Piper Laurie Dies: ‘Carrie’ & ‘The Hustler’ Oscar Nominee, Emmy Winning Actress Was 91

Piper Laurie, whose impressive work in the films Carrie and The Hustler made her a screen icon, died Saturday morning in Los Angeles. She was 91 and had been ill for some time.

Her representative confirmed the death.

Nominated for three Oscars — Lead Actress for The Hustler and Supporting for Carrie and Children of a Lesser God — she also was a nine-time Emmy nominee, winning in 1987 for the telefilm Promise.

She played Paul Newman’s love interest in The Hustler (1961) and Sissy Spacek’s ultra-religious mother in Brian De Palma‘s Carrie (1976) and Marlee Matlin’s mother in Randa Haines’ Children of a Lesser God (1986).

She was also known for her work on the TV drama Twin Peaks. The actress earned Emmy noms in 1990 and 1991 for her work on the show.

She most recently appeared on the big screen in 2018’s White Boy Rick.

Born Rosetta Jacobs on Jan. 22, 1932, she was the youngest of two daughters. When she was 6, the family moved to Los Angeles, and she spent three years in a children’s asylum outside Los Angeles accompanying her sister, who was there for health reasons.

At age 9, she won a talent contest, and with it a screen test at Warner Bros. That didn’t result in a job, but she got another one at Universal Studios in 1949 and earned a contract while still a senior at Los Angeles High School.

Her manager renamed her as Piper Laurie, and she made her movie debut in Louisa (1950), playing Ronald Reagan’s daughter.

Her resume then expanded to include Francis Goes to the Races (1951), Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952), No Room for the Groom (1952), The Mississippi Gambler (1953) and Ain’t Misbehavin‘ (1955).

She then moved to New York and began a long stint in television. She did not do another film for 15 years. She interspersed that time by appearing on Broadway in The Glass Menagerie.

Survivors include her daughter, Anna. No memorial plans have been announced.