Karen Black
Acting
206
Acting Credits
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
Filmography
Airports
2025
Deadly Dolls: Deepest Cuts
2018
as (archive footage)
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
2015
as Self (archive footage)
Bottomless Pit
2015
as Karen Black
Wild in Blue
2014
as Justine
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
2014
as Linda Magnusson (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ooga Booga
2013
as Mrs. Allardyce
She Loves Me Not
2013
as Karla
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
2013
as Self (archive footage)
Maria My Love
2012
as Maria
Mommy's Little Monster
2012
as Mrs. Melnick
Hawk Warrior of the Wheelzone
2012
as Tarot
OowieWanna
2012
as The Donna
Dark Blood
2012
as Motel Woman
Some Guy Who Kills People
2011
as Ruth Boyd
Letters from the Big Man
2011
as Sean's Colleague
Nothing Special
2010
as May
BBStory: An American Film Renaissance
2010
as Self
Henry Jaglom Finds 'A Safe Place'
2010
as Self
Stuck!
2009
as The Neighbor Lady
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
2009
as Self
Irene in Time
2009
as Sheila Shivvers
Wamego: Ultimatum
2009
as Self
Repo Chick
2009
as Aunt De La Chasse
Double Duty
2009
as Annabelle
Meet the Eye
2009
Contamination
2008
as Mavis
A Single Woman
2008
as Storyteller
Watercolors
2008
as Mrs. Martin
The Blue Tooth Virgin
2008
as Zena
One Long Night
2007
as Barbara
Suffering Man's Charity
2007
as Renee
Hollywood Dreams
2007
as Luna
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
2007
as Jennifer
Wanderlust
2006
as Herself
Read You Like a Book
2006
as Kate
Whitepaddy
2006
as Mrs. Leider
Firecracker
2005
as Sandra / Eleanor
America Brown
2005
as Marianne Brown
Dr. Rage
2005
as Molly
Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula
2005
as Agrippina
Crazy for Love
2005
as Grace's Mom
WAMEGO: Making Movies Anywhere
2004
as Self
Jack Nicholson: The Joker Is Wild
2004
as Self
House of 1000 Corpses
2003
as Mother Firefly
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
2003
as Self
Paris
2003
as Chantelle
Harold Buttleman: Daredevil Stuntman
2003
as Mrs. Buttleman
Russians in the City of Angels
2003
as Patricia Sommers
Curse of the Forty-Niner
2002
as Aunt Nelly
Teknolust
2002
as Dirty Dick
Best of Tromadance Film Festival: Volume 1
2002
as ("Los Vampirios Moronious" short)
A Light in the Darkness
2002
as Mrs. Melnick
Gypsy 83
2001
as Bambi LeBleau
Soulkeeper
2001
as Martha la Magnifica
Plotting 'Family Plot'
2001
as Self
The Donor
2001
as Mrs. Springle
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
as Vera Morgan
Red Dirt
2000
as Aunt Summer
Fallen Arches
2000
as Lucy Romano
The Independent
2000
as Karen Black
Oliver Twisted
2000
as Mrs. Mary Happ
Altman on His Own Terms
2000
as Self
Conceiving Ada
1999
as Lady Byron / Mother Coer
Mascara
1999
as Aunt Eloise
The Underground Comedy Movie
1999
as Mother
Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage
1999
as Self
Paradise Cove
1999
as Ma
Karen Black: Actress at Work
1999
as Self
Malaika
1998
as Jessica Martin
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died
1998
as Whip Lady
Invisible Dad
1998
as Courtney Whitmer
Bury the Evidence
1998
as The Mother
Light Speed
1998
as High Priestess
Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs
1998
as Self
Charades
1998
as Jude
Angel Blue
1998
as Social Worker
Men
1997
as Alex
Dogtown
1997
as Rose Van Horn
Stir
1997
as Dr. Gabrielle Kessler
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
1997
as Self
The Hunger
1997
as Miss Gati / Landlady
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering
1996
as June Rhodes
New York Crossing
1996
as Mrs. Tender
Crimetime
1996
as Millicent
Cries of Silence
1996
as Rose Walsh
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
Profiler
1996
as Evie Long
Dinosaur Valley Girls
1995
as Ro-Kell
Plan 10 from Outer Space
1995
as Nehor
Starstruck
1995
as Bertha
The Wacky Adventures of Dr. Boris and Nurse Shirley
1995
as Evelyn
The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black: Teather Penumbra
1994
Too Bad About Jack
1994
Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue!
