Jump to content
Main menu
Main menu
move to sidebar
hide
Navigation
Main page
Recent changes
Random page
Help about MediaWiki
Special pages
Niidae Wiki
Search
Search
Appearance
Create account
Log in
Personal tools
Create account
Log in
Pages for logged out editors
learn more
Contributions
Talk
Editing
Karen Black
(section)
Page
Discussion
English
Read
Edit
View history
Tools
Tools
move to sidebar
hide
Actions
Read
Edit
View history
General
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Appearance
move to sidebar
hide
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Career== ===1960–1970: Stage and film beginnings=== [[File:Karen Black mirror.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|Posing by a mirror, circa 1966]] In 1960, Black moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, residing in a [[cold water flat]] in Manhattan.{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=85}} She took odd jobs working as a secretary, a front desk person at a hotel, and at an insurance office, and lived on "thirty dollars a week."<ref>{{cite interview|series=Conversations with Coco|title=An Evening with Karen Black, Part 2|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa7FsBpSVT8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/Pa7FsBpSVT8| archive-date=October 30, 2021|date=October 23, 2010|location=[[Los Angeles LGBT Center|Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center]]|author1=Peru, Coco|author1-link=Miss Coco Peru|author2=Black, Karen|time=1:35}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Black initially began performing with the Rockefeller Players, a theater troupe in [[Westwood, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news|work=The Record|location=Hackensack, New Jersey|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35158964/the_record/|title='The Playroom' Will Continue|date=December 28, 1965|page=29|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> She briefly joined at the [[Actors Studio]], but left shortly after enrolling, later commenting: "How can a man who isn't an actor teach you how to act?"{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=85}} Black made her screen debut with a minor role in the independent film ''The Prime Time'' (1960), which she would later deem "the worst film ever made."{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=85}} Disillusioned by this foray into film, Black returned to work in theater.{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=85}} She worked as an [[understudy]] in the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production of ''Take Her, She's Mine'' in December 1961 under director [[George Abbott]].<ref name=pb>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/person/karen-black-vault-0000046849|work=[[Playbill]]|title=Karen Black|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314114845/http://www.playbill.com/person/karen-black-vault-0000046849|archive-date=March 14, 2016}}</ref> She made her formal Broadway debut in 1965's ''The Playroom'',<ref name=pb/> which received favorable reviews and for which she was nominated for a [[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] Award for Best Actress.<ref>{{cite book|title=Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television|volume=31|page=40|last=Riggs|first=Thomas|year=2000|isbn=978-0-787-64636-3|publisher=Gale Group|location=Detroit, Michigan}}</ref> In 1966, she appeared with [[José Ferrer]] in a stage production of ''[[After the Fall (play)|After the Fall]]'' at the [[Coconut Grove Playhouse]] in Miami, earning an Angel award for best supporting actress.<ref>{{cite news|title=Karen Black Puts on Real Act|date=February 9, 1966|first=Beatrice|last=Washburn|work=The Miami Herald|page=C1}}</ref><ref name=DeVine>{{cite news|title=Karen Black: Good-Fortune Kooky|date=June 18, 1967|first=Lawrence|last=DeVine|work=The Miami Herald Sunday Magazine|pages=14–15}}</ref> Black returned to film with a leading role in the comedy ''[[You're a Big Boy Now]]'' (1966), directed by [[Francis Ford Coppola]], portraying the love interest of a young male student.{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=86}} The film earned Black favorable reviews, and the experience prompted her to relocate to Los Angeles.<ref name=DeVine/> Beginning in 1967, she appeared in guest roles in several television series, including ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]'', ''[[Run for Your Life (TV series)|Run for Your Life]]'', ''[[The Big Valley]]'', ''[[Mannix]]'' and ''[[Adam-12]]''. Her feature film career expanded in 1969, playing the role of an acid-tripping prostitute opposite [[Dennis Hopper]] and [[Peter Fonda]] in the counterculture film ''[[Easy Rider]]'';{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=86}} the first choice for the role was [[Lana Wood]], who had turned it down.<ref>{{cite interview|title=SpyCon2 presents Lana Wood: Plenty O'Toole talks Bond!|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yj0U9mOvXA|date=October 10, 2020|author=Rocko Jerome|time=54:27}}</ref> Black's sequence in the film was cut from 16 hours of footage.