1939-07-01 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.
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Airports | 2025-09-17 | |
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Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts | (archive footage) | 2018-10-01 |
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Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief | Self (archive footage) | 2015-01-25 |
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Bottomless Pit | Karen Black | 2015-10-21 |
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Return to the 5 & Dime: An Interview with Ed Graczyk | Self – Joanne (archive footage) | 2014-11-18 |
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Wild in Blue | Justine | 2014-05-05 |
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Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films | Linda Magnusson (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2014-10-06 |
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Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia | Self (archive footage) | 2013-08-04 |
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Ooga Booga | Mrs. Allardyce | 2013-03-12 |
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She Loves Me Not | Karla | 2013-06-09 |
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Maria My Love | Maria | 2012-04-17 |
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Mommy's Little Monster | Mrs. Melnick | 2012-01-01 |
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Dark Blood | Motel Woman | 2012-09-27 |
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Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone | Tarot | 2012-01-01 |
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OowieWanna | The Donna | 2012-02-18 |
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Some Guy Who Kills People | Ruth Boyd | 2011-04-14 |
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Letters from the Big Man | Sean's Colleague | 2011-11-11 |
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Henry Jaglom Finds 'A Safe Place' | Self | 2010-11-23 |
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BBStory: An American Film Renaissance | Self | 2010-11-23 |
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Nothing Special | May | 2010-01-01 |
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Stuck! | The Neighbor Lady | 2009-11-15 |
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Repo Chick | Aunt De La Chasse | 2009-09-09 |
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Double Duty | Annabelle | 2009-12-08 |
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Wamego: Ultimatum | Self | 2009-02-17 |
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Irene in Time | Sheila Shivvers | 2009-06-19 |
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No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos | Self | 2009-01-11 |
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First Time Long Time | Dr. Shneidel | 2009-01-01 |
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Meet the Eye | 2009-06-16 | |
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Contamination | Mavis | 2008-05-01 |
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The Blue Tooth Virgin | Zena | 2008-06-18 |
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A Single Woman | Storyteller | 2008-09-21 |
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Watercolors | Mrs. Martin | 2008-06-07 |
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One Long Night | Barbara | 2007-03-25 |
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Suffering Man's Charity | Renee | 2007-03-09 |
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Hollywood Dreams | Luna | 2007-05-25 |
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Wanderlust | Herself | 2006-07-12 |
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Whitepaddy | Mrs. Leider | 2006-01-01 |
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Read You Like a Book | Kate | 2006-10-01 |
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Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula | Agrippina | 2005-06-15 |
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America Brown | Marianne Brown | 2005-10-28 |
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Dr. Rage | Molly | 2005-01-01 |
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Firecracker | Sandra / Eleanor | 2005-10-11 |
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Crazy for Love | Grace's Mom | 2005-03-01 |
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Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild | Self | 2004-08-29 |
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WAMEGO: Making Movies Anywhere | Self | 2004-06-18 |
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Birth of Industry | Sara | 2004-08-18 |
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Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood | Self | 2003-03-09 |
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House of 1000 Corpses | Mother Firefly | 2003-04-11 |
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Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman | Mrs. Buttleman | 2003-05-08 |
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Paris | Chantelle | 2003-06-06 |
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Teknolust | Dirty Dick | 2002-01-10 |
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Curse of the Forty-Niner | Aunt Nelly | 2002-10-01 |
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Best of Tromadance Film Festival: Volume 1 | ("Los Vampirios Moronious" short) | 2002-02-19 |
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A Light in the Darkness | Mrs. Melnick | 2002-04-03 |
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The Donor | Mrs. Springle | 2001-04-13 |
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Soulkeeper | Martha la Magnifica | 2001-10-13 |
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Gypsy 83 | Bambi LeBleau | 2001-10-18 |
