American actress, writer and director, born July 1, 1942 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA, died August 8, 2013 in Santa Monica, California, USA. Famous for horror films early in her career.
Mother of Hunter Carson with L.M. Kit Carson.
Godmother of Dylan Purcell. His mother, Lee Purcell , is the godmother of Karens children, Hunter Carson and Celine Eckelberry.
Is the highest ranked actress on the "Oracle of Bacon" website (and 21st overall), which uses the IMDB database to determine which actors can be linked by the highest number of other actors in the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon " trivia game.
Has a cult glam-punk band named after her. Called The Voluptuous 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.
She and her husband, Stephen Eckelberry , are active in the Church of Scientology.
Guitarist Abby Normal featured a song, titled "Scream Karen Black", on his solo project album, "Midnight Creature Feature Picture Show".
She adopted a daughter, Celine Eckelberry , with her husband Stephen Eckelberry.
Wrote the songs "Memphis" and "Rolling Stone" which she performed in character as country singer Connie White in the movie Nashville . As a result she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Series.
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.
Made her Broadway debut in 1965s "The Playroom", which ran less than a month. She received great reviews, however, and nominated for a Drama Circle Critics Award for Best Actress.
Attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for two years before moving to New York, where she studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio and appeared in a number of Off-Broadway productions.
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 childrens novels; her paternal grandfather was Arthur Ziegler, a classical musician and the first violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Was married to actor Robert Burton at the time they filmed the cult TV-movie Trilogy of Terror . 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 a college English teacher and he plays an obsessed student who stalks her. The couple was already divorced by the time the TV-movie premiered in March of 1975.
Considers Kris Kristofferson to be the most attractive male star she has ever worked with. She especially liked his voice.
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.
She is of German, Bohemian (Czech), and Norwegian descent.
Sister of Gail Brown and Peter Ziegler.
Karens mom Elsie predeceased her by just five years.
For her work in The Great Gatsby , shes 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 and Katharine Ross in Voyage of the Damned .
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.
Studied ballet from ages 6 to 17.
Turned down the female lead in Support Your Local Gunfighter that went to Suzanne Pleshette.
Her role in Easy Rider was originally offered to Lana Wood.
Turned down Valerie Perrine s role in W.C. Fields and Me .
Was considered for the role of Muriel Pritchett in The Accidental Tourist , which earned an Oscar for its eventual star Geena Davis.
Once had a relationship with Peter Kastner.
Engaged to Peter Rachtman (1971-1972).
Engaged to Michael Raeburn in 1981.
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.
[re nude scenes] I was not into being naked. I mean, not really. You,have to really love your body.
I like things to continue, you know? Some people like to start things.
