Character actress Susan Tyrrell died at her home in Austin, Texas, on June 16, 2012. She was 67. She was born Susan Creamer in San Francisco on March 18, 1945, and was raised in New Canaan, Connecticut. She began her career on stage in the early 1960s, performing in regional theater and summer stock. She was appearing in productions on and off Broadway by the end of the decade including "The Rimers of Eldritch" (1967), "A Cry of Players" (1968), "The Time of Your Life" (1969), and "Camino Real" (1970). She made her film debut in the early 1970s, with roles in "Shoot Out" (1971), "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me" (1971), and "The Steagle" (1971). Her role as the young barfly, Oma, in John Huston’s 1972 film "Fat City" earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She frequently appeared in off-beat roles in cult films over the next three decades. Her film credits include ""Catch My Soul" (1974), "Zandy’s Bride" (1974), "To Kill the King" (1974), "The Killer Inside Me" (1976), the animated fantasy "Wizards" (1977) as the narrator, "Islands in the Stream" (1977), "Andy Warhol’s Bad" (1977), "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" (1977), "September 30, 1955" (1977), "Another Man, Another Chance" (1977), "Racquet" (1979), "Loose Shoes" (1980), "Subway Riders" (1981), "Tales of Ordinary Madness" (1981), Richard Elfman’s cult classic "Forbidden Zone" (1982) as Queen Doris of the Sixth Dimension, "Fast-Walking" (1982), "Liar’s Moon" (1982), the comedy redub "What’s Up, Hideous Sun
Demon" (1983) as the voice of Bunny, the psycho thriller "Night Warning" (1983) as Aunt Cheryl, the animated "Fire and Ice" (1983), "The Killers" (1984), "Angel" (1984) and "Avenging Angel" (1985) as Solly Mosler, "Flesh+Blood" (1985), "The Underachievers" (1987), "From a Whisper to a Scream" (aka "The Offspring") (1987), the animated "The Chipmunk Adventure" (1987), "Tapeheads" (1988), "Big Top Pee-wee" (1988) as Midge Montana, "Far from Home" (1989), "Rockula" (1990), John Waters’ "Cry-Baby" (1990) as Ramona Rickettes, Johnnny Depp’s biker grandma, "Motorama" (1991), "The Demolitionist" (1995), "Digital Man" (1995), "Powder" (1995), "Poison Ivy: The New Seduction" (1997), "Pink as the Day She Was Born" (1997), "Relax... It’s Just Sex" (1998), "Swap Meet" (1999), "Buddy Boy" (1999), "Masked and Anonymous" (2003), the short "The Devil’s Due at Midnight" (2004), and "Pieces of Dolores" (2007). Tyrrell also appeared frequently on television during her career, with roles in episodes of "The Patty Duke Show", "Mr. Novak", "Bonanza", "Nichols", "Baretta", "Starsky and Hutch", "Kojak", "Flying High", "Visions", the short-lived comedy series "Open All Night" as Gretchn Feester" from 1981 to 1982, "The Hitchhiker", "Shades of LA", "Wings", and "Tales from the Crypt". Her other television credits include the tele-films "Lady of the House" (1978), "Ladies in Waiting" (1979), "Willow B: Women in Prison" (1980), "Midnight Lace" (1981), "Jealousy" (1984), "MacGruder and Loud" (1985), "Thompson’s Last Run" (1986), "If Tomorrow Comes" (1986), "The Christmas Star" (1986), "Poker Alice" (1987), and "Windmills of the Gods" (1988). She was also a voice actress on the cartoons "Cow and Chicken", "I am Weasel", and "Extreme Ghostbusters". Tyrrell contracted a rare blood disease, thrombocythemia, in 2000, and both of her legs were amputated below the knee due to multiple clots. She continued her career from a wheelchair, making her final film appearance in 2012’s "Kid-Thing".
Character actress Susan Tyrrell died at her home in Austin, Texas, on June 16, 2012. She was 67. She was born Susan Creamer in San Francisco on March 18, 1945, and was raised in New Canaan, Connecticut. She began her career on stage in the early 1960s, performing in regional theater and summer stock. She was appearing in productions on and off Broadway by the end of the decade including "The Rimers of Eldritch" (1967), "A Cry of Players" (1968), "The Time of Your Life" (1969), and "Camino Real" (1970). She made her film debut in the early 1970s, with roles in "Shoot Out" (1971), "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me" (1971), and "The Steagle" (1971). Her role as the young barfly, Oma, in John Huston’s 1972 film "Fat City" earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She frequently appeared in off-beat roles in cult films over the next three decades. Her film credits include ""Catch My Soul" (1974), "Zandy’s Bride" (1974), "To Kill the King" (1974), "The Killer Inside Me" (1976), the animated fantasy "Wizards" (1977) as the narrator, "Islands in the Stream" (1977), "Andy Warhol’s Bad" (1977), "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" (1977), "September 30, 1955" (1977), "Another Man, Another Chance" (1977), "Racquet" (1979), "Loose Shoes" (1980), "Subway Riders" (1981), "Tales of Ordinary Madness" (1981), Richard Elfman’s cult classic "Forbidden Zone" (1982) as Queen Doris of the Sixth Dimension, "Fast-Walking" (1982), "Liar’s Moon" (1982), the comedy redub "What’s Up, Hideous Sun
Demon" (1983) as the voice of Bunny, the psycho thriller "Night Warning" (1983) as Aunt Cheryl, the animated "Fire and Ice" (1983), "The Killers" (1984), "Angel" (1984) and "Avenging Angel" (1985) as Solly Mosler, "Flesh+Blood" (1985), "The Underachievers" (1987), "From a Whisper to a Scream" (aka "The Offspring") (1987), the animated "The Chipmunk Adventure" (1987), "Tapeheads" (1988), "Big Top Pee-wee" (1988) as Midge Montana, "Far from Home" (1989), "Rockula" (1990), John Waters’ "Cry-Baby" (1990) as Ramona Rickettes, Johnnny Depp’s biker grandma, "Motorama" (1991), "The Demolitionist" (1995), "Digital Man" (1995), "Powder" (1995), "Poison Ivy: The New Seduction" (1997), "Pink as the Day She Was Born" (1997), "Relax... It’s Just Sex" (1998), "Swap Meet" (1999), "Buddy Boy" (1999), "Masked and Anonymous" (2003), the short "The Devil’s Due at Midnight" (2004), and "Pieces of Dolores" (2007). Tyrrell also appeared frequently on television during her career, with roles in episodes of "The Patty Duke Show", "Mr. Novak", "Bonanza", "Nichols", "Baretta", "Starsky and Hutch", "Kojak", "Flying High", "Visions", the short-lived comedy series "Open All Night" as Gretchn Feester" from 1981 to 1982, "The Hitchhiker", "Shades of LA", "Wings", and "Tales from the Crypt". Her other television credits include the tele-films "Lady of the House" (1978), "Ladies in Waiting" (1979), "Willow B: Women in Prison" (1980), "Midnight Lace" (1981), "Jealousy" (1984), "MacGruder and Loud" (1985), "Thompson’s Last Run" (1986), "If Tomorrow Comes" (1986), "The Christmas Star" (1986), "Poker Alice" (1987), and "Windmills of the Gods" (1988). She was also a voice actress on the cartoons "Cow and Chicken", "I am Weasel", and "Extreme Ghostbusters". Tyrrell contracted a rare blood disease, thrombocythemia, in 2000, and both of her legs were amputated below the knee due to multiple clots. She continued her career from a wheelchair, making her final film appearance in 2012’s "Kid-Thing".
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