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Carroll Baker Biography

Birth Name:
Karolina Piekarski
Birth Place:
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States
Profession
Actor, author

Fast Facts

  • Was named Miss Florida Fruits and Vegetables in 1949
  • Originally worked as a dancer and a magician's assistant
  • Film debut was in Easy to Love in 1953
  • Appeared on Broadway in All Summer Long in 1955, which led Elia Kazan and Tennessee Williams to cast her, instead of Marilyn Monroe, in the title role of Baby Doll
  • Was a member of the famed Actors Studio
  • Felt she was blacklisted by Hollywood in the late 1960s, so she moved to Italy and starred in numerous horror and exploitation flicks
  • Made a comeback in the U
  • S
  • in 1977 by starring in Andy Warhol's Bad
  • Prominent supporting roles in The Watcher in the Woods, Star 80 and Ironweed brought her back to acclaim in America during the 1980s
  • Published Baby Doll: An Autobiography in 1983; also wrote the non-fiction To Africa With Love and the novel A Roman Tale

Awards

  • 1957Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 1957Golden Globe-New Star of the Year - Actress: winner
  • 1957BAFTA Film Awards-Best Foreign Actress: nominated
  • 1956Oscar-Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: nominated

Relationships