Oscar Profile #222: Piper Laurie

Born January 22, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, Rosetta “Rosie” Jacobs moved with her parents to Los Angeles when she was six. Her parents enrolled her in elocution lessons in hopes that the pretty redhead would overcome her shyness. She studied acting in high school, leading to a contract with Universal.

Changing her name to the studio chosen Piper Laurie, she was immediately given a major supporting role in 1950’s Louisa and The Milkman. She had her first starring roles opposite Donald O’Connor in 1951’s Francis Goes to the Races and Tony Curtis in The Prince Who Was Also a Thief. In 1952 she starred opposite Rock Hudson in Has Anybody Seen My Gal? and Curtis again in No Room for the Groom and Son of Ali Baba. In 1953 it was Tyrone Power in Mississippi Gambler and Hudson again in The Golden Blade. In 1954 and 1955 it was more leading lady roles opposite Power, Cutis and others. Disgusted with the quality of her film roles, she moved to New York and found more interesting work on TV in late 1955 and throughout 1956. She returned to the big screen in 1957’s Kelly and Me opposite Van Johnson and then starred along with Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine, Paul Newman and Sandra Dee in the hit film, Until They Sail.

Laurie had most interesting role to date in the original 1958 TV broadcast of Days of Wine and Roses opposite Cliff Robertson for which she was nominated for an Emmy. More TV work followed before she was cast in 1961’s The Hustler opposite Paul Newman for which she was nominated for an Oscar. She married film critic Joe Morgenstern and when she didn’t receive any decent film offers retreated to Woodstock where her only daughter was born in 1971.

Although Laurie had done some TV work through 1966, she hadn’t appeared on the big screen in fifteen years when she accepted the role of the monster mother in 1976’s Carrie for which she was rewarded with her second Oscar nomination.

In 1979 Laurie had her first full-fledged starring role on screen in the film version of Colleen McCullough’s Tim opposite Mel Gibson, which led to her being cast in the megahit 1983 TV version of McCullough’s The Thorn Birds. Her role in that brought her the fourth of nine Emmy nominations. She won on her sixth nomination for 1986’s Promise in support of James Garner and James Woods. Her seventh and eighth nominations came for her role in David Lynch’s quirky Twin Peaks in 1990 and 1991. Her last was for a guest starring role in Frasier in 1999.

Laurie’s mid-career films include 1986’s Children of a Lesser God for which she received her third Oscar nomination, 1992’s Rich in Love opposite Albert Finney and 1995’s The Grass Harp in which she and former screen daughter Sissy Spacek play sisters.

Still acting alternately between TV and film, Piper Laurie remains a welcome presence in everything she does. The 83-year-old actress’s recent films include Hesher, Another Harvest Moon and Bad Blood…The Hunger.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

UNTIL THEY SAIL (1957), directed by Robert Wise

After a quick rise to stardom at Universal, Laurie found herself stuck in silly ingénue roles which led to her moving to New York and obtaining better roles in live TV dramas. She returned to the screen earlier in the year to complete her Universal contract with Kelly and Me nad finally had a big screen role worthy of her talents as one of four World War II era New Zealand sisters coping with war and love in Wise’s film with a screenplay by Robert Anderson (Tea and Sympathy , The Nun’s Story) from a story by James Michener (South Pacific, Sayonara). Laurie’s poignant, heart-breaking performance stole the film from her more famous co-stars, Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine, Paul Newman and Sandra Dee.

THE HUSTLER (1961), directed by Robert Rossen

After her unforgettable portrayal of the young married woman doomed by her alcoholism in the original 1958 teleplay of Days of Wine and Roses there was no doubt of Laurie’s brilliance as an actress. Nothing she has done on screen matches that performance as closely as her portrayal of Paul Newman’s crippled girlfriend in Rossen’s bleak, austere classic. She’s simply unforgettable in a role that would surely have won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar had she been nominated in that category, but Fox submitted her as lead in the era when studios controlled Oscar categorization. Although nominated in lead, the completion in that category was too strong to bring her a win.

CARRIE (1976), directed by Brian De Palma

Not having been offered what she considered decent film roles after The Hustler, Laurie married film critic Joe Morgenstern and retreated to Woodstock. Although she had made a few TV appearances through 1966, she had not been in a big screen vehicle in fifteen years when she returned in triumph to play Sissy Spacek’s religious fanatic mother who gets her just desserts in De Palma’s film version of Stephen King’s novel. The result was another richly deserved Oscar nomination.

TIM (1979), directed by Michael Pate

Made nearly thirty years after Lauie had become a star, this was her first film in which she was billed over her leading man, a young Mel Gibson.

Laurie plays a 40-year-old American woman who takes umbrage at the mistreatment of a mentally challenged 20-year-old man, eventually falling in love with him to the consternation of his family who thinks she is taking advantage of him.

Laurie and rising star Gibson, straight from Mad Max are totally believable in the film version of Colleen McCullogh’s novel. Laurie’s lovely performance led to her casting in the sensational all-star cast 1983 mini-series of McCullough’s The Thorn Birds for which she received the fourth of her nine Emmy nominations, losing to co-star Jean Simmons in her Category.

THE GRASS HARP (1995), directed by Charles Matthau

Laurie is the eccentric heroine of the film version of Truman Capote’s novel in the role made famous by Barbara Cook in the 1972 Broadway musical. Sissy Spacek, who played her daughter in Carrie plays her conventional sister and Edward Furlong plays the young hero. The supporting cast includes Nell Carter, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Mary Steenburgen, Charles Durning and Roddy McDowall. It was directed by Matthau’s son, Charlie. It’s another winning performance from Laurie in what was easily the best comedy role of her career.