Piper Laurie, 3-Time Oscar Nominee With Film Credits Such As ‘The Hustler’ And ‘Carrie,’ Dies At 91

Early Saturday morning at her residence in Los Angeles, Piper Laurie, the determined Oscar-nominated actor who once renounced acting entirely in pursuit of a “more meaningful” existence, passed away. Laurie had appeared in several critically acclaimed roles. At the time, she was 91.

Marion Rosenberg, Laurie’s manager, emailed The Associated Press that she passed away of old age. Rosenberg described Laurie as “a marvelous human being and a phenomenal artist.”

Laurie, who was initially identified as Rosetta Jacobs upon her 1949 arrival in Hollywood, was immediately offered a contract with Universal-International, a studio she hated, which earned her a series of starring roles alongside, among others, Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis.

Subsequently, in 1986, she was nominated for an Academy Award for the romantic drama “Children of a Lesser God,” the film adaptation of Stephen King’s horror classic “Carrie,” and the 1961 poolroom drama “The Hustler.” She also appeared in several critically acclaimed roles on television and the stage, including the antagonistic Catherine Martell in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” in the 1990s.

At seventeen, Laurie debuted in the film “Louisa” as Reagan’s daughter before appearing in “Francis Goes to the Races” opposite Francis the talking mule. She previously dated Curtis, with whom she collaborated on several films, including “Johnny Dark,” “The Prince Who Was a Thief,” “No Room for the Groom,” and “Son of Ali Baba.”

In 1955, she quit her $ 2,000-per-week job and vowed not to work again unless offered a respectable role.

She relocated to New York, where she secured the theatrical and live television drama roles she desired.

Emmy nominations for her performances in “Days of Wine and Roses,” “The Deaf Heart,” and “The Road That Led After” facilitated her return to the film industry, where she starred in “The Hustler,” an acclaimed production, as Paul Newman’s troubled fiancée.

After that, Laurie turned her back on acting for many years. She wed film critic Joseph Morgenstern, had a daughter named Ann Grace, and relocated to a Woodstock, New York estate. She later explained that the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War influenced her adjustment.

“I was disillusioned and searching for a more meaningful existence,” she recalled, adding that she has never regretted the decision.

She declared, “My life was full,” in 1990. “I have always enjoyed working with my hands, and I have always been an artist.”

Laurie gained recognition for her baking abilities when The New York Times published her recipes.

She participated in a tour of college campuses with a dozen musicians and actors in 1972 to support Sen. George McGovern’s presidential campaign. This was her only performance during that period.

Laurie was finally prepared to resume her acting career when director Brian De Palma contacted her regarding the role of Sissy Spacek’s deranged mother in “Carrie.”

Initially perceiving the script as unsatisfactory, she ultimately resolved to perform the role for amusement purposes. De Palma’s reprimand for imbuing a scene with humor made her realize he intended the film to be a suspense thriller.

“Carrie” was an Academy Award winner that sparked a trend toward films about adolescents in peril, and both Spacek and Laurie received Academy Award nominations.

Reinvigorated by her ambition to perform, Laurie resumed an extensive career spanning decades. She appeared in television series including “Murder, She Wrote,” “Matlock,” and “Frasier,” and on “ER” as the mother of George Clooney.

SOURCE – (AP)