Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Karen Black (born July 1, 1945) is an United
States|American actor|actress, screenwriter,
singer and songwriter.

She was born Karen Blanche Ziegler in Park Ridge,
Illinois|Park Ridge, Illinois, the daughter of
Norman Ziegler and Elsie Reif. She attended
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for
two years.

Black then went to New York City|New York. She
studied drama with Lee Strasberg and appeared in a
number of Off-Broadway productions. She was an
understudy in the Broadway theatre|Broadway stage
play|play Take Her, She's Mine (1961), and debuted
in The Playroom (1965), which she received good
reviews for.

Her film debut was in The Prime Time (1960 in
film|1960). Her first big role was as Amy Partlett
in You're a Big Boy Now (1966 in film|1966), which
was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starred
Elizabeth Hartman and Geraldine Page. Black became
a movie star|star with her role as Karen in Easy
Rider (1969 in film|1969). She has over 100 film
performances to her credit, including her role as
Fran in Alfred Hitchcock|Hitchcock's Family Plot
(1976 in film|1976).

Black received an Academy Award nomination for
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best
Supporting Actress for her role as Rayette Dipesto
in Five Easy Pieces (1970 in film|1970).

She won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress
for Five Easy Piece's, and she won a Golden Globe
for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture for
her role as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby
(1974 in film|1974). She was nominated for Best
Motion Picture Actress - Drama for her role as
Faye Greener in The Day of the Locust (1975 in
film|1975).

She was also nominated for a Grammy Award for
Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion
Picture or Television Series for the film
Nashville (1975 movie)|Nashville (1975 in
film|1975).

She became involved with Scientology in about
1978, but has since denounced the controversial
self-help organization.

Black has had two husbands, screenwriter Kit
Carson (divorced), and film editor Stephen
Eckelberry (married 1987-present). She and Carson
have one son, Hunter Carson (born December 25,
1975); and she and Eckelberry adopted one daughter
at three months of age, Celine Eckelberry (born
December 1987).

She also appeared on the television program|TV
series The Hundred Years (1967 in television|1967)
as Marcia Garroway. And she has made a number of
guest starring appearances on popular shows,
including The Big Valley, Mannix, Adam-12,
Saturday Night Live, Murder, She Wrote and Law &
Order: Criminal Intent.

In March 2005, Karen Black received the Best
Actress Award at the Fantasporto International
Film Festival in Porto, Portugal, for her work in
the film Firecracker (2004 film)|Firecracker (2004
in film|2004), in which she plays two roles,
Sandra and Eleanor. She and actor John Hurt were
both presented with Career Achievement Awards as
well.

==External links==
*http://www.karenblack.net/ Official Karen Black
Online
*imdb name|id=0000947|name=Karen Black
*ibdb name|id=32165|name=Karen Black