Karen Black

ActorEditorWriterProducerSound Jul 1 (died age 74) Park Ridge, Illinois, USA 1960–2025 (65 year career)

5.1 avg rating

Biography

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, includin…

Known For

Film

Easy Rider

Karen

Film

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

Self (archive footage)

Film

The Player

Karen Black

Film

House of 1000 Corpses

Mother Firefly

Film

Five Easy Pieces

Rayette Dipesto

Film

Nashville

Connie White

Film

Capricorn One

Judy Drinkwater

Film

Family Plot

Fran

Filmography

Acting (207)

Movies (175)

Airports

2025

Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts

2018

as (archive footage)

5.4

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

2015

as Self (archive footage)

7.6

Bottomless Pit

2015

as Karen Black

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

2014

as Linda Magnusson (archive footage) (uncredited)

Wild in Blue

as Justine

Ooga Booga

as Mrs. Allardyce

She Loves Me Not

as Karla

Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia

2013

as Self (archive footage)

Dark Blood

as Motel Woman

OowieWanna

as The Donna

Maria My Love

as Maria

Mommy's Little Monster

2012

as Mrs. Melnick

3.5

Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone

2012

as Tarot

Letters from the Big Man

2011

as Sean's Colleague

7.2

Some Guy Who Kills People

as Ruth Boyd

Nothing Special

as May

BBStory: An American Film Renaissance

2010

as Self

Henry Jaglom Finds 'A Safe Place'

2010

as Self

Stuck!

as The Neighbor Lady

Repo Chick

as Aunt De La Chasse

Wamego: Ultimatum

as Self

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos

as Self

Irene in Time

as Sheila Shivvers

Double Duty

as Annabelle

Meet the Eye

The Blue Tooth Virgin

as Zena

A Single Woman

as Storyteller

Contamination

as Mavis

Watercolors

as Mrs. Martin

Hollywood Dreams

as Luna

One Long Night

as Barbara

Suffering Man's Charity

as Renee

Whitepaddy

as Mrs. Leider

Wanderlust

as Herself

Read You Like a Book

as Kate

Crazy for Love

as Grace's Mom

Dr. Rage

as Molly

America Brown

as Marianne Brown

Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula

as Agrippina

Firecracker

as Sandra / Eleanor

WAMEGO: Making Movies Anywhere

2004

as Self

Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild

2004

as Self

2.0

House of 1000 Corpses

2003

as Mother Firefly

6.2

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood

as Self

Paris

as Chantelle

Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman

as Mrs. Buttleman

Teknolust

as Dirty Dick

Curse of the Forty-Niner

2002

as Aunt Nelly

4.1

Best of Tromadance Film Festival: Volume 1

2002

as ("Los Vampirios Moronious" short)

A Light in the Darkness

as Mrs. Melnick

The Donor

as Mrs. Springle

Soulkeeper

as Martha la Magnifica

4.9

Plotting 'Family Plot'

as Self

Gypsy 83

as Bambi LeBleau

The Independent

as Karen Black

Red Dirt

as Aunt Summer

Oliver Twisted

as Mrs. Mary Happ

Fallen Arches

as Lucy Romano

Altman on His Own Terms

2000

as Self

Paradise Cove

as Ma

Mascara

as Aunt Eloise

Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage

1999

as Self

7.0

The Underground Comedy Movie

1999

as Mother

2.4

Conceiving Ada

1999

as Lady Byron / Mother Coer

4.3

Karen Black: Actress at Work

1999

as Self

Angel Blue

1998

as Social Worker

3.9

Malaika

1998

as Jessica Martin

Light Speed

as High Priestess

Invisible Dad

as Courtney Whitmer

I Woke Up Early the Day I Died

as Whip Lady

Charades

as Jude

Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs

1998

as Self

3.0

Bury the Evidence

1998

as The Mother

Who Is Henry Jaglom?

as Self

Dogtown

as Rose Van Horn

Stir

as Dr. Gabrielle Kessler

Men

as Alex

Crimetime

as Millicent

Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering

as June Rhodes

Cries of Silence

as Rose Walsh

New York Crossing

as Mrs. Tender

Starstruck

as Bertha

Dinosaur Valley Girls

1995

as Ro-Kell

3.8

The Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley

1995

as Evelyn

Plan 10 from Outer Space

1995

as Nehor

5.9

Too Bad About Jack

1994

Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue!

