Susan Tyrrell

Susan Tyrrell
Publicity still for Camino Real, 1970.
Born	Susan Jillian Creamer (1945-03-18)March 18, 1945 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	June 16, 2012(2012-06-16) (aged 67) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Cause of death	Essential thrombocythaemia
Resting place	Cremation
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1964–2012
Notable work	Fat City, Andy Warhol's Bad, Forbidden Zone, Cry-Baby
Parent(s)	Gillian Tyrrell John Belding Creamer

Susan Tyrrell (born Susan Jillian Creamer; March 18, 1945 – June 16, 2012),^[1] was an American actress who appeared in dozens of film, stage and television productions over a forty-year career, and had considerable success as a character actress. Born in San Francisco, California, Tyrrell began acting in theater in New York City in the 1960s, where she was in numerous Broadway and off Broadway productions before her film debut in 1971's Shoot Out. Her performance as Oma in John Huston's Fat City (1972) the following year earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1978, Tyrrell received the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Andy Warhol's Bad (1977). Consisting of nearly 80 film and television credits, her work includes Forbidden Zone (1980), Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981), Night Warning (1982), Angel (1984) and its sequel, Avenging Angel (1985) and Cry-Baby (1990). After nearly-eighty television and film appearances, the actress succumbed to the rare blood disease essential thrombocythemia, in 2012.

Early life

Tyrrell was born in San Francisco, California to Gillian (née Tyrrell 1913-2012);^[2] and John Creamer. She had two sisters, Candace and Carole, and a half-brother, Peter, from her father's second marriage. Her mother was originally from the United Kingdom and remarried to Thomas Hoyt; she was a socialite and member of the diplomatic corps in China and the Philippines during the 1930s and 1940s. Her father John was an agent with the William Morris Agency for Leo Carrillo, Loretta Young, Ed Wynn, and Carole Lombard.^[3] Raised in New Canaan, Connecticut, she rebelled against her mother's expectations and received poor grades and was frequently expelled from school. As a teenager, she became estranged from her mother.^[4] Through her father's connections, Tyrrell landed her first role in New York City in the theatrical production of Time Out for Ginger (1963) starring Art Carney;^[5][6] Although John persuaded Look magazine to follow her as she toured with the show, he died shortly afterwards from a reaction to a bee sting.^[4] Tyrrell made her Broadway debut in 1965 as a replacement in the comedy Cactus Flower.^[4] As a member of the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center, she was in the ensemble of a 1968 production of King Lear and revivals of The Time of Your Life (1969) and Camino Real (1970). Off-Broadway, Tyrrell appeared in the 1967 premiere of Lanford Wilson's The Rimers of Eldritch and a 1979 production of Father's Day at The American Place Theatre.^[4] The actress made her television debut in Mr. Novak (1964).

Career

Tyrell made her film debut in Shoot Out (1971) In 1972, her performance as Oma in John Huston's Fat City earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 1978, the actress earned the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in his Andy Warhol's film, Bad (1977).^[7]

Later, Tyrrell starred as Queen Doris in the indie Forbidden Zone (1980), and was credited with a song ("Witch's Egg") in the film. A year later, she portrayed Vera in Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981). From 1981 to 1982, Tyrrell starred as Gretchen Feester, in ABC's short-lived situation comedy series Open All Night. She then had a starring role in the exploitation horror film Night Warning.

In 1985 Tyrrell played Solly, in the sexploitation film Angel and its sequel, Avenging Angel. Roles in the adventure film Flesh+Blood, the Vincent Price anthology horror film From a Whisper to a Scream (1987), the animated feature film The Chipmunk Adventure (1987), and Big Top Pee-wee (the 1988 sequel to 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure) followed.

Later, the actress had a supporting role in John Waters' Cry-Baby (1990). In 1992, she performed her own one-woman show, Susan Tyrrell: My Rotten Life, a Bitter Operetta.^[8] Roles in the Tales from the Crypt episode, "Comes the Dawn" (1995); the animated series Extreme Ghostbusters (1997); and the psychological thriller film Buddy Boy (1999) followed.

More recent work includes Bob Dylan's Masked and Anonymous (2003), and The Devil's Due at Midnight (2004). Her final appearance was in the 2012 independent film Kid-Thing.

Personal life

In early 2000, Tyrrell lost both legs below the knees as a result of blood clots from the rare blood disease essential thrombocythemia.^[9] The same year, Johnny Depp hosted a benefit at the Viper Room to help defray Tyrrell's medical bills. Megan Mullally, Jack Black, and Chloe Webb were among those that attended.^[10]

In 2008, the actress moved to Austin, Texas, to be closer to her niece, Amy Sweet, and died there on June 16, 2012.^[1] According to Sweet, Tyrrell kept a journal; a January 2012 entry read, "I demand my death be joyful and I never return again." Following her death, she was cremated and her ashes scattered.^[11]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Source:"Susan Tyrrell". IMDB. Retrieved 2 April 2014. 

Theatre

Source:"Susan Tyrrell - Broadway Theatre Credits, Photos, Who's Who - Playbill Vault". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 17 September 2015. 

References

External links

• Susan Tyrrell at the Internet Movie Database
• Susan Tyrrell at the Internet Broadway Database
• LA Weekly: "My So-Called Rotten Life" by Paul Cullum (11 January 2000)
• Susan Tyrrell at Find a Grave