Warner bros., Motion pictures/entertainment company

Blaxploitation-era actor-singer Carol Speed, who made a name for herself with performances in the movies 'The Mack', 'Black Samson' and 'Abby', died on Friday in Muskogee, Oklahoma, her has family announced. She was 76.As per The Hollywood Reporter, Speed portrayed Lulu, the prostitute girlfriend of Max Julien's pimp character, in 'The Mack' (1973), the girlfriend of a lion-owning club owner (Rockne Tarkington) in 'Black Samson' (1974) and a mute woman in the cult martial arts drama 'Dynamite Brothers' (1974), starring Timothy Brown.In the title role, Speed starred as a minister's wife who becomes possessed by an evil West African spirit in 'Abby' (1974). A horror film in the vein of 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'The Exorcist', Warner Bros. sued to have it pulled from theatres on the grounds of copyright violations."The script reminded me of (1957's) 'The Three Faces of Eve', which starred Paul Newman's wife, (Joanne Woodward)," Speed said in an undated interview. "I thought 'Abby' was a wonderful vehicle to show off my acting."Born on March 14, 1945, in Bakersfield, California, Carol Ann Bennett Stewart was the first Black homecoming queen in Santa Clara County, then attended San Jose State University and, on a scholarship, the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.After serving as a backup singer for Bobbie Gentry at Harrah's in Reno, Nevada, she appeared on an episode of NBC's 'Julia' opposite Diahann Carroll and had a recurring role on the NBC daytime soap opera 'Days of Our Lives' in 1970.In 1972, she played a hooker in 'The New Centurions' and an inmate behind bars in 'The Big Bird Cage' and dumped Lamont (Demond Wilson) at the altar in the 'Sanford and Son' episode "Here Comes the Bride, There Goes the Bride."Speed then appeared in 'Bummer' (1973), in telefilms including 'The Girls of Huntington House', 'Love Hate Love', 'Getting Away From It All' and 'The Psychiatrist' and in the 1973 pilot for the NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie 'Tenafly'.After taking a hiatus from acting following a turn in 'Disco Godfather' (1979), Speed was hired for a small part in Quentin Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown' (1997) but backed out at the last minute, her family said. Her final acting credit came in 'Village Vengeance' (2006).As per The Hollywood Reporter, Speed performed her own compositions 'I Can Make It' for 'The Girls of Huntington House' and 'My Soul Is a Witness' for 'Abby'.She also wrote 'Inside Black Hollywood', published in 1980, and 'The Georgette Harvey Story', published in 2002, and contributed to another book, 2004's 'Gods in Polyester, or a Survivors' Account of 70s Cinema Obscura'.She is survived by her grandson Marc and sister Barbara.( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Warner Bros.FOLLOW

Warner bros., Latest News

Emmy-winning actor Brett Goldstein has signed a multiyear overall development deal with Warner Bros. Television Group, the studio behind the hit Apple TV Plus comedy 'Ted Lasso' in which the actor plays the role of gruff English football star Roy Ken ...

Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max have bought the rights to Dakota Johnson's 'Am I OK?,' a romantic comedy that premiered this week to positive reviews at the virtual Sundance Film Festival. ...

Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves has incurred the wrath of "Chinese nationalists" after it emerged earlier this week that he will be performing at an upcoming benefit concert for Tibet. ...

Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves has incurred the wrath of "Chinese nationalists" after it emerged earlier this week that he will be performing at an upcoming benefit concert for Tibet. ...

Los Angeles, Jan 27 Streaming platform Spotify will remove singer Neil Young's music from its platform, as per ... ...

The Holiday cult classic 'A Christmas Story' has been greenlit by Legendary and Warner Bros, with Peter Billingsley back to reprise his role as Ralphie Parker. ...

Los Angeles, Jan 21 Holiday movie classic 'A Christmas Story' is finally getting a sequel, with original star ... ...

Blaxploitation-era actor-singer Carol Speed, who made a name for herself with performances in the movies 'The Mack', 'Black Samson' and 'Abby', died on Friday in Muskogee, Oklahoma, her has family announced. She was 76. ...