Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American stage and screen actress known for her roles in the films The Hustler (1961), Carrie (1976), and Children of a Lesser God (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award nominations. She is also known for her performances as Kirsten Arnesen in the original TV production of Days of Wine and Roses, and as Catherine Martell in the cult television series Twin Peaks, for which she won a Golden Globe Award in 1991. As of 2020, her acting career has spanned nearly 70 years.

Piper Laurie
Laurie publicity photo in 1951
Born	Rosetta Jacobs (1932-01-22) January 22, 1932 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1950–present
Notable work	The Hustler (1961) Carrie (1976) Children of a Lesser God (1986) The Grass Harp (1995)
Television	Twin Peaks
Spouse(s)	Joe Morgenstern ​ ( m. 1962; div. 1982)
Children	Anna Grace Morgenstern
Parent(s)	Alfred Jacobs (father) Charlotte Sadie Alperin (mother)
Relatives	Sherrye Jacobs (sister)

Early life

Piper Laurie was born Rosetta Jacobs on January 22, 1932, in Detroit, Michigan. She was the younger daughter of Charlotte Sadie (née Alperin) and Alfred Jacobs, a furniture dealer.[1] Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Poland on her father's side and Russia on her mother's.[2][3][4]

She was delivered, according to her 2011 autobiography Learning to Live Out Loud, where she lived in a one-bedroom walk-up on Tyler Street in Detroit.[5] Alfred Jacobs moved the family to Los Angeles, California in 1938, where she attended Hebrew school. To combat her shyness, her parents provided her with weekly elocution lessons; this eventually led to minor roles at nearby Universal Studios.[2] For much of her early childhood, her parents placed Laurie and her older sister in a children's home, which they both despised.[6]

Career

In 1949, Rosetta Jacobs signed a contract with Universal Studios, and changed her screen name to Piper Laurie, which she has used since then. Among the actors she met at Universal were James Best, Julie Adams, Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson.[7] Her breakout role was in Louisa, with Ronald Reagan, whom she dated a few times before his marriage to Nancy Davis. In her autobiography, she claimed that she lost her virginity to him. Several other roles followed: Francis Goes to the Races (1951, co-starring Donald O'Connor);[8] Son of Ali Baba (1951, co-starring Tony Curtis);[9] and Ain't Misbehavin' (1955, co-starring Rory Calhoun).[10]

To enhance her image, Universal Studios told gossip columnists that Laurie bathed in milk and ate flower petals to protect her luminous skin.[11] Discouraged by the lack of substantial film roles,[12] she moved to New York to study acting and to seek work on the stage and in television.[11] She appeared in Twelfth Night, produced by Hallmark Hall of Fame;[13] in Days of Wine and Roses with Cliff Robertson, presented by Playhouse 90 on October 2, 1958[14] (in the film version, their roles were taken over by Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick);[15] and in Winterset, presented by Playhouse 90 in 1959.[16]

Laurie in 1951

She was again lured to Hollywood by the offer to co-star with Paul Newman in The Hustler, which was released in 1961. She played Newman's girlfriend, Sarah Packard, and for her performance she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.[11] Substantial movie roles did not come her way after The Hustler, so she and her husband moved to New York. In 1964, she appeared in two medical dramas — as Alicia Carter in The Eleventh Hour episode "My Door Is Locked and Bolted",[17] and as Alice Marin in the Breaking Point episode "The Summer House".[18] In 1965, she starred in a Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, opposite Maureen Stapleton, Pat Hingle, and George Grizzard.[19]

Laurie did not appear in another feature film until she accepted the role of Margaret White in the horror film Carrie (1976). She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in that role, and it, along with the commercial success of the film, relaunched her career.[20] Her co-star, Sissy Spacek, praised her acting skill: "She is a remarkable actress. She never does what you expect her to do—she always surprises you with her approach to a scene."[21]

In 1979, she appeared as Mary Horton in the Australian movie Tim opposite Mel Gibson.[22] After her 1981 divorce, Laurie relocated to California.[6] She received a third Oscar nomination for her portrayal of "Mrs. Norman" in Children of a Lesser God (1986).[23] That same year, she was awarded an Emmy for her performance in Promise, a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" television movie, co-starring James Garner and James Woods.[24] She had a featured role in the Off-Broadway production of The Destiny of Me in 1992,[25] and returned to Broadway for Lincoln Center's acclaimed 2002 revival of Paul Osborn's Morning's at Seven, with Julie Hagerty, Buck Henry, Frances Sternhagen and Estelle Parsons.[26]