<ref name=npr/> The following year, Black appeared as Rayette, the waitress girlfriend of [[Jack Nicholson]], in the film ''[[Five Easy Pieces]]'' (1970), for which she was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]],{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=86}} and earned her first [[Golden Globe Award]] for Best Supporting Actress. She also won a [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for her performance in the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://screenprism.com/insights/article/how-do-bobbys-love-interests-in-five-easy-pieces-help-reveal-parts-of-his-c|website=Screen Prism|title=How do Bobby's love interests in "Five Easy Pieces" help reveal parts of his character?|author=Saporito, Jeff|access-date=December 3, 2015|archive-date=December 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210044710/http://screenprism.com/insights/article/how-do-bobbys-love-interests-in-five-easy-pieces-help-reveal-parts-of-his-c|url-status=dead}}</ref> ===1971–1979: Hollywood breakthrough and heyday=== [[File:Karen Black The Day of the Locust.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|In ''[[The Day of the Locust (film)|The Day of the Locust]]'' (1975)]] Black had a supporting role as the girlfriend of a heroin addict in ''[[Born to Win]]'' (1971) opposite [[George Segal]] and [[Robert De Niro]],{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=86}} followed by a role in Jack Nicholson's directorial debut, ''[[Drive, He Said]]'', as a promiscuous faculty wife;{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=86}} and the Western ''[[A Gunfight]]'', opposite [[Kirk Douglas]] and [[Johnny Cash]], in which she portrayed a saloon barmaid.{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=86}} Black followed these roles with a part in ''[[Cisco Pike]]'' (1972) opposite [[Kris Kristofferson]] and [[Gene Hackman]], and subsequently played a foul-mouthed fashion model in ''[[Portnoy's Complaint (film)|Portnoy's Complaint]]'' (1972).{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|pages=86, 90–91}} She had a lead role opposite [[Christopher Plummer]] in the Canadian-produced horror film ''[[The Pyx]]'' (1973), playing a prostitute embroiled in a series of occult murders, and later appeared in ''[[The Outfit (1973 film)|The Outfit]]'' (1973) with [[Robert Duvall]].{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|pages=90–91}} Black had the titular role of Laura in the crime film ''[[Little Laura and Big John]]'' (1973), playing a runaway moll of the [[John Ashley (bandit)|Ashley gang]], a film which "aped" the success of ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'' (1967).{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|pages=86, 90–91}} Shortly after, she appeared in the comedy [[Rhinoceros (film)|''Rhinoceros'']] (1974) with [[Gene Wilder]].{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=90}} Black's first major commercial film{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=86}} was the disaster feature ''[[Airport 1975]]'' (1974), in which she played Nancy Pryor, a stewardess forced to fly a plane after a midair collision.<ref name=la>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-karen-black-20130809,0,254151.story|title=Karen Black dies at 74; actress starred in 'Five Easy Pieces' and 'Easy Rider'|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first=Rebecca|last=Trounson|date=August 9, 2013|access-date=August 10, 2013}}</ref> She subsequently portrayed an unfaithful wife, Myrtle Wilson, in the 1974 version of [[The Great Gatsby (1974 film)|''The Great Gatsby'']], a performance that earned her a second [[Golden Globe Award]] in the same category. In 1975, she played multiple roles in [[Dan Curtis]]' televised anthology film ''[[Trilogy of Terror]]'': The segments, all written by [[Richard Matheson]], were named after the women involved in the plot — a plain college professor seemingly seduced by a handsome cad of a student ("Julie"), a pair of sisters who squabble over their father's inheritance ("Millicent and Therese"), and the unknowing purchaser of a cursed [[Zuni fetish]] that comes to life and pursues her relentlessly ("Amelia").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metv.com/stories/lets-not-forget-trilogy-of-terror-was-the-scariest-tv-movie-of-all-time|title=Let's not forget 'Trilogy of Terror' was the scariest TV movie of all time (Who's still frightened by the Zuni warrior doll?)|website=MeTV.com|access-date=October 5, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/trilogy-of-terror-karen-black/168614/karen-blacks-horror-tour-de-force-trilogy-of-terror-1975-review|title=Karen Black's Horror Tour de Force, Trilogy of Terror (1975)|author=Knipfel, Jim|website=Den of Geek|date=August 10, 2013|access-date=August 8, 2018}}</ref> [[File:Karen Black and Joseph Bottoms.