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 Karen entered Northwestern University at 19 and left two years later. She studied under Lee Strasberg in New York and worked in a number of off-Broadway roles. She made a critically acclaimed debut on Broadway in 1965 in "The Playroom". Her first big film role was in You're a Big Boy Now (1966), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Shortly after wards, she appeared as Marcia in the TV series The Second Hundred Years (1967).The film that made her a star was Easy Rider (1969), where she worked with Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and a supporting actor named Jack Nicholson. She appeared with Nicholson again the next year when they starred in Five Easy Pieces (1970), which garnered an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Karen. Her roles mainly consisted of waitresses, hookers and women on the edge. Some of her later films were disappointments at the box office, but she did receive another Golden Globe for The Great Gatsby (1974). One role for which she is well remembered is that of the jewel thief in Alfred Hitchcock's last film, Family Plot (1976). Another is as the woman terrorized in her apartment by a murderous Zuni doll come to life in the well received TV movie Trilogy of Terror (1975). After a number of forgettable movies, she again won rave reviews for her role in Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982). Since then, her film career has been busy, but the quality of the films has been uneven.
Bio:
Karen entered Northwestern University at 19 and left two years later. She studied under Lee Strasberg in New York and worked in a number of off-Broadway roles. She made a critically acclaimed debut on Broadway in 1965 in "The Playroom". Her first big film role was in You're a Big Boy Now (1966), directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Shortly after wards, she appeared as Marcia in the TV series The Second Hundred Years (1967).The film that made her a star was Easy Rider (1969), where she worked with Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and a supporting actor named Jack Nicholson. She appeared with Nicholson again the next year when they starred in Five Easy Pieces (1970), which garnered an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Karen. Her roles mainly consisted of waitresses, hookers and women on the edge. Some of her later films were disappointments at the box office, but she did receive another Golden Globe for The Great Gatsby (1974). One role for which she is well remembered is that of the jewel thief in Alfred Hitchcock's last film, Family Plot (1976). Another is as the woman terrorized in her apartment by a murderous Zuni doll come to life in the well received TV movie Trilogy of Terror (1975). After a number of forgettable movies, she again won rave reviews for her role in Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982). Since then, her film career has been busy, but the quality of the films has been uneven.
Tivia:
Was married to actor Robert Burton at the time they filmed the cult TV-movie Trilogy of Terror (1975). Ms. Black initially turned the role down but eventually accepted when Robert was selected for a lead role in one of the three segments. Karen plays an English teacher and he plays an obsessed college student. The couple was already divorced after only little more than a year by the time the TV-movie premiered in March of 1975.It was revealed posthumously that Karen Black had a daughter with Robert Benedetti, Diane Koehnemann Bay, who was born March 4, 1959, when Karen was a 19-year-old divorc��e studying at Northwestern. Diane was adopted at birth by Don and Joan Koehnemann. On August 7, 2012, Diane got in touch with Karen through Facebook after the state of Illinois unsealed its adoption records; ironically, Karen had disclosed the secret of Diane's existence to her own family just a few months earlier. Diane's memoir, "Finding Karen Black," came out August 8, 2022.Wrote the songs "Memphis" and "Rolling Stone" which she performed in character as country singer Connie White in the movie Nashville (1975). As a result she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Series.Diagnosed with ampullary cancer in November 2010 and had a third of her pancreas immediately removed. Though declared cancer-free in 2011, had relapsed and underwent two operations in 2012.Made her Broadway debut in 1965's "The Playroom", which ran less than a month. She received great reviews, however, and was nominated for a Drama Circle Critics Award for Best Actress.Godmother of Dylan M. McKnight. His mother, Lee Purcell, is the godmother of Karen's children, Hunter Carson and Celine Eckelberry.She adopted a daughter, Celine Eckelberry, with her husband Stephen Eckelberry.Launched her career as a playwright in May 2007 with the opening of "Missouri Waltz" in Los Angeles; Black starred in the play as well. The piece is conceived as a play with music, rather than a musical.She has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970) and Nashville (1975).Elliott Gould, Lee Purcell, Rick Overton, Tanna Frederick, Karyn Rachtman, Lainie Kazan, Paul Sorvino, Julia Garcia Combs, Juliette Lewis, Russell Brown, Alan Cumming, older sister Gail Brown and widower Stephen Eckelberry all delivered eulogies at her memorial service. (September 17, 2013)Considers Kris Kristofferson to be the most attractive male star she has ever worked with. She especially liked his voice.Attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for two years before moving to New York, where she studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio and appeared in a number of Off-Broadway productions.Studied