In 1990-1991, she starred as the devious Catherine Martell in David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks.[11] She also appeared in Other People's Money with Gregory Peck (1991),[27] and in horror maestro Dario Argento's first American film, Trauma (1993).[28] She played George Clooney's character's mother on ER.[6] In 1997, she appeared in the film A Christmas Memory with Patty Duke (then known as Patty Duke Astin),[29] and in 1998, she appeared in the sci-fi thriller The Faculty.[30] She made guest appearances on television shows such as Frasier,[6] Matlock,[31] State of Grace,[31] and Will & Grace.[31] Laurie also appeared in Cold Case and in a 2001 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit entitled "Care", in which she played an adoptive mother, and foster grandmother, who killed one of the foster granddaughters in her daughter's charge, and who abused her adoptive son and foster grandchildren.[31]

She returned to the big screen for independent films, such as Eulogy (2004) and The Dead Girl (2006), opposite actress Toni Collette.[31] In 2018, she had a supporting role in White Boy Rick as the grandmother of the title character.

Personal life

Laurie married once, to New York Herald Tribune entertainment writer Joe Morgenstern. They met shortly after the release of The Hustler in 1961 when Morgenstern interviewed her during the film's promotion. They soon began dating, and nine months after the interview, they were married on January 21, 1962. When no substantial roles came her way after The Hustler, she and Morgenstern relocated to Woodstock, New York. In 1971, they adopted a daughter, Anne Grace Morgenstern. In 1982, the couple divorced, after which she relocated to the Hollywood area and continued working in films and television.[11] In 1962 she was Harvard’s "Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year," and in 2000 she received "The Spirit of Hope Award" in Korea for her service during the Korean War. Laurie is a sculptor working in marble and clay and exhibits her work.[30]

She appeared at the September 2014 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland.[32]

Awards

Laurie won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role in the 1986 TV movie Promise, opposite James Garner and James Woods.[30] In addition, she received several Emmy nominations, including one for playing Magda Goebbels, wife of Joseph Goebbels, in The Bunker, opposite Anthony Hopkins as Hitler; and for her role in the miniseries, The Thorn Birds,[33] two nominations for her work in Twin Peaks,[30] as Catherine Martell, and a nomination for her guest appearance on Frasier.[30] She has been nominated for an Academy Award for her performances in three films.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1950	Louisa	Cathy Norton
	The Milkman	Chris Abbott
1951	Francis Goes to the Races	Frances Travers
	The Prince Who Was a Thief	Tina
1952	Has Anybody Seen My Gal?	Millicent Blaisdell
	Son of Ali Baba	Princess Azura of Fez / Kiki
	No Room for the Groom	Lee Kingshead
1953	The Golden Blade	Khairuzan
	The Mississippi Gambler	Angelique "Leia" Dureau
1954	Johnny Dark	Liz Fielding
	Dangerous Mission	Louise Graham
	Dawn at Socorro	Dance Hall Girl
1955	Ain't Misbehavin'	Sarah Bernhardt Hatfield
	Smoke Signal	Laura Evans
1957	Until They Sail	Delia Leslie Friskett
1961	The Hustler	Sarah Packard	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated—Golden Laurel Award for Top Female Dramatic Performance (2nd Place) Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (3rd Place)
1976	Carrie	Margaret White	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1977	Ruby	Ruby Claire
1978	Rainbow	Ethel Gumm
1979	Tim	Mary Horton
1981	The Bunker	Magda Goebbels
1985	Return to Oz	Aunt Em
1986	Children of a Lesser God	Mrs. Norman	Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
	Promise	Annie Gilbert	Television movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1988	Appointment with Death	Emily Boynton
	Tiger Warsaw	Frances Warsaw
1989	Dream a Little Dream	Gena Ettinger
1991	Other People's Money	Bea Sullivan
1992	Storyville	Constance Fowler
1993	Wrestling Ernest Hemingway	Georgia
	Trauma	Adriana Petrescu
	Lies and Lullabies	Margaret Kinsey	Television movie
1995	The Grass Harp	Dolly Talbo	Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
	Fighting For My Daughter	Judge Edna Burton	Television movie
1997	A Christmas Memory	Jennie
1998	The Faculty	Mrs. Olson
2004	Eulogy	Charlotte Collins
2007	Hounddog	Grammie
2009	Another Harvest Moon	June
2010	Hesher	Madeleine Forney
2018	White Boy Rick	Vera Wershe
	Snapshots	Rose Muller

