Family Plot.In , Black starred as a trans woman in the Robert
Altman-directed Broadway debut of Come Back to the & 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?
(), followed by Tobe Hooper's remake of Invaders from Mars (). For
much of the late s and s, 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
Corpses (), which cemented her status as a cult horror icon. She
continued to star in low-profile films throughout the early s, as well
as working as a playwright before her death from ampullary cancer in .
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