ballet from age of 6 to mid-teens.Came five votes shy of getting a Best Actress Oscar nomination for The Day of the Locust (1975).Is the highest ranked actress on the "Oracle of Bacon" website (and 21st overall), which uses the Internet Movie Database to determine which actors can be linked by the highest number of other actors in the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" trivia game.She is of German, Bohemian (Czech), and Norwegian descent.The second daughter of Norman and Elsie Ziegler, her mother, who went by her maiden name of Elsie Reif, was a writer of several prize-winning children's novels; her paternal grandfather was Arthur Ziegler, a classical musician and the first violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.Turned down the female lead in Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) that went to Suzanne Pleshette.Guitarist Abby Normal featured a song, titled "Scream Karen Black", on his solo project album, "Midnight Creature Feature Picture Show".For her work in The Great Gatsby (1974), she's one of only 4 actresses to win the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture without receiving an Oscar nomination for the same performance. The other 3 are, in chronological order: Katy Jurado in High Noon (1952), Hermione Gingold in Gigi (1958) and Katharine Ross in Voyage of the Damned (1976).Has a cult glam-punk band named after her. Called The Voluptous Horror of Karen Black, Kembra Pfahler is the American performance artist and singer/rock musician who fronts it. She is known for the often sexual nature of her pieces.Went to Maine Township High School East, Des Plaines, IL, for the 9th grade, the same high school attended by Hillary Clinton and Harrison Ford.Her role in Easy Rider (1969) was originally offered to Lana Wood.Parents wanted her to be a teacher.Mother of Hunter Carson with L.M. Kit Carson.Turned down Valerie Perrine's role in W.C. Fields and Me (1976).Dated Henry Jaglom, Peter Kastner, Omar Sharif and Paul Williams.Is interred at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, Calif.She and her husband, Stephen Eckelberry, are active in the Church of Scientology.Brother Peter Ziegler married the daughter of Maryland Governor Theodore R. McKeldin. Nephew, Bryan McKeldin Ziegler (1979-2022) was a prosecutor for San Diego County and ran for city council in 2012 and 2014.Sister of Gail Brown.Aunt of Erick Ziegler.Engaged to Michael Raeburn. (1981)Engaged to music manager Peter Rachtman. (1972)Her maternal grandmother's never-married siblings, Mary and John Shimon, operated a wealthy milk farm outside Reifs Mills, Wisconsin.Daughter-in-law of Renee Duke and Tener Eckelberry.Appeared in three films directed by Ivan Passer: Born to Win (1971), Law and Disorder (1974) and Crime and Passion (1976).Attended Lafayette Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Indiana. |
| Name: |
Karen Black |
Type: |
Actress,Writer,Composer (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
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Business scope: |
Actress,Writer,Composer |
| Products for sale: |
Actress,Writer,Composer |
| Model rank: |
373 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 04:40:12 |
| Height: |
5' 7' (1.70 m) |
| Biography: |
Karen entered Northwestern University at 19 and left two years later. She studied under Lee Strasberg in New York and worked in a number of off-Broadway roles. She made a critically acclaimed debut on Broadway in 1965 in \"The Playroom\". Her fi |
| Trivia: |
Was married to actor Robert Burton at the time they filmed the cult TV-movie Trilogy of Terror (1975). Ms. Black initially turned the role down but eventually accepted when Robert was selected for a lead role in one of the three segments. Karen plays an English teacher and he plays an obsessed college student. The couple was already divorced after only little more than a year by the time the TV-movie premiered in March of 1975.It was revealed posthumously that Karen Black had a daughter with Robert Benedetti, Diane Koehnemann Bay, who was born March 4, 1959, when Karen was a 19-year-old divorc��e studying at Northwestern. Diane was adopted at birth by Don and Joan Koehnemann. On August 7, 2012, Diane got in touch with Karen through Facebook after the state of Illinois unsealed its adoption records; ironically, Karen had disclosed the secret of Diane's existence to her own family just a few months earlier. Diane's memoir, "Finding Karen Black," came out August 8, 2022.Wrote the songs "Memphis" and "Rolling Stone" which she performed in character as country singer Connie White in the movie Nashville (1975). As a result she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Series.Diagnosed with ampullary cancer in November 2010 and had a third of her pancreas immediately removed. Though declared cancer-free in 2011, had relapsed and underwent two operations in 2012.Made her Broadway debut in 1965's "The Playroom", which ran less than a month. She received great reviews, however, and was nominated for a Drama Circle Critics Award for Best Actress.Godmother of Dylan M. McKnight. His mother, Lee Purcell, is the godmother of Karen's children, Hunter Carson and Celine Eckelberry.She adopted a daughter, Celine Eckelberry, with her husband Stephen Eckelberry.Launched her career as a playwright in May 2007 with the opening of "Missouri Waltz" in Los Angeles; Black starred in the play as well. The piece is conceived as a play with music, rather than a musical.She has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970) and Nashville (1975).Elliott Gould, Lee Purcell, Rick Overton, Tanna Frederick, Karyn Rachtman, Lainie Kazan, Paul Sorvino, Julia Garcia Combs, Juliette Lewis, Russell