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Laurie Bird

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Laurie Bird
Born(1952-09-26)September 26, 1952
Glen Cove, Nassau County, New York[1]
DiedJune 15, 1979(1979-06-15) (aged 26)
Manhattan, New York City, New York
Burial placeFlushing Cemetery, Queens, New York City, New York
40°45′6″N 73°47′58″W / 40.75167°N 73.79944°W / 40.75167; -73.79944
Other namesLauri Bird
Occupation(s)Film actor, photographer

Laurie Bird (September 26, 1952 – June 15, 1979) was an American film actress and photographer.

Early Life

Bird's mother died when she was three. Her father, an electrical engineer,[2] was a former sailor in the United States Navy.

Career

Described by Hollywood columnist Dick Kleiner as "look[ing] like an innocent Hayley Mills," Bird appeared in just three films: Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Cockfighter (1974), and a small role as girlfriend to Paul Simon 's character in the romantic comedy Annie Hall (1977), from Woody Allen.[3] (Archival footage of the actress in Two-Lane Blacktop is featured in the 2006 documentary Wanderlust.) In Two-Lane Blacktop she played "The Girl."[2] In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.[4]

Bird was the still photographer on Cockfighter and shot the cover photo for Art Garfunkel's 1977 album Watermark.

Personal Life

She was romantically involved with her Blacktop and Cockfighter director Monte Hellman. From 1974 until her death in 1979, Bird was in a serious romantic relationship with Art Garfunkel .[5]

Suicide

In 1979 Bird committed suicide by taking an overdose of Valium[6] in the apartment she shared with Garfunkel in New York. At Bird's funeral, her father revealed that her mother's death, previously reported as being from ovarian cancer, was also a suicide.[citation needed]

Garfunkel was deeply affected by Bird's death. "She was beautiful, in a lonesome, haunted way, and I adored her. But I wasn't ready for marriage and she was not very comfortable being Laurie. She wasn't happy with herself. Her mother committed suicide at 26, and so did she."[7]

Legacy

Garfunkel referred to his relationship with Bird in the liner notes of his 1988 album Lefty.

Tim Kinsella's novel Let Go and Go On and On (2014) is subtitled "Based on the roles of Laurie Bird." In the foreword he writes, "This book by no means intends to convey any truth beyond one possible solution to the puzzles of her life and work."[8]

Credits

Title Year Role Director(s) Notes Ref(s)
Two-Lane Blacktop 1971 The Girl Monte Hellman also uncredited performer: "Stealin'", "Satisfaction" [9]
Cockfighter 1974 Dody White Monte Hellman Also credited as still photographer [10]
Annie Hall 1977 Tony Lacey's Girlfriend Woody Allen Credited as Lauri Bird [11]

References

  1. ^ Compo, Susan A. (2009). Warren Oates: A Wild Life. University Press of Kentucky. p. 209. ISBN 0-8131-3918-X.
  2. ^ a b Kleiner, Dick (August 17, 1971). "Pretty Bird Laurie Flew Away, but Her Sad Life Led to Film Role". The Milwaukee Journal. Newspaper Enterprise Association. Retrieved September 10, 2011 – via Google News Archive. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |pmd=, |deadurl=, and |trans_title= (help)
  3. ^ "Annie Hall– Detail view of Movies Page". American Film Institute. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  4. ^ Wolgamott, L. Kent (September 18, 2013). "At The Movies: 'Rush' and the best racing movies ever". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  5. ^ Lester, Paul (June 24, 2015). "Art Garfunkel: 'Weird is a fair word for me'". Theguardian.com. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  6. ^ Atkinson, Michael (2008). Exile Cinema: Filmmakers at Work beyond Hollywood. SUNY Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-7914-7861-5.
  7. ^ Shelden, Michael. "Can Art get the harmony back?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 June 2016. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
  8. ^ Kinsella, Tim (2014). Let Go and Go On and On. Chicago, Illinois: Curbside Splendor Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-940430-01-0.
  9. ^ Murthi, Vikram (4 November 2015). "Criticwire Classic of the Week: Monte Hellman's 'Two-Lane Blacktop'". Indiewire. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  10. ^ Stevens, Brad (2003). Monte Hellman: His Life and Films. McFarland. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-7864-8188-0.
  11. ^ "Annie Hall (1977) – Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
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