BENEDICT CANYON —Acclaimed beauty and award winning actress, writer and musician Karen Black who rarely gives interviews spoke candidly this week with Canyon News about her life and career. The actress who calls filmmaker, director and writer Henry Jaglom, someone who is just like a brother to her is currently working on several films, which include “Go Straight to Hell,” “Nothing Special” and “Heated Rivalry.” The beautiful actress once worked with iconic legend Bette Davis. Davis told me several times before she died, how much she loved working with Black, how she and Meryl Streep would become the best actresses of their era. So far Ms. Davis’s intuitions on these two ladies has not been proved wrong.

The Illinois native first made her way to Broadway where she enjoyed very much performing on the stage in front of a live audience. Black’s Broadway debut in 1965's "The Playroom," which ran less than a month but set her on the path for a successful life and career. She received great reviews, however, and was nominated for a Drama Circle Critics Award for Best Actress. The actress also attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., for two years before moving to New York, where she studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio and appeared in a number of Off-Broadway productions.

Her career quickly veered away from the structure of the stage and the disciplined thespian was thrust into the limelight and the fast-moving movie-making world when in 1968 she starred with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in “Easy Rider.” Black tells Canyon News, “It was a surprising thing for a young girl who had been on the stage and had done some episodic television work. I had no idea when I started acting on the stage that I’d be doing movies, though I also did not have any doubts in my mind that I would succeed at my craft.” When I asked Karen if the filming was as fast and neurotic as the film was, she laughed and said, “Of course. I don’t think while I was doing the film that I had a clue how much of a cult classic it would later become. I knew it the next year when it was getting so many awards and raves, but not while I was making the film.” The film would receive two Oscar nominations, another 10 wins and 10 more nominations.

Just one year later Karen Black was officially a movie star and a famous person, but still fighting to maintain the status of a working actress, which meant more to her than all of her fame. “Five Easy Pieces” was the vehicle that would garner her an Oscar nomination and her first of two Golden Globe awards. This film put her solidly up against one of Hollywood’s greatest leading men, Jack Nicholson and Karen never slowed down from that moment on. The woman has consistently worked since moving from New York City to Hollywood. Black says, “I was never sure if it was a great idea to give up my stage work, which I loved and to move to Hollywood and become a movie actress. I still wonder about that decision.” Fans and critics would highly disagree with Black and agree that it was the best thing for the industry that we gained a bright and talented actress of her caliber in movie land.

In 1974 Black joined writer Francis Ford Coppola and director Jack Clayton in another critically acclaimed film, “The Great Gatsby.” In this film Black would work opposite huge stars like Robert Redford, Mia Farrow and Bruce Dern. She stole the picture by most assessments, she also impressed the Hollywood foreign press voters and took home her second Golden Globe in 1975 for Best Supporting Actress.

Just one year later, Karen would be nominated for her Best Lead Actress Golden Globe for “The Day of the Locust.” This film put her in the league with greats like Donald Sutherland, Geraldine Page and Burgess Meredith. Fans fell in love with Black that same year in “Trilogy of Terror,” which proved she had range as an actress and Dan Curtis would remember her always for her chilling and brilliant performance in his film.

The following year she would star with the great Bette Davis in “Burnt Offerings” which was again a film she was directed by the legendary horror-thriller icon Dan Curtis.

It was in this 1976 film that I first met Ms. Black and Bette Davis later told me, “Karen Black and Meryl Streep are real actresses. You will see that these two dames will be remembered for their work. Karen has a great work ethic, she works harder than most of the dames I see in the business today.” Karen was grateful for those words when we recently sat down and chatted for hours. She had always admired Bette Davis and knew that at this point in Ms. Davis’s career that she was struggling both creatively and physically and her time on the set with Bette was genuinely a learning experience for the beauty.  Black does admit, "Bette and I enjoyed commiserating on gossip.  She was very aware of everything and every rumor going around in Hollywood," said Black.

Black seemed genuinely stunned and honored that I expressed how many male fans she has that consider her one of the world’s true beauties. The extremely modest, exotic and elegant lady is often the one expressing positive ideas and words to many that she interacts with. Tanna Frederick told Canyon News, “I was so in awe of her when I got to work with her in “Irene in Time.’ Seeing her every day so professional and so good at what she does, I could see how Henry [Jaglom] was so proud and impressed by her as an actress.” Karen Black tells Canyon News, “I love the experiences I have had working with Henry. He is like a brother to me. I think he’s very talented and we get along quite well, which is why he probably casts me in some of his films.” Where Black really shines is as the mother of the character played by actress Kelly DeSarla in “Irene in Time.” She shines through and becomes the character that is needed in the storyline. That’s how Black has seemingly been able to devour and conquer every role she’s ever played. A famous director once said, she was never miscast in a role. She becomes the character every time.

When asked if she thought it was once tougher for women in the industry or is it easier today, Black laughed and said, “Tommy, I really never look at things that way. Sure there are challenges but aren’t there challenges for everyone in this industry? I suppose I believe that I can accomplish anything if I put my mind to it,” said Karen. She’s accomplished quite a lot. One of the things she’s very proud of is her work as a director and playwright. She also has written songs and was nominated for a Grammy award in 1976 for a song from the film Nashville,” which starred the beauty opposite such stars as David Arken, Barbara Baxley, Ned Beatty and Keith Carradine. Black has racked up over twenty acting awards and been nominated for twenty three more.

She finds time today to be an inspiration to others. Knowing that my brother was sick, she spent hours of her time to look up and research some remedies online and she also told me something I will take with me forever. I told her that I was one day going to work with her and have a scene with her in a movie someday. Karen looked at me straight in the eyes and concluded, “Tommy, I want that too. You have - the fire.” Karen Black also has the fire. She has the acting credentials to back up her work, she is known as a low-key actress on her movie sets, but always prepared and ready to give it all in her performances. To take a look at a montage of Ms. Black’s amazing career and just clips of 100 of her films, which makes her one of the most prolific actors alongside Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn and Boris Karloff. Here’s the clip: YouTube - Karen Black film montage. Karen Black and her movie mogul husband Stephen Eckelberry have one child and live in Los Angeles.