Karen Black — Biography
Born Karen Blanche Ziegler on July 1, 1939, Karen Black became a notable American actress, also known for her work as a screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She gained significant recognition during the 1970s through her diverse roles in studio and independent films, often embodying distinctive and unconventional characters, securing her place as a significant figure in the New Hollywood era. Her extensive career, spanning over five decades, encompassed nearly 200 acting credits across both independent and mainstream cinematic productions. Black's contributions were acknowledged with numerous awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, she pursued theatrical studies at Northwestern University before leaving to relocate to New York City. Black made her mark on Broadway in 1965 and then made her prominent film debut in Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy Now in 1966. Moving to California, she was cast in Dennis Hopper's road film Easy Rider (1969), portraying a prostitute under the influence of LSD. This role paved the way for her leading part in the 1970 drama Five Easy Pieces, where she played a downtrodden waitress. This performance earned her an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actress. Black's first major mainstream film was the 1974 disaster movie Airport 1975. Later that same year, her portrayal of Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby garnered her a second Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She then took on the role of a charismatic country singer in Robert Altman's 1975 musical drama Nashville, for which she also penned and performed two songs on the soundtrack, earning a Grammy Award nomination. Her depiction of an aspiring actress in John Schlesinger's 1975 drama The Day of the Locust resulted in a third Golden Globe nomination, this time for Best Actress. Following this, Black starred in four distinct characters in Dan Curtis's 1975 horror anthology Trilogy of Terror, and subsequently appeared in Curtis's supernatural horror film Burnt Offerings in 1976. That same year, she played a con artist in Alfred Hitchcock's final cinematic offering, Family Plot. In 1982, Black portrayed a transgender woman in the Broadway production of Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, a role she later reprised in Robert Altman's film adaptation. She continued with the comedy Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? (1983) and then Tobe Hooper's 1986 remake of Invaders from Mars. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Black primarily focused on independent, arthouse, and horror films, also dedicating time to
