Iconic “Twin Peaks” and “Carrie” actress Piper Laurie, famed for playing some truly intimidating female characters, has died. The three-time Oscar-nominated and nine-time Emmy-nominated actress was 91.
Laurie’s manager Marion Rosenberg confirmed the news to Variety. The actress racked up three Oscar nominations in her time – her first as an alcoholic opposite Paul Newman in 1961 classic “The Hustler”.
She landed her second for the memorable role of the unhinged mother of a shy telekinetic girl in the film adaptation of Stephen King’s “Carrie,” and her third for her work in “Children of a Lesser God”.
She was also one of the few who could jump between films and TV without issue, landing two Emmy nominations for her work as the power-hungry Catherine Martell in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks”.
She also scored Emmy noms for her work in the legendary mini-series “The Thorn Birds,” playing Magda Goebbels opposite Anthony Hopkins as Hitler in “The Bunker,” and guest spots on both “Frasier” and “St. Elsewhere”.
She won an Emmy for her work in the 1986 telemovie “Promises” opposite James Woods and James Garner, and regularly appeared as a guest on many 1990s series including “ER,” “Will and Grace” and “Law and Order: SVU”.
Other notable film roles included starring opposite a young Mel Gibson in the latter’s breakout role in the Australian drama feature “Tim,” and as the unkind matriarch and murder victim in Peter Ustinov’s final Poirot film “Appointment With Death”.
She was also Auntie Em in the film that haunted many childhoods “Return to Oz,” and had roles in the Danny DeVito comedy “Other People’s Money,” “The Crossing Guard,” “Wrestling Ernest Hemingway,” “Ruby,” “Storyville,” “The Grass Harp,” “Rainbow,” and “In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan”.
She is survived by a daughter, Anne Grace.
