Karen Black

Karen Black was an American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter, born July 1, 1939 in Park Ridge, Illinois, USA, died August 8, 2013 in Santa Monica, California, USA. Some of her best movie work came early in her career, when she was in a gang around - among others - up-and-coming actors Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro (and his then girlfriend Jennifer Salt), established actor/directors Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper (2) and movie director Bob Rafelson, in whose 1970 movie 'Five Easy Pieces' she and Nicholson starred in. She also appeared in Nicholson's 1971 directorial debut, 'Drive, He Said'. Before that she'd been in the emblematic Hopper / Fonda classic 'Easy Rider' (1969). For more on her and the others in the late 60s, early 70s "New Hollywood", check out the 2003 documentary ' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood'.

She was (in)famous for her many horror movies throughout her career, possibly due to her early success in Dan Curtis' 1973 TV movie 'Trilogy of Terror', an anthology where she played three very different characters.