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|left|With [[Joseph Bottoms]] in ''[[Crime and Passion]]'' (1976)]] Black received her third Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her role as an aspiring starlet in 1930s Hollywood in [[John Schlesinger]]'s tragic drama ''[[The Day of the Locust (film)|The Day of the Locust]]'' (1975). Though the film earned her critical notice, Black recalled the production being profoundly troubled and possibly hindering her career: {{quote|That was not a fun experience, making that film. It was just horrible. I wish quite heartily I'd never made it, because I'd have had a much longer career in Hollywood... It was a very troubled production, and I became the scapegoat that everyone blamed. People kept getting sick, getting fired, and it was just a horror, an absolute horror. Seven months. There were all these rumors that people made up…and I wound up being the center of it. Poor [[William Atherton|[William] Atherton]] walked off and didn't do the final scene, because he couldn't take it anymore.<ref name=simon>{{cite web|title=Karen Black Dances the Missouri Waltz|last=Simon|first=Alex|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/karen-black-dead_b_3729690|work=[[HuffPost|The Huffington Post]]|date=October 9, 2013|orig-year=2007|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190822083606/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/karen-black-dead_b_3729690|archive-date=August 22, 2019|access-date=August 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>}} [[File:Family Plot 1976 Still.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|As Fran in ''[[Family Plot]]'' (1976)]] The same year, she starred as a glamorous country singer in [[Robert Altman]]'s ensemble film ''[[Nashville (film)|Nashville]]''.{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=90}} In addition to acting in the film, Black also wrote and performed two songs for the soundtrack, which was nominated for a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media|Best Score Soundtrack]].<ref name=npr/> In 1976, Black appeared as a [[femme fatale]] jewel thief [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s final film, ''[[Family Plot]]''.{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=90}} The film received mixed reviews, though [[Roger Ebert]] commented that Black "does a good job in a role that doesn't give her much to do."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|author=Ebert, Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=Family Plot|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/family-plot-1976|date=April 12, 1976|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190821110802/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/family-plot-1976|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> She also reunited with director [[Dan Curtis]] to star opposite [[Oliver Reed]] and [[Bette Davis]] in the supernatural horror film ''[[Burnt Offerings (film)|Burnt Offerings]]'', playing the wife of a family living in a haunted house.{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|pages=87, 90}} Released in the fall of 1976, ''Burnt Offerings'' was deemed in ''The New York Times'' as an "outstanding terror movie" with "solid actors."<ref>{{Cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/30/archives/burnt-offerings-is-an-outstanding-terror-movie.html|title='Burnt Offerings' Is an Outstanding Terror Movie|date=September 30, 1976|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190821110307/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/30/archives/burnt-offerings-is-an-outstanding-terror-movie.html|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, she had a lead role in the independent crime comedy ''[[Crime and Passion]]'' (1976), co-starring with [[Omar Sharif]].{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=90}} Due to scheduling conflicts with ''Family Plot'', Black turned down [[Valerie Perrine]]'s role in ''[[W.C. Fields and Me]]'' (1976).<ref>{{cite interview|title=Vivid Obsessions: Hitchcock's Technicolor Films|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6RQWiVdWP8|date=September 16, 2010|time=5:15}}</ref> In September 1976, Black traveled to Toronto to be a guest star on the variety program ''[[The Bobby Vinton Show]]'', which aired across the United States and Canada. Black sang "Lonely Now", and joined Bobby in a medley of country oldies. She played a dual role in the 1977 made-for-television thriller, ''[[The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver]]'', followed by a minor role in ''[[Capricorn One]]'' (1978) opposite [[Elliott Gould]].{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=90}} In 1979, Black appeared in the erotic drama ''[[In Praise of Older Women (1978 film)|In Praise of Older Women]]'', which she regretted because she thought its title aged her.<ref>[https://facebook.com/realkarenblack/photos/karen-black-and-a-young-tom-berenger-publicity-shot-in-praise-of-older-women-kar/10158694190078009 Facebook]. July 6, 2019.</ref> ===1980–1985: Career comedown=== [[File:Stephen Eckelberry and Karen Black.