1994
Party of Five
1994
as Doreen Jablonsky
Bound and Gagged: A Love Story
1993
as Carla
Return of the Roller Blade Seven
1993
as Tarot
Legend of The Roller Blade Seven
1993
as Tarot
The Trust
1993
as Maria Vandermeer
Moon Over Miami
1993
Tales of the City
1993
as Self
The Player
1992
as Karen Black
Rubin & Ed
1992
as Rula
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies
1992
as Auntie Lee
Judgement
1992
as Tiffany Powers
The Double 0 Kid
1992
as Mrs. Elliot
Final Judgement
1992
as Mrs. Sorrel
Tuesday Never Comes
1992
as Michelle
Dead Girls Don't Tango
1992
as Insp. Wilson
Evil Spirits
1991
as Ella Purdy
Children of the Night
1991
as Karen Thompson
The Roller Blade Seven
1991
as Tarot
Blood Money
1991
as Barrett
Quiet Fire
1991
as Kim Martino
Caged Fear
1991
as Blanche
Ralph S. Mouse
1991
as Miss Kuchenbacker
Haunting Fear
1990
as Dr. Julia Harcourt
Night Angel
1990
as Rita
Mirror Mirror
1990
as Susan Gordon
Overexposed
1990
as Mrs. Trowbridge
Club Fed
1990
as Sally Rich
Zapped Again!
1990
as Homeroom Teacher
Twisted Justice
1990
as Mrs. Granger
The Children
1990
as Sybil Lullmer
Fatal Encounter
1990
as Joan Caldwell
Homer and Eddie
1989
as Belle
Out of the Dark
1988
as Ruth Wilson
The Invisible Kid
1988
as Mom
The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway
1988
as Martha Gelhorn
Dixie Lanes
1988
as Zelma Putnam
On the tracks of a filmmaker
1988
as Karen Black
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive
1987
as Ellen Jarvis
Hostage
1987
as Laura Lawrence
The Little Mermaid
1987
as Sea Witch
Invaders from Mars
1986
as Linda Magnusson
Flight of the Spruce Goose
1986
as Gloria
Worlds Beyond
1986
as Lee Jeffreys
Cut and Run
1985
as Karin
Savage Dawn
1985
as Rachel
Eternal Evil
1985
as Janus
Martin's Day
1985
as Karen
Bad Manners
1984
as Gladys Fitzpatrick
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Dr. Sylvia Dunn
Miami Vice
1984
as Helen Jackson
E/R
1984
Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?
1983
as Zee
The Hitchhiker
1983
as Kay Mason
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
1982
as Joanne
Miss Right
1982
as Amy
The Last Horror Film
1982
as Karen Black (uncredited)
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Guest Interviewee
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Sea Witch
Separate Ways
1981
as Valentine Colby
The Grass Is Singing
1981
as Mary Turner
Chanel Solitaire
1981
as Emilienne d'Alençon
Where the Ladies Go
1980
as Helen
Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop
1980
as Investigator Evelyn Carter
Power
1980
as Rose Vanda-Buchanan
Killer Fish
1979
as Kate
The Last Word
1979
as Paula Herbert
Mr. Horn
1979
as Ernestina Crawford
In Praise of Older Women
1978
as Maya
The Squeeze
1978
as Clarisse Saunders
Because He's My Friend
1978
as Anne
The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver
1977
as Miriam Oliver / Sandy
Capricorn One
1977
as Judy Drinkwater
Family Plot
1976
as Fran
Burnt Offerings
1976
as Marian Rolf
Crime and Passion
1976
as Susan Winters
Nashville
1975
as Connie White
The Day of the Locust
1975
as Faye Greener
Trilogy of Terror
1975
as Julie / Millicent Larimore / Therese Larimore / Amelia
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Host
People's Choice Awards
1975
as Self
The Great Gatsby
1974
as Myrtle Wilson
Airport 1975
1974
as Nancy Pryor
Law and Disorder
1974
as Gloria
Rhinoceros
1974
as Daisy
Little Laura and Big John
1973
as Laura
The Outfit
1973
as Bett Harrow
The Pyx
1973
as Elizabeth Lucy
Police Story
1973
as Office Evelyn Carter
Portnoy's Complaint
1972
as Mary Jane Reid a.k.a. Monkey
Ghost Story
1972
as Barbara Sanders
Born to Win
1971
as Parm
A Gunfight
1971
as Jenny Simms
Cisco Pike
1971
as Sue
Drive, He Said
1971
as Olive
Five Easy Pieces
1970
as Rayette Dipesto
Hard Contract
1969
as Ellen
Easy Rider
1969
as Karen
Adam-12
1968
as Susan Decker
The Name of the Game
1968
as Monica Garrison
Mannix
1967
Judd for the Defense
1967
The Carol Burnett Show
1967
as Self - Guest / Various Characters
The Invaders
1967
as Claudia Stone
The Second Hundred Years
1967
as Marcia
You're a Big Boy Now
1966
as Amy Partlett
The F.B.I.
1965
as Lorraine Chapman
Run for Your Life
1965
as Jennifer Palmer
The Big Valley
1965
as Carla
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
The Prime Time
1960
as Betty