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1958	Days of Wine and Roses	Kirsten Arnesen	Playhouse 90
1960–1963	The United States Steel Hour	Edna Cartey	2 episodes
	Naked City	Mary Highmark	Episode: "Howard Running Bear Is a Turtle"
1980	Skag	Jo Skagska	6 episodes
1983	The Thorn Birds	Anne Mueller	3 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
	St. Elsewhere	Fran Singleton	3 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1985	Murder, She Wrote	Peggy Shannon	Episode: "Murder at the Oasis"
	Hotel	Jessica	Episode: "Illusions"
	The Twilight Zone	Aunt Neva	Episode: "The Burning Man"
1986	Matlock	Claire Leigh	Episode: "The Judge"
1989	Beauty and the Beast	Mrs. Davis	Episode: "A Gentle Rain"
1990–1991	Twin Peaks	Catherine Martell / Mr. Tojamura (credited as Fumio Yamaguchi)	27 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1990) Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1991) Nominated—Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Actress : Prime Time (1991, 1992)
1994	Traps	Cora Trapchek	5 episodes
	Frasier	Marianne	Episode: "Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast"
1995–1996	ER	Sarah Ross	2 episodes
	Diagnosis Murder	A.D.A. Susan Turner	Episode: "The ABC's of Murder"
1997	Touched by an Angel	Annie Doyle	Episode: "Venice"
1999	Frasier	Mrs. Mulhern	Episode: "Dr. Nora" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
2000	Will & Grace	Sharon	Episode: "There But for the Grace of Grace"
	Possessed	Aunt Hanna	TV film
2001	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Dorothy Rudd	Episode: "Care"
2004	Dead Like Me	Nina Rommey	Episode: "Forget Me Not"
2005	Cold Case	Rose 2005	Episode: "Best Friends"
2018	MacGyver	Edith	Episode: "Skyscraper - Power"

References

1. "Piper Laurie Biography". filmreference. 2008. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
2. Richard G. Hubler (June 20, 1953). "Article From Colliers Magazine". Colliers. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
3. Piper Laurie profile at Yahoo!
4. Deseretnews.com
5. Laurie, Piper (2011). Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir. New York: Crown Archetype. p. 357. ISBN 9780823026685.
6. "Why I had to reject Hollywood". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
7. "'Julie Adams at 85'". Great Entertainers Archives.com. April 9, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
8. "Francis Goes to the Races". Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide. Turner Entertainment Networks. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
9. "Son of Ali Baba". Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide. Turner Entertainment Networks. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
10. "Ain't Misbehavin". Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide. Turner Entertainment Networks. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
11. "Playing One of the Kinkiest Villains Ever Seen on TV, Piper Laurie Reaches Another Acting Crest in Twin Peaks". Time Inc. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
12. IMDb reports that in 1955, when she received another script for a Western and "another silly part in a silly movie", she burned the script and called her agent, saying she did not care if they fired her, jailed her, or sued her.
13. "Twelfth Night". Turner Entertainment Networks. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
14. O'Connor, John J. (November 27, 1983). "Home Video: New Cassettes of Old Favorites". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
15. "Days of Wine and Roses". Turner Entertainment Networks. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
16. "Winterset". Turner Entertainment Networks. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
17. "Watch The Eleventh Hour". TV Guide / CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
18. "Breaking Point 1963-64". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
19. "The Glass Menagerie". Playbill Inc. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
20. "Tinseltown Talks: Piper Laurie goes from Gipper to Carrie". Thde Oakland Press. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
21. Dick Kleiner, Brownwood Bulletin, May 16, 1976, p. 33
22. "'TIM,' A ROMANTIC DRAMA FROM AUSTRALIA". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
23. Sherrod, Kerryn. "Children Of A Lesser God". Turner Classic Movies Database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
24. Roberts, Jerry (June 5, 2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Laanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Books/Google Books. p. 862. ISBN 9780810861381.
25. "The Destiny of Me; Larry Kramer Tells His Own Anguished Story". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
26. "Wry Smiles At the Pitfalls Of Closeness". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
27. "DeVito is low and delicious in 'Other People's Money'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
28. "TLA Video & DVD Guide 2005: The Discerning Film Lover's Guide". St. Martin's Griffin / Google Books. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
29. "A Christmas Memory (1997)". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
30. "Piper Laurie". Full Moon Films. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
31. "Piper Laurie List of Movies". CBS Interactive / TV Guide. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
32. MidAtlanticNostalgiaConvention.com
33. "Overview for Piper Laurie". Turner Entertainment Network. Retrieved December 31, 2015.

External links

• Piper Laurie on IMDb
• Piper Laurie at the Internet Broadway Database
• Piper Laurie at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Piper Laurie at Virtual History
• Interview with Piper Laurie, August 25, 2014, Classic Film & TV Cafe
• Piper Laurie at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
• – Interview with Piper Laurie. The Spectrum, January, 2016.