Karen Black
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- July 1, 1939
- Died
- August 8, 2013
- Birthplace
- 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.
Filmography
- Vacationland
Vacationland TBA
as Louise
- George Sluizer - Filming beyond Bounderies
George Sluizer - Filming beyond Bounderies TBA
as Self
Airports 2025
Actor
Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts 2018
as (archive footage)
- Bottomless Pit
Bottomless Pit 2015
as Karen Black
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief 2015
as Self (archive footage)
- Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk
Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk 2014
as Self – Joanne (archive footage)
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films 2014
as Linda Magnusson (archive footage) (uncredited)
Wild in Blue 2014
as Justine
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia 2013
as Self (archive footage)
She Loves Me Not 2013
as Karla
Ooga Booga 2013
as Mrs. Allardyce
Dark Blood 2012
as Motel Woman
- Maria My Love
Maria My Love 2012
as Maria
OowieWanna 2012
as The Donna
Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone 2012
as Tarot
- Mommy's Little Monster
Mommy's Little Monster 2012
as Mrs. Melnick
Letters from the Big Man 2011
as Sean's Colleague
Some Guy Who Kills People 2011
as Ruth Boyd
Henry Jaglom Finds 'A Safe Place' 2010
as Self
BBStory: An American Film Renaissance 2010
as Self
Nothing Special 2010
as May
Double Duty 2009
as Annabelle
Stuck! 2009
as The Neighbor Lady
Repo Chick 2009
as Aunt De La Chasse
Irene in Time 2009
as Sheila Shivvers
- Meet the Eye
Meet the Eye 2009
Actor
Wamego: Ultimatum 2009
as Self
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos 2009
as Self
First Time Long Time 2009
as Dr. Shneidel
A Single Woman 2008
as Storyteller
The Blue Tooth Virgin 2008
as Zena
Watercolors 2008
as Mrs. Martin
Contamination 2008
as Mavis
Hollywood Dreams 2007
as Luna
One Long Night 2007
as Barbara
Suffering Man's Charity 2007
as Renee
Read You Like a Book 2006
as Kate
Wanderlust 2006
as Herself
Whitepaddy 2006
as Mrs. Leider
America Brown 2005
as Marianne Brown
Firecracker 2005
as Sandra / Eleanor, Editorial Consultant
Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula 2005
as Agrippina
Crazy for Love 2005
as Grace's Mom
Dr. Rage 2005
as Molly
- Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild
Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild 2004
as Self
Birth of Industry 2004
as Sara
WAMEGO: Making Movies Anywhere 2004
as Self
Paris 2003
as Chantelle
Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman 2003
as Mrs. Buttleman
House of 1000 Corpses 2003
as Mother Firefly
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood 2003
as Self
Curse of the Forty-Niner 2002
as Aunt Nelly
A Light in the Darkness 2002
as Mrs. Melnick
Best of Tromadance Film Festival: Volume 1 2002
as ("Los Vampirios Moronious" short)
Teknolust 2002
as Dirty Dick
Gypsy 83 2001
as Bambi LeBleau
Soulkeeper 2001
as Martha la Magnifica
The Donor 2001
as Mrs. Springle
Plotting 'Family Plot' 2001
as Self
The Independent 2000
as Karen Black
Red Dirt 2000
as Aunt Summer
The Invention of Dr. Morel 2000
Screenplay
Fallen Arches 2000
as Lucy Romano
Altman on His Own Terms 2000
as Self
Oliver Twisted 2000
as Mrs. Mary Happ
Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage 1999
as Self
The Underground Comedy Movie 1999
as Mother
Mascara 1999
as Aunt Eloise
Conceiving Ada 1999
as Lady Byron / Mother Coer
- Karen Black: Actress at Work
Karen Black: Actress at Work 1999
as Self
Paradise Cove 1999
as Ma
Charades 1998
as Jude, Writer, Producer
Bury the Evidence 1998
as The Mother
Angel Blue 1998
as Social Worker
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died 1998
as Whip Lady
Invisible Dad 1998
as Courtney Whitmer
Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs 1998
as Self
- Light Speed
Light Speed 1998
as High Priestess
Malaika 1998
as Jessica Martin
Men 1997
as Alex, Writer
Who Is Henry Jaglom? 1997
as Self
