R.I.P. Shirley Knight

[dws1982]

I came to know her in her character actress days where she was always a reliable presence, whether it was a TV guest spot (she had several memorable spots on Law & Order shows) or a small movie role (I think she's very good in As Good As It Gets).

I think the most recent movie of hers that I've seen is as George C. Scott's estranged wife Richard Lester's Petulia when it was on the Criterion Channel last year. I think the movie is an unheralded masterpiece--easily one of the ten or so best movies I saw all year--and a supporting nomination for Knight would've been fully deserved.

[Big Magilla]

Shirley Knight was a great, under-utilized actress. I bought the Blu-ray of 1981's Endless Love when it came out last summer primarily for her interview. It didn't disappoint.

Per UPI, she died of natural causes at the home of her daughter, actress Kaitlin Hopkins. She was under hospice care following a recent operation.

Her IMDb. page (under self) lists her as a participant in four upcoming documentaries, one on Dutchman and one on Geraldine Page in post-production, and two on Kim Stanley, though they seem to be the same film with different titles, currently filming.

She was a trouper to the end.

[Mister Tee]

A long, very honorable and impressive career. The rare female in that era who came along as ingenue and didn't miss a beat as adulthood, and later senior-citizen-hood, came along. A salute to her passing.

[anonymous1980]

Story.

Always a reliable character actress.