Caroline Louise Snodgress (October 27, 1945 – April 1, 2004) was an American actress. She is best remembered for her role in the film Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as well as winning two Golden Globes and two Laurel Awards.

Early life Born in Barrington, Illinois, Snodgress attended Maine Township High School East in Park Ridge, then Northern Illinois University before leaving to pursue acting. She trained for the stage at the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (later DePaul University), graduating with a master's degree and earning the Sarah Siddons award as an outstanding graduate.

Career After some minor TV appearances, she made her film debut in an uncredited appearance in Easy Rider in 1969, followed by a credit in 1970 for Rabbit, Run. Her next film, Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970), earned her a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress and two Golden Globe wins, as Best Actress in a Comedy or a Musical and New Star of the Year – Actress.

Between 1970 and 1978, Snodgress didn't make any acting appearances, in order to focus on raising her son. She returned to acting in 1978 in The Fury.

According to Sylvester Stallone, Snodgress was the first actress considered for the role of Adrian in Rocky. However, Snodgress declined the part because it was not well-paid. Rocky director John G. Avildsen cast Snodgress in two of his later films: A Night in Heaven and 8 Seconds.

Snodgress made her off-Broadway debut in 1981 as a replacement in John Ford Noonan's A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking. That year she married painter Robert Jones, but they separated within a few years. She appeared in All the Way Home, Oh, What a Lovely War!, Caesar and Cleopatra, Tartuffe, The Balcony and The Boor (all at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago); and Curse of the Starving Class at the Tiffany Theatre (in Los Angeles). Other films include Murphy's Law, White Man's Burden, Pale Rider and Blue Sky. She also worked extensively in television.

In her final film, Katja von Garnier's Iron Jawed Angels (2004) about the women's suffrage movement during the 1910s, Snodgress portrayed the mother of Alice Paul, played by Hilary Swank.

Personal life From 1970 to 1975, Snodgress lived with musician Neil Young and their son Zeke, who was born with cerebral palsy. Young's song "A Man Needs a Maid" was inspired by Snodgress, featuring the lyric "I fell in love with the actress / she was playing a part that I could understand." She also inspired the songs "Heart of Gold", "Harvest" and "Out on the Weekend" from Young's album Harvest, as well as "Motion Pictures" from the 1974 album On the Beach. She and Young split in 1975, and his song "Already One", which later appeared on his 1978 album Comes a Time, bookends their relationship.

Later she and musician and film score composer Jack Nitzsche became lovers. Nitzsche had previously worked with Young on several albums. In 1979, Nitzsche was charged with threatening to kill her after he barged into her home and beat her with a handgun. He pleaded guilty to threatening her, was fined, and placed on three years' probation. She married Robert Jones in 1981.

Death While waiting for a liver transplant, Snodgress was hospitalized in Los Angeles, where she died of heart failure on April 1, 2004, at age 58. She was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.Forest Lawn-Glendale

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes1969Easy RiderWoman in CommuneUncredited1970Diary of a Mad HousewifeBettina "Tina" BalserRabbit, RunJanice Angstrom1972 Journey Through the PastHerself1978Hester1980Louise Elmore1982HomeworkDr. DelinguaTrick or TreatsJoan O'Keefe Adams1983Mrs. Johnson1985Pale RiderSarah WheelerRainy Day FriendsMargot1986Murphy's LawJoan Freeman1988Blueberry HillBecca Dane1989Chill FactorAmy Carlisle1990Across the TracksRosemary Maloney1993Ruth Badger19948 SecondsElsie FrostBlue SkyVera Johnson1995White Man's BurdenJosine1997Up Above the WorldUnfinished1998Wild ThingsRuby1999A Stranger in the KingdomRuth Kinneson2000In the Light of the Moon Augusta Wilhelmine Gein Alternate title: Ed Gein2001BartlebyBook PublisherIna Hamm

Television Year Title Role Notes1969Judd, for the DefenseEileenEpisode: "The Crystal Maze"Josephine DelphiniaEpisode: "Crime Wave in Buffalo Springs"Janet / DianeEpisode: "The Flip Side"Megan BakerEpisode: "The Whole World is Watching"Marcus Welby, M.D.LauraEpisode: "The White Cane"1970Medical CenterMim HoagleyEpisode: "The Deceived"1982Quincy M.E.Mrs. Vicki McGuireEpisode: "The Face of Fear"1983ABC Afterschool SpecialMrs. CranstonEpisode: "Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy"1984Highway to HeavenEvelyn NealyEpisode: "To Touch the Moon"1986Murder, She WroteConnie VernonEpisode: "If a Body Meet a Body"1988Friday the 13th: The SeriesDr. Viola RhodesEpisode: "Brain Drain"CrossbowLady MontalEpisode: "Ladyship"1989In the Heat of the NightMrs. KrollerEpisode: "Crackdown"1990Shades of LALt. ArmacostEpisode: "Pointers from Paz"1991Equal JusticeMarla PrentissEpisode: "Courting Disaster"1992Civil WarsMary EsquavilEpisode: "Drone of Arc"Reasonable DoubtsChristine AndersonEpisode: "Try to Be Nice, What Does It Get You?"1993Darlene MorrisEpisode: "Conduit"Murder, She WroteIrene MacinoyEpisode: "Love & Hate in Cabot Cove"1994–95Phantom 2040Heloise Walker (voice)Recurring role1995Chicago HopeMrs. WeberEpisode: "Every Day a Little Death"SistersBetty MerrillEpisode: "For Everything a Season: Part 2"1998ERMrs. LangEpisode: "A Hole in the Heart"Touched by an AngelJudy BowersEpisode: "Miles to