Piper Laurie Actress Date of Birth: 22.01.1932 Country: USA

Biography of Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie, a renowned actress, was born on January 22, 1932, in Detroit. She grew up as the second of two daughters in a family of a furniture merchant, Alfred Jacobs, and his wife Charlotte Sadie. Like many Hollywood stars, such as Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone, Piper's grandparents, Rosetta Jacobs and her sister, were Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. Piper was a shy child, and in order to overcome this, her parents hired a speech coach for her, with whom she had lessons once a week. She also took acting lessons from Benno and Betomi Schneider for three years and signed a contract with Universal Studios at the age of 17, adopting the stage name Piper Laurie. In later years, she reflected on the impact of her acting career and name change, stating that she couldn't determine whether it brought her more good or harm, especially as she struggled to break away from the image of being a pretty face created by the film company, which spread rumors that she took milk baths and ate rose petals.
Movies with Piper Laurie

Piper gained popularity among audiences with her debut film "Louisa," in which she played the role of Katie Norton. She went on to star in films such as "Francis Goes to the Races," "Son of Ali Baba," and "The Mississippi Gambler." However, one of the most significant films in Piper's career was the sports drama "The Hustler" directed by Robert Rossen, in which she starred alongside Paul Newman, George C. Scott, and Jackie Gleason. The film was nominated for nine Oscars and won two. In 1986, Martin Scorsese made a sequel to this movie called "The Color of Money." Piper also received critical acclaim for her role as Margaret White, the mother of the titular character in Brian De Palma's film adaptation of Stephen King's novel "Carrie." This role earned Piper her first Oscar nomination. She also appeared in the miniseries "Thorn Birds" and starred in the film adaptation of Colin MacCullough's novel "Tim."
Some of Piper's other notable films include the TV series "Twin Peaks" and "ER," as well as the cult horror film "The Faculty." In "Twin Peaks," she portrayed the character of Catherine Martell, and in "ER," she played the mother of George Clooney's character, Dr. Doug Ross. Later in her career, at the age of 86, Piper played the lead role in the feature film "Snapshots," where her character shared the same name as Piper herself in her youth and the same surname as her character in "Thorn Birds."
Personal Life

Many aspects of Piper's personal life are known through her memoir, "Learning to Live Out Loud," published in 2011. In her youth, Piper had a romance with Gerard David Shine, an assistant to the controversial Senator Joseph McCarthy. She lost her virginity at the age of 17 to Ronald Reagan, with whom she co-starred in the comedy film "Louisa." Piper played the daughter of his character, Hal Norton, in the movie. Despite their significant age difference of a quarter century, Piper had a passionate on-screen love affair with Mel Gibson in the film "Tim" and also had one passionate night together off-screen for a more convincing performance. However, Piper's only marriage was to writer, journalist, and film critic Joe Morgenstern, who was her contemporary. They met when Joe interviewed Piper after the success of "The Hustler." After their wedding, Piper left Hollywood for 15 years to focus on her activism against the Vietnam War and her involvement in the civil rights movement. Piper and Joe adopted a girl named Anne Grace in 1971.
Apart from her acting career, Piper had a hobby of sculpting. She used marble and clay as her materials.
Death of Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie, the elderly lady known by her stage name, passed away on October 14, 2023, in Los Angeles. Her agent, Marion Rosenberg, announced that the cause of the renowned actress's death was old age.