Stir 1997
as Dr. Gabrielle Kessler
Dogtown 1997
as Rose Van Horn
Modern Rhapsody 1997
Actor
New York Crossing 1996
as Mrs. Tender
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering 1996
as June Rhodes
Crimetime 1996
as Millicent
Cries of Silence 1996
as Rose Walsh
- Every Minute Is Goodbye
Every Minute Is Goodbye 1996
Actor
The Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley 1995
as Evelyn
Plan 10 from Outer Space 1995
as Nehor, Songs
Starstruck 1995
as Bertha
Dinosaur Valley Girls 1995
as Ro-Kell
The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black: Teather Penumbra 1994
Actor
Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue! 1994
Actor
- Too Bad About Jack
Too Bad About Jack 1994
Actor
Bound and Gagged: A Love Story 1993
as Carla
Legend of The Roller Blade Seven 1993
as Tarot
The Trust 1993
as Maria Vandermeer
Return of the Roller Blade Seven 1993
as Tarot
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies 1992
as Auntie Lee
The Double 0 Kid 1992
as Mrs. Elliot
Judgement 1992
as Tiffany Powers
Final Judgement 1992
as Mrs. Sorrel
Tuesday Never Comes 1992
as Michelle
Rubin & Ed 1992
as Rula
The Player 1992
as Karen Black
Dead Girls Don't Tango 1992
as Insp. Wilson
Quiet Fire 1991
as Kim Martino
Evil Spirits 1991
as Ella Purdy
The Roller Blade Seven 1991
as Tarot
Children of the Night 1991
as Karen Thompson
Caged Fear 1991
as Blanche
Blood Money 1991
as Barrett
Ralph S. Mouse 1991
as Miss Kuchenbacker
Mirror Mirror 1990
as Susan Gordon
Club Fed 1990
as Sally Rich
Haunting Fear 1990
as Dr. Julia Harcourt
Night Angel 1990
as Rita
The Children 1990
as Sybil Lullmer
Zapped Again! 1990
as Homeroom Teacher
Twisted Justice 1990
as Mrs. Granger
Fatal Encounter 1990
as Joan Caldwell
Overexposed 1990
as Mrs. Trowbridge
Homer and Eddie 1989
as Belle
Out of the Dark 1988
as Ruth Wilson
Dixie Lanes 1988
as Zelma Putnam
The Invisible Kid 1988
as Mom
On the tracks of a filmmaker 1988
as Karen Black
The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway 1988
as Martha Gelhorn
Hostage 1987
as Laura Lawrence
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive 1987
as Ellen Jarvis
The Little Mermaid 1987
as Sea Witch
Invaders from Mars 1986
as Linda Magnusson
Flight of the Spruce Goose 1986
as Gloria
Savage Dawn 1985
as Rachel
Cut and Run 1985
as Karin
Martin's Day 1985
as Karen
Eternal Evil 1985
as Janus
Bad Manners 1984
as Gladys Fitzpatrick
Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? 1983
as Zee
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean 1982
as Joanne
The Last Horror Film 1982
as Karen Black (uncredited)
Miss Right 1982
as Amy
Chanel Solitaire 1981
as Emilienne d'Alençon
The Grass Is Singing 1981
as Mary Turner
Separate Ways 1981
as Valentine Colby
Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop 1980
as Investigator Evelyn Carter
Where the Ladies Go 1980
as Helen
Killer Fish 1979
as Kate
The Last Word 1979
as Paula Herbert
The Squeeze 1978
as Clarisse Saunders
In Praise of Older Women 1978
as Maya
Because He's My Friend 1978
as Anne
Capricorn One 1977
as Judy Drinkwater
The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver 1977
as Miriam Oliver / Sandy
Burnt Offerings 1976
as Marian Rolf
Family Plot 1976
as Fran
Crime and Passion 1976
as Susan Winters
Nashville 1975
as Connie White, Original Music Composer
The Day of the Locust 1975
as Faye Greener
Trilogy of Terror 1975
as Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia
Airport 1975 1974
as Nancy Pryor
Law and Disorder 1974
as Gloria
The Great Gatsby 1974
as Myrtle Wilson
Rhinoceros 1974
as Daisy
The Outfit 1973
as Bett Harrow
The Pyx 1973
as Elizabeth Lucy, Songs
Little Laura and Big John 1973
as Laura
Portnoy's Complaint 1972
as Mary Jane Reid a.k.a. Monkey
Cisco Pike 1972
as Sue
Born to Win 1971
as Parm
A Gunfight 1971
as Jenny Simms
Drive, He Said 1971
as Olive
Five Easy Pieces 1970
as Rayette Dipesto
Easy Rider 1969
as Karen
Hard Contract 1969
as Ellen
You're a Big Boy Now 1966
as Amy Partlett
The Prime Time 1960
as Betty
Credits from TMDB.