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Plotting 'Family Plot' | Self | 2001-03-06 |
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The Independent | Karen Black | 2000-11-10 |
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Oliver Twisted | Mrs. Mary Happ | 2000-01-01 |
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Red Dirt | Aunt Summer | 2000-03-17 |
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Fallen Arches | Lucy Romano | 2000-01-15 |
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Altman on His Own Terms | Self | 2000-01-01 |
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The Underground Comedy Movie | Mother | 1999-05-14 |
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Conceiving Ada | Lady Byron / Mother Coer | 1999-02-19 |
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Mascara | Aunt Eloise | 1999-05-07 |
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Karen Black: Actress at Work | Self | 1999-01-01 |
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Paradise Cove | Ma | 1999-01-01 |
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Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage | Self | 1999-10-07 |
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Angel Blue | Social Worker | 1998-11-15 |
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I Woke Up Early the Day I Died | Whip Lady | 1998-09-13 |
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Light Speed | High Priestess | 1998-01-01 |
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Malaika | Jessica Martin | 1998-01-01 |
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Charades | Jude | 1998-12-17 |
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Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs | Self | 1998-01-01 |
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Invisible Dad | Courtney Whitmer | 1998-03-24 |
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Bury the Evidence | The Mother | 1998-12-12 |
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Men | Alex | 1997-10-23 |
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Dogtown | Rose Van Horn | 1997-04-06 |
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Stir | Dr. Gabrielle Kessler | 1997-07-01 |
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Who Is Henry Jaglom? | Self | 1997-07-08 |
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Un angelo a New York | Mrs. Tender | 1996-12-12 |
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Cries of Silence | Rose Walsh | 1996-05-01 |
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Crimetime | Millicent | 1996-08-01 |
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Every Minute Is Goodbye | 1996-01-01 | |
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Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering | June Rhodes | 1996-10-08 |
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The Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley | Evelyn | 1995-03-01 |
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Starstruck | Bertha | 1995-01-01 |
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Plan 10 from Outer Space | Nehor | 1995-02-23 |
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Dinosaur Valley Girls | Ro-Kell | 1995-01-01 |
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Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue! | 1994-01-01 | |
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The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black: Teather Penumbra | 1994-10-10 | |
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Too Bad About Jack | 1994-01-01 | |
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Legend of The Roller Blade Seven | Tarot | 1993-06-25 |
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The Trust | Maria Vandermeer | 1993-04-23 |
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Return of the Roller Blade Seven | Tarot | 1993-04-15 |
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Bound and Gagged: A Love Story | Carla | 1993-10-22 |
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Judgement | Tiffany Powers | 1992-08-05 |
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The Player | Karen Black | 1992-05-08 |
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Auntie Lee's Meat Pies | Auntie Lee | 1992-10-21 |
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Dead Girls Don't Tango | Insp. Wilson | 1992-03-06 |
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Rubin & Ed | Rula | 1992-05-15 |
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Final Judgement | Mrs. Sorrel | 1992-06-01 |
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Tuesday Never Comes | Michelle | 1992-05-17 |
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The Double 0 Kid | Mrs. Elliot | 1992-09-07 |
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The Roller Blade Seven | Tarot | 1991-09-06 |
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Caged Fear | Blanche | 1991-05-17 |
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Blood Money | Barrett | 1991-04-12 |
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Quiet Fire | Kim Martino | 1991-10-31 |
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Ralph S. Mouse | Miss Kuchenbacker | 1991-02-16 |
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Children of the Night | Karen Thompson | 1991-09-06 |
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Evil Spirits | Ella Purdy | 1991-10-03 |
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Haunting Fear | Dr. Julia Harcourt | 1990-08-01 |
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Night Angel | Rita | 1990-06-02 |
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Zapped Again! | Homeroom Teacher | 1990-04-14 |
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Twisted Justice | Mrs. Granger | 1990-03-20 |
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Fatal Encounter | Joan Caldwell | 1990-01-01 |
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The Children | Sybil Lullmer | 1990-05-18 |
