Mary Woronov

Mary Woronov (born December 8, 1943) is an American actress, writer, and figurative painter. She is primarily known as a cult film star because of her work with Andy Warhol and her roles in Roger Corman's cult films. Woronov has appeared in over 80 movies and on stage at Lincoln Center and off-Broadway productions as well as numerous times in mainstream American TV series, such as Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider. She frequently co-starred with friend Paul Bartel; the pair appeared in 17 films together, often playing a married couple.

Early life Woronov was born December 8, 1943, in the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, while it was temporarily operating as the Ream General Hospital during World War II. Woronov was born premature and doctors initially did not believe she would survive infancy.

Woronov studied art and sculpting at Cornell University, where she met and befriended artist Gerard Malanga in 1963.

Acting career 1966–1973: Early work and collaborations with Andy Warhol Malanga, who was Andy Warhol's assistant at the time, asked Woronov if she would be in a movie he was making. Later, while on a Cornell-sponsored field trip to Manhattan-based artists, Woronov visited Warhol's art studio, The Factory. Woronov recalled Warhol was nowhere in sight: "I didn't know he was hiding in the staircase, but that's where he was." Malanga suggested Woronov stick around the studio, saying, "you should stay, they're doing a screen test." She danced with Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Warhol's multimedia presentation of The Velvet Underground, and played Hanoi Hannah in Chelsea Girls, the 1966 experimental underground film directed by Warhol. The film was Warhol's first major commercial success after a long line of avant-garde art films (both feature-length and short).

Of this time, she has said: "Of all the girls at Andy Warhol's Factory, I was the butch one. [Warhol] put me in his Screen Tests and I spent my nights at Max's Kansas City. ... I was the strong girl at the Factory." Further reflecting on her working relationship with Warhol, she commented in 2018: "I have a very dark side, I can't help it, but to me that period was wine and roses. It was darkness with pinpoints of light. My connection with Warhol was sort of like Lancelot's connection to King Arthur". eventually earning a Theatre World Award for her performance. The production played November 8 - December 9, 1973, at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Woronov's had a leading role in the Roger Corman-produced cult film Death Race 2000 (1975), followed by the Corman-produced Hollywood Boulevard (1976), directed by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante.

1979–1990: Relocation to Los Angeles; further film roles Woronov relocated from New York to Los Angeles in 1979, Six years later she and Bartel reprised the roles as cameos in Chopping Mall (1986).

She subsequently had roles in numerous films including Blood Theatre (1984), Night of the Comet (1984), and Nomads (1986). She became a fan of the Los Angeles punk music scene, and made an appearance with actor Jack Nance in the Suicidal Tendencies music video "Institutionalized" (1983); the two portrayed the protagonist's parents in the video. She later reprised this character in the band's music video for the song "Possessed To Skate" (1987).

Subsequent film roles include in Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989), Dick Tracy (1990), and Where Sleeping Dogs Lie (1991). On television, Woronov made guest appearances on numerous series in the 1980s, such as Logan's Run, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Charlie's Angels, Mr. Belvedere, Murder, She Wrote, Amazing Stories, St. Elsewhere, Wings, Babylon 5, Family Matters, and Highlander: The Series. Rob Zombie's horror film The Devil's Rejects (2005) and Ti West's supernatural horror film The House of the Devil (2009).

She appeared in Barneys New York fall 2014 advertising campaign, "L.A. Stories", shot by Bruce Weber. She has cited painter Francis Bacon as an influence on her artwork.

Writing In 1995, Woronov published the memoir Swimming Underground: My Years in the Warhol Factory, reflecting on her time as part of Andy Warhol's Factory. She published her first novel, Snake, in 2000. She subsequently published a short story collection in 2004 entitled Blind Love.

Personal life Woronov married producer/director Theodore Gershuny in 1970, completing three films with himKemek (1970), Sugar Cookies (1973), and Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)before their divorce in 1973. She then married producer Fred Whitehead in 1976, later divorcing. She has been married two other times. One of her husbands was a race car driver. In 2022, she said she would not marry again.

Woronov has resided in Los Angeles, California since 1979.

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Mr. Billion Bit Part (uncredited) Bad Georgia Road Hackett 1978 Arlene

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Blood Theatre Miss Blackwell Young Lust Dr. Nicole Dunning Night of the Comet Audrey White

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