1994

The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black: Teather Penumbra

1994

Bound and Gagged: A Love Story

1993

as Carla

5.3

The Trust

1993

as Maria Vandermeer

Legend of The Roller Blade Seven

1993

as Tarot

3.8

Return of the Roller Blade Seven

as Tarot

The Player

as Karen Black

Rubin & Ed

as Rula

Judgement

as Tiffany Powers

The Double 0 Kid

as Mrs. Elliot

Dead Girls Don't Tango

1992

as Insp. Wilson

1.0

Auntie Lee's Meat Pies

as Auntie Lee

Final Judgement

as Mrs. Sorrel

Tuesday Never Comes

as Michelle

The Roller Blade Seven

as Tarot

Evil Spirits

as Ella Purdy

Children of the Night

as Karen Thompson

Caged Fear

as Blanche

Quiet Fire

as Kim Martino

Ralph S. Mouse

as Miss Kuchenbacker

Blood Money

as Barrett

Night Angel

as Rita

Zapped Again!

as Homeroom Teacher

Mirror Mirror

as Susan Gordon

Club Fed

as Sally Rich

Twisted Justice

as Mrs. Granger

Haunting Fear

as Dr. Julia Harcourt

4.3

Fatal Encounter

1990

as Joan Caldwell

Overexposed

as Mrs. Trowbridge

The Children

as Sybil Lullmer

Homer and Eddie

as Belle

Out of the Dark

as Ruth Wilson

The Invisible Kid

as Mom

Dixie Lanes

as Zelma Putnam

The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway

1988

as Martha Gelhorn

On the tracks of a filmmaker

1988

as Karen Black

The Little Mermaid

as Sea Witch

Hostage

as Laura Lawrence

It's Alive III: Island of the Alive

as Ellen Jarvis

Invaders from Mars

as Linda Magnusson

Flight of the Spruce Goose

1986

as Gloria

Cut and Run

as Karin

Savage Dawn

as Rachel

Eternal Evil

as Janus

Martin's Day

as Karen

Bad Manners

as Gladys Fitzpatrick

5.6

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?

1983

as Zee

5.6

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

1982

as Joanne

5.9

The Last Horror Film

1982

as Karen Black (uncredited)

Miss Right

as Amy

Chanel Solitaire

as Emilienne d'Alençon

The Grass Is Singing

as Mary Turner

Separate Ways

as Valentine Colby

Where the Ladies Go

as Helen

Power

1980

as Rose Vanda-Buchanan

2.0

Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop

1980

as Investigator Evelyn Carter

Killer Fish

as Kate

The Last Word

as Paula Herbert

Mr. Horn

as Ernestina Crawford

6.0

In Praise of Older Women

as Maya

The Squeeze

as Clarisse Saunders

Because He's My Friend

1978

as Anne

Capricorn One

1977

as Judy Drinkwater

6.8

The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver

1977

as Miriam Oliver / Sandy

Family Plot

as Fran

Burnt Offerings

as Marian Rolf

Crime and Passion

as Susan Winters

The Day of the Locust

as Faye Greener

Nashville

as Connie White

Trilogy of Terror

as Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia

Law and Disorder

as Gloria

The Great Gatsby

as Myrtle Wilson

Airport 1975

as Nancy Pryor

Rhinoceros

as Daisy

The Outfit

as Bett Harrow

The Pyx

as Elizabeth Lucy

Little Laura and Big John

1973

as Laura

3.6

Portnoy's Complaint

1972

as Mary Jane Reid a.k.a. Monkey

Born to Win

as Parm

A Gunfight

as Jenny Simms

Drive, He Said

as Olive

Cisco Pike

as Sue

Five Easy Pieces

as Rayette Dipesto

Easy Rider

as Karen

Hard Contract

as Ellen

You're a Big Boy Now

as Amy Partlett

The Prime Time

as Betty

Every Minute Is Goodbye

Television (32)

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

2007

as Jennifer

7.3

Russians in the City of Angels

2003

as Patricia Sommers

7.8

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

2001

as Vera Morgan

7.6

The Hunger

1997

as Miss Gati / Landlady

6.0

Profiler

1996

as Evie Long

7.0

E! True Hollywood Story

Party of Five

as Doreen Jablonsky

Tales of the City

as Self

Moon Over Miami

Worlds Beyond

as Lee Jeffreys

Murder, She Wrote

as Dr. Sylvia Dunn

Miami Vice

as Helen Jackson

E/R

The Hitchhiker

as Kay Mason

Faerie Tale Theatre

as Guest Interviewee

Saturday Night Live

as Self - Host

People's Choice Awards

1975

as Self

9.0

Police Story

1973

as Office Evelyn Carter

Ghost Story

as Barbara Sanders

Adam-12

as Susan Decker

The Name of the Game

as Monica Garrison

The Carol Burnett Show

1967

as Self - Guest / Various Characters

Mannix

The Invaders

as Claudia Stone

Judd for the Defense

The Second Hundred Years

as Marcia

The F.B.I.

as Lorraine Chapman

The Big Valley

as Carla

Run for Your Life

as Jennifer Palmer

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

as Self

7.4

The Mike Douglas Show

1961

as Self

5.4

Science Fiction Film Awards

as Herself

Crew (8)

Movies (8)

Firecracker

2005

Editorial Consultant

5.8

The Invention of Dr. Morel

2000

Screenplay

Charades

Producer

Charades

Writer

Men

Writer

Plan 10 from Outer Space

1995

Songs

5.9

Nashville

1975

Original Music Composer

7.2

The Pyx

1973

Songs

5.0