**Karen Black (1939-2013)** was an American actress known for her versatility and complex roles, often in innovative productions and films of the New Hollywood era of the 1970s.

She gained recognition with *Easy Rider* (1969), but her most acclaimed performance was in Bob Rafelson's *Five Easy Pieces* (1970), where she played Rayette Dipesto, earning an Academy Award nomination. She won a Golden Globe for her role as Myrtle Wilson in *The Great Gatsby* (1974) and an additional nomination for playing singer Connie White in Robert Altman's *Nashville* (1975).

Black also worked with Alfred Hitchcock on his final film, *Family Plot* (1976), and excelled in cult horrors like *Trilogy of Terror* (1975). She was praised for her ability to embody characters often vulnerable, eccentric, or on the brink, with an intense and profound acting style that made her a memorable face in cinema.