Piper Laurie was an American actress who was born Rosetta Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan to Alfred Jacobs, a furniture dealer, and Charlotte Sadie Jacobs, both of whom were Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia, respectively.
She was a three-time Oscar nominee, nominated by BAFTA as well as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for best performance by an actress.
Laurie began her acting career at the age of 17, making her debut in the film, Louisa.
She was married to film critic Joseph Morgenstern, with whom she had a daughter named Ann Grace.
Laurie divorced Morgenstern and moved to a farmhouse in Woodstock, New York, where she turned her back on acting for many years.
During this time, she became noted as a baker, with her recipes appearing in The New York Times.
Her only performing during that time came when she joined a dozen musicians and actors in a tour of college campuses to support Sen. George McGovern’s 1972 presidential bid.
Laurie died on October 14, 2023, at the age of 91.
Piper Laurie early life
Laurie was born in Detroit, Michigan.
Her paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Poland, and her maternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia.
She was the younger of two children, both girls.
Laurie started her acting career at the age of 17 after signing a contract with Universal Studios in 1950.
She had been studying acting with Benno and Betomi Schnider for three years when she auditioned for Universal Studios, who signed her to a long-term contract.
They made more than twenty films starring the teenage girl opposite such actors as Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Tyrone Power.
Laurie spent her high school years training with a prestigious Los Angeles theater group.
She was dubbed Piper Laurie by a fanciful press agent who considered her given name, Rosetta Jacobs, too ethnic.
Laurie’s autobiography, Learning to Live Out Loud, was published by Crown in 2011 to rave reviews and is now available as an audio book on audible.com
Piper Laurie cause of death
According to a statement, Laurie died after battling an illness for ‘quite some time’.
Her manager Marion Rosenberg confirmed the news, writing, “A beautiful human being and one of the great talents of our time.”
Piper Laurie career
Laurie started her movie career at the age of 17 after signing a contract with Universal Studios in 1950.
She made more than twenty films starring the teenage girl opposite such actors as Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Tyrone Power.
Laurie is known for her roles in the films The Hustler (1961), Carrie (1976), and Children of a Lesser God (1986), and has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards and a BAFTA Award.
She was married to Wall Street Journal’s movie critic, Pulitzer Prize-winner Joe Morgenstern, and they had a daughter who lives in Oregon.
After her success in The Hustler, Laurie stopped working for fifteen years to devote herself to her family.
She returned to acting in the late 1980s and continued to work in film, television, and theater until her death in 2023.
In 2011, Laurie published her autobiography, Learning to Live Out Loud, which received rave reviews and is now available as an audiobook on audible.com