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|With husband Stephen Eckelberry during their courtship]] In 1980, Black starred in a made-for-TV movie ''[[Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop]]''. She subsequently starred in the drama ''[[Killing Heat]]'' (1981), based on [[Doris Lessing]]'s 1950 novel ''[[The Grass Is Singing]]'', which focused on race relations in [[South Africa]] in the 1960s; in the film, Black portrayed an urban woman who relocates to a rural farm with her husband.{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=314}} She also appeared as [[Émilienne d'Alençon]] in the French film ''[[Chanel Solitaire]]'' (1981), a biographical feature detailing the early life of [[Coco Chanel]].{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=100}} In 1982, Black starred opposite [[Cher]] and [[Sandy Dennis]]<ref name=npr>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/08/09/210547172/karen-black-strange-and-lovely-and-always-game|work=[[NPR]]|access-date=August 21, 2019|title=Karen Black, Strange And Lovely, And Always Game|last=Del Barco|first=Mandalit|date=August 9, 2013}}</ref> in a Robert Altman-directed Broadway production of ''[[Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (play)|Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean]]''.<ref name=pb/> She subsequently co-starred with Cher and Dennis in Altman's [[Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (film)|film adaptation]], also released in 1982.<ref name=npr/> In both renditions, she portrayed the role of Joanne, a [[trans woman]] in a small Texas town.<ref name="npr" /> Black spent months preparing for the role, and "did research into pretty depressing statistics about people who've become transsexuals and how they still don't feel complete. I had to become a man, and I am not a man... And that transition was so painful to me, to become a man, that I could use the pain of my actual transition for Joanne."<ref name=ww>{{cite web|work=[[Willamette Week]]|location=Portland, Oregon|title=The Voluptuous Allure of Karen Black|last=Beck|first=Byron|date=July 9, 2002|url=https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-1120-the-voluptuous-allure-of-karen-black.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190822091912/https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-1120-the-voluptuous-allure-of-karen-black.html|archive-date=August 22, 2019|access-date=August 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> While the Broadway production garnered Black some unfavorable reviews,<ref name=wp>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/19/riding-the-come-back-trailjimmydean-altmans-new-triumph/0bc0625b-5394-487a-97da-c944cbea8235/|title=Riding the 'Come Back' Trail 'Jimmy Dean': Altman's New Triumph|last=Arnold|first=Gary|date=November 19, 1982|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190822093800/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/19/riding-the-come-back-trailjimmydean-altmans-new-triumph/0bc0625b-5394-487a-97da-c944cbea8235/?noredirect=on|archive-date=August 22, 2019|access-date=August 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' praised Black's performance in the film, writing that "watching her in the movie, you can understand that what she's doing as Joanna ''[sic]'' might depend on the intimacy of the camera to be both witty and credible."<ref name=wp/> Black next starred in the [[Henry Jaglom]]-directed comedy ''[[Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?]]'' (1983) playing a divorcee who becomes involved with a bachelor,{{sfn|Segrave|Martin|1990|p=88}} followed by a lead in the teen-themed [[black comedy]] ''[[Bad Manners (1984 film)|Bad Manners]]'' (1984).{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=37}} She also appeared in television during this period, with a guest-starring role as Sheila Sheinfeld on ''[[E/R]]'' between 1984 and 1985. She starred in several feature films in 1985, including the Italian exploitation horror film ''[[Cut and Run (film)|Cut and Run]]'', directed by [[Ruggero Deodato]];{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=131}} the Canadian supernatural horror film ''[[The Blue Man (film)|The Blue Man]]'';{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=189}} and the action film ''Savage Dawn'', co-starring with [[Lance Henriksen]] as a kidnappee.{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=482}} ===1986–2002: Independent films and horror roles=== [[File:Stephen Eckelberry Karen Black wedding.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|Black and Eckelberry on their wedding day]] In 1986, Black co-starred with her son, Hunter, in [[Tobe Hooper]]'s science fiction horror film ''[[Invaders from Mars (1986 film)|Invaders from Mars]]''. She had a supporting role as a mutant's mother in [[Larry Cohen]]'s horror sequel ''[[It's Alive III: Island of the Alive]]'' (1987),{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=297}} and in the youth-themed comedy ''[[The Invisible Kid]]'' (1988).{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=294}} She co-starred with [[Jim Belushi]] and [[Whoopi Goldberg]] in ''[[Homer and Eddie]]'' (1989), a comedy about a woman (Goldberg) with a psychologically-impairing brain tumor, and a mentally-challenged man (Belushi).