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Mirror Mirror | Susan Gordon | 1990-10-19 |
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Club Fed | Sally Rich | 1990-08-09 |
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Overexposed | Mrs. Trowbridge | 1990-01-01 |
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Homer and Eddie | Belle | 1989-08-17 |
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The Invisible Kid | Mom | 1988-03-30 |
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The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway | Martha Gelhorn | 1988-01-01 |
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Dixie Lanes | Zelma Putnam | 1988-05-03 |
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On the tracks of a filmmaker | Karen Black | 1988-01-01 |
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Out of the Dark | Ruth Wilson | 1988-06-02 |
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The Little Mermaid | Sea Witch | 1987-04-06 |
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Hostage | Laura Lawrence | 1987-10-01 |
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It's Alive III: Island of the Alive | Ellen Jarvis | 1987-05-27 |
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Invaders from Mars | Linda Magnusson | 1986-06-06 |
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Flight of the Spruce Goose | Gloria | 1986-01-17 |
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Martin's Day | Karen | 1985-02-22 |
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Eternal Evil | Janus | 1985-01-04 |
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Inferno in diretta | Karin | 1985-08-08 |
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Savage Dawn | Rachel | 1985-12-21 |
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Bad Manners | Gladys Fitzpatrick | 1984-11-11 |
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Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? | Zee | 1983-09-10 |
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Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean | Joanne | 1982-11-12 |
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The Last Horror Film | Karen Black (uncredited) | 1982-08-12 |
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Miss Right | Amy | 1982-01-01 |
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The Grass Is Singing | Mary Turner | 1981-08-30 |
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Separate Ways | Valentine Colby | 1981-05-01 |
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Chanel Solitaire | Emilienne d'Alençon | 1981-10-16 |
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Where the Ladies Go | Helen | 1980-03-14 |
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Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop | Investigator Evelyn Carter | 1980-04-28 |
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The Last Word | Paula Herbert | 1979-10-10 |
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Mr. Horn | Ernestina Crawford | 1979-02-01 |
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Killer Fish | Kate | 1979-12-07 |
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Because He's My Friend | Anne | 1978-06-11 |
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The Squeeze | Clarisse Saunders | 1978-10-25 |
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In Praise of Older Women | Maya | 1978-09-22 |
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The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver | Miriam Oliver / Sandy | 1977-02-28 |
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Capricorn One | Judy Drinkwater | 1977-12-10 |
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Burnt Offerings | Marian Rolf | 1976-10-18 |
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Family Plot | Fran | 1976-04-09 |
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Ace Up My Sleeve | Susan Winters | 1976-02-06 |
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Nashville | Connie White | 1975-06-11 |
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The Day of the Locust | Faye Greener | 1975-05-07 |
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Trilogy of Terror | Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia | 1975-03-04 |
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Rhinoceros | Daisy | 1974-01-21 |
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Law and Disorder | Gloria | 1974-10-09 |
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The Great Gatsby | Myrtle Wilson | 1974-03-27 |
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Airport 1975 | Nancy Pryor | 1974-10-18 |
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Little Laura and Big John | Laura | 1973-05-03 |
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The Pyx | Elizabeth Lucy | 1973-09-08 |
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The Outfit | Bett Harrow | 1973-10-19 |
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Portnoy's Complaint | Mary Jane Reid a.k.a. Monkey | 1972-06-19 |
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Cisco Pike | Sue | 1972-01-14 |
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A Gunfight | Jenny Simms | 1971-08-25 |
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Drive, He Said | Olive | 1971-06-13 |
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Born to Win | Parm | 1971-12-01 |
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Five Easy Pieces | Rayette Dipesto | 1970-09-12 |
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Easy Rider | Karen | 1969-06-26 |
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Hard Contract | Ellen | 1969-04-30 |
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You're a Big Boy Now | Amy Partlett | 1966-12-09 |
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The Prime Time | Betty | 1960-04-01 |
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George Sluizer - Filmen over grenzen | Self | |
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Vacationland | Louise |