Brown, Alan Cumming, older sister Gail Brown and widower Stephen Eckelberry all delivered eulogies at her memorial service. (September 17, 2013)Considers Kris Kristofferson to be the most attractive male star she has ever worked with. She especially liked his voice.Attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for two years before moving to New York, where she studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio and appeared in a number of Off-Broadway productions.Studied ballet from age of 6 to mid-teens.Came five votes shy of getting a Best Actress Oscar nomination for The Day of the Locust (1975).Is the highest ranked actress on the "Oracle of Bacon" website (and 21st overall), which uses the Internet Movie Database to determine which actors can be linked by the highest number of other actors in the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" trivia game.She is of German, Bohemian (Czech), and Norwegian descent.The second daughter of Norman and Elsie Ziegler, her mother, who went by her maiden name of Elsie Reif, was a writer of several prize-winning children's novels; her paternal grandfather was Arthur Ziegler, a classical musician and the first violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.Turned down the female lead in Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) that went to Suzanne Pleshette.Guitarist Abby Normal featured a song, titled "Scream Karen Black", on his solo project album, "Midnight Creature Feature Picture Show".For her work in The Great Gatsby (1974), she's one of only 4 actresses to win the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture without receiving an Oscar nomination for the same performance. The other 3 are, in chronological order: Katy Jurado in High Noon (1952), Hermione Gingold in Gigi (1958) and Katharine Ross in Voyage of the Damned (1976).Has a cult glam-punk band named after her. Called The Voluptous Horror of Karen Black, Kembra Pfahler is the American performance artist and singer/rock musician who fronts it. She is known for the often sexual nature of her pieces.Went to Maine Township High School East, Des Plaines, IL, for the 9th grade, the same high school attended by Hillary Clinton and Harrison Ford.Her role in Easy Rider (1969) was originally offered to Lana Wood.Parents wanted her to be a teacher.Mother of Hunter Carson with L.M. Kit Carson.Turned down Valerie Perrine's role in W.C. Fields and Me (1976).Dated Henry Jaglom, Peter Kastner, Omar Sharif and Paul Williams.Is interred at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, Calif.She and her husband, Stephen Eckelberry, are active in the Church of Scientology.Brother Peter Ziegler married the daughter of Maryland Governor Theodore R. McKeldin. Nephew, Bryan McKeldin Ziegler (1979-2022) was a prosecutor for San Diego County and ran for city council in 2012 and 2014.Sister of Gail Brown.Aunt of Erick Ziegler.Engaged to Michael Raeburn. (1981)Engaged to music manager Peter Rachtman. (1972)Her maternal grandmother's never-married siblings, Mary and John Shimon, operated a wealthy milk farm outside Reifs Mills, Wisconsin.Daughter-in-law of Renee Duke and Tener Eckelberry.Appeared in three films directed by Ivan Passer: Born to Win (1971), Law and Disorder (1974) and Crime and Passion (1976).Attended Lafayette Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Indiana. |
| Trademarks: |
Crossed eyes |
| Quotes: |
My God, there aren't any more movie stars, which is terrific with me, it's very healthy. A lot of love now occurs in the business, people helping each other to do good work, getting high on each other's success. Isn't that great?
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[on the craft of acting] That's really what acting is: you imagine things, then you respond naturally to what you've imagined.
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Every time you do a part you try to find out what it would really be like to be that person, no matter who she is.
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[re Bob Rafelson, director of Five Easy Pieces (1970) and her character in it] Rafelson thought I might be too complex for Rayette, but I told him I'm essentially simple, that really everybody is essentially simple, that we are all just beings who, uh, be. Certainly Rayette can just be. dig her, she's not dumb, she's just not into thinking. I didn't have to know anybody like her to play her. I mean, I'm like her, in ways. Rayette enjoys things as she sees them, she doesn't have to add significances. She can just love the dog, love the cat. See? There are many things she does not know, but that's cool; she doesn't intrude on anybody else's trip. And she's going to survive. Do you understand me?
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[on Alfred Hitchcock] We'd do limericks together. One day he pulled up his shirt to show me his belly-button - which he didn't have. He'd had an operation and when they sewed him up they took it away. His belly-button was gone! |
| Job title: |
Actress,Writer,Composer |
| Others works: |
Stage: Understudy for Adele McDougall, Linda Lehman, Liz Michaelson, 12/21/61-12/8/62.
Stage: "The Playroom" on Broadway, 12/5/65-1/1/66.
Stage: "Happily Never After" on Broadway, 3/10/66-3/12/66.
Stage: Played Hilda Brady in " |
| Spouse: |
Stephen Eckelberry (September 27, 1987 - August 8, 2013) (her death, 1 child)L.M. Kit Carson (July 4, 1975 - June 28, 1983) (divorced, 1 child)Robert Burton (April 17, 1973 - 1975) (divorced)Charles Bla |
| Children: |
Hunter CarsonCeline Eckelberry |
| Parents: |
Elsie Ziegler |
| Relatives: |
Gail Brown (Sibling)
Erick Ziegler (Niece or Nephew) |
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