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/homerandeddierhinson_a0a911.htm|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title='Homer and Eddie'|last=Hinson|first=Hal|date=February 26, 1990|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209013050/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/homerandeddierhinson_a0a911.htm|archive-date=February 9, 2013|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1990, Black had a supporting role in ''[[The Children (1990 film)|The Children]]'' (1990), a British adaptation of a novel by [[Edith Wharton]], opposite [[Ben Kingsley]],{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=103}} and in the science fiction comedy ''[[Zapped Again!]]''.{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=294}} Beginning in the 1990s, Black was more frequently cast in horror films. Among them were ''[[Mirror, Mirror (1990 film)|Mirror, Mirror]]'' (1990), in which she played a troubled mother;{{sfn|Stanley|2000|p=344}} [[Gary Graver]]'s low-budget supernatural film ''[[Evil Spirits (1990 film)|Evil Spirits]]'' (1990);{{sfn|Stanley|2000|p=173}} and ''[[Children of the Night (1991 film)|Children of the Night]]'' (1991), in which she played an ancient vampire.{{sfn|Weldon|1996|p=103}} She also had roles in the British comedy ''[[Rubin and Ed]]'' (1991), the martial arts film ''[[The Roller Blade Seven]]'' (also 1991), and a cameo in Robert Altman's ''[[The Player (1992 film)|The Player]]'' (1992). Black reprised her role from ''The Roller Blade Seven'' in its [[The Legend of the Roller Blade Seven|1992]] and [[Return of the Roller Blade Seven|1993]] sequels, and appeared in the direct-to-video comedy ''[[The Double 0 Kid]]'' (1993), with [[Corey Haim]] and [[Nicole Eggert]]. Also in 1993, Black had a supporting role in [[George Sluizer]]'s drama ''[[Dark Blood]]'' opposite [[River Phoenix]] and [[Judy Davis]], a film that remained incomplete and unreleased for two decades after Phoenix died during the production.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/dark-blood-1117948612/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Review: 'Dark Blood'|date=October 22, 2012|last=Van Hoeij|first=Boyd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905082107/https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/dark-blood-1117948612/|archive-date=September 5, 2014}}</ref> In 1995, she starred in ''[[Plan 10 from Outer Space]]'', a science fiction satire of [[Mormons|Mormon]] theology, directed by [[Trent Harris]]. [[File:Karen Black and Hunter Carson.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|left|With son Hunter Carson, 1999]] In 1996, Black appeared as a paranoid mother in small-town Nebraska in ''[[Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering]]'', opposite [[Naomi Watts]].<ref name=hr/> She had supporting roles in a number of other independent films that year, including as a public defender in [[Ulli Lommel]]'s drama ''Every Minute is Goodbye'',<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Video Watchdog]]|issue=43–48|page=47|last1=Lucas|first1=Tim|last2=Lucas|first2=Donna|publisher=Tim and Donna Lucas|title=Reviews: ''Every Minute Is Goodbye''|location=Cincinnati, Ohio|issn=1070-9991}}</ref> and the exploitation comedy ''Dinosaur Valley Girls''.{{sfn|Klossner|2006|p=49}} The following year, she co-starred with [[Tilda Swinton]] as Lady Byron in the feminist science fiction feature ''[[Conceiving Ada]]'' (1997), about a contemporary scientist who uses software to make contact with the Victorian pioneer of computer programming [[Ada Lovelace]], daughter of the poet [[Lord Byron]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/022699ada-film-review.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190821215625/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/022699ada-film-review.html|archive-date=August 21, 2019|last=Holden|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen Holden|title='Conceiving Ada': Calling Byron's Daughter, Inventor of a Computer|date=February 26, 1999|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> She also had supporting roles in the independent drama ''[[Men (1997 film)|Men]]'', and as a singer in rural Missouri in [[George Hickenlooper]]'s ''[[Dogtown (film)|Dogtown]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/dogtown-1117341418/|title=Review: 'Dogtown'|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=April 20, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222154429/https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/dogtown-1117341418/|archive-date=February 22, 2014}}</ref> She continued to star in independent films in 1998, including the [[camp (style)|camp]] comedy ''[[I Woke Up Early the Day I Died]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/09/17/i-woke-early-day-i-died/|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|date=September 17, 1999|title=I Woke Up Early the Day I Died|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131174718/https://ew.com/article/1999/09/17/i-woke-early-day-i-died/|archive-date=January 31, 2016}}</ref> the drama ''[[Charades (film)|Charades]]'', as well as the short film ''Waiting for Dr. MacGuffin''.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[British Film Institute]]|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b81ab54b6|title=Waiting for Dr. MacGuffin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203202156/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b81ab54b6|archive-date=December 3, 2018}}</ref> In 2000, Black began filming [[Rob Zombie]]'s directorial debut ''[[House of 1000 Corpses]]'', in which she portrayed [[Mother Firefly]], the matron of a family of psychotic murderers. Upon its release in 2003, the film received largely unfavorable reviews,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/house_of_1000_corpses|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|title=House of 1000 Corpses|access-date=August 22, 2019}}</ref> though it helped cement Black's status as a [[cult film|cult]] icon in the horror genre.<ref name="marty">{{cite web|url=http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2013/08/08/14468/karen-black-oscar-nominated-actress-and-cult-horro|publisher=[[KPCC (radio station)|KPCC]]| title=Karen Black, Oscar-nominated actress and cult horror film icon, dies at 74|date=August 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831021219/http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2013/08/08/14468/karen-black-oscar-nominated-actress-and-cult-horro/|archive-date=August 31, 2013|url-status=dead|last=Lederhandler|first=Marty|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> ===2003–2013: Establishment as cult figure; playwriting and later works=== [[File:Celine Eckelberry and Karen Black.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|With daughter Celine Eckelberry in the late 2000s]] As her later career progressed, Black gained a cult following, as alluded to by ''[[Family Guy]]'' television anchor [[List of Family Guy characters#Tom Tucker|Tom Tucker]] in his remark, "Karen Black: what an obscure reference." in the episode ''[[Death Is a Bitch]]'' (season 2, episode 6). She co-starred with [[Natasha Lyonne]] in ''[[America Brown]]'' (2004), which won the Golden Zenith Award for Best Picture at the [[Montreal World Film Festival]]. In 2005, Black received the Best Actress Award at the Fantasporto International Film Festival in [[Porto]], Portugal, for her work in the critically acclaimed [[Steve Balderson]] film ''[[Firecracker (2005 film)|Firecracker]]'' (2005), in which she played two roles, Sandra and Eleanor. She and actor [[John Hurt]] were also presented with Career Achievement Awards. Black launched a career as a playwright in May 2007 with the opening of ''Missouri Waltz'' at the Blank Theater in Los Angeles; Black starred in the play as well. She also performed live narrations of [[Guy Maddin]]'s experimental film ''[[Brand Upon the Brain!]]'' in 2007, touring the show around the United States.<ref name=or/> In 2009, Black worked with director [[Steve Balderson]] for ''[[Stuck!]]'', a homage to [[film noir]] women-in-prison dramas, which co-starred [[Mink Stole]], [[Pleasant Gehman]] and [[Jane Wiedlin]]. She starred in [[John Landis]]' 2010 thriller ''[[Some Guy Who Kills People]]'',<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/35430/some-guy-who-kills-people-casting-news| title=Some Guy Who Kills People Casting News| journal=[[Dread Central]]| date=January 20, 2010| first=Steve| last=Barton| access-date=August 9, 2013}}</ref> as well as [[Aïda Ruilova]]'s surrealist short film ''Meet the Eye'' (2009).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hammer.ucla.edu/artist-residencies/2008/aida-ruilova/|work=[[Hammer Museum]]|title=Aïda Ruilova|date=June 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190822101656/https://hammer.ucla.edu/artist-residencies/2008/aida-ruilova/|archive-date=August 22, 2019|access-date=August 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Later that year, Black appeared on [[Cass McCombs]]' song "[[Dreams Come True Girl|Dreams-Come-True-Girl]]" from the album ''[[Catacombs (album)|Catacombs]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5l8lqNakPI|title = Dreams Come True Girl feat. Karen Black|publisher= [[YouTube]]|date= May 14, 2009|access-date= March 11, 2022}}</ref> The [[experimental hip-hop]] group [[Death Grips]] released a video on [[YouTube]] called "[[Bottomless Pit (album)|Bottomless Pit]]" in October 2015. The video shows footage of Black reciting lines from a film script written by the group's drummer/co-producer [[Zach Hill]]. The footage was shot in early 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=susTeQpgR9k| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/susTeQpgR9k| archive-date=October 30, 2021|title=Bottomless Pit| date=October 21, 2015|publisher=Death Grips|access-date=October 21, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Niidae Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
Encyclopedia:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Search
Search
Editing
Karen Black
(section)
Add topic