Piper Laurie

In her two-hour-and-fifteen-minute interview, Piper Laurie (1932-2023) recounts her childhood and early interest in the stage, sparked by a three-year stint as her sister's companion in a sanitarium. She recalls her days as a contract player in the 1950s at Universal, with such co-stars as Rock Hudson and Ronald Reagan, and her frustration at being given "silly and insubstantial" roles. She talks about breaking free of her Universal contract (unheard of at the time) and getting into live television with an Emmy-nominated, acclaimed role in Playhouse 90's production of "The Days of Wine and Roses" opposite Cliff Robertson and directed by John Frankenheimer. She speaks of her Oscar-nominated performance opposite Paul Newman in The Hustler and her fifteen-year absence from the screen thereafter. Laurie discusses her return to acting with her Oscar-nominated role in Brian De Palma's feature film Carrie and her subsequent return to television with the made-for-television movies In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan, The Bunker, and The Promise. She recounts her role as "Catherine Martell" on Twin Peaks and speaks of her guest spots on Frasier, ER, and Will & Grace. She concludes by discussing her all-time favorite role and offering advice for aspiring actors. Jim McKairnes conducted the interview on December 16, 2011 in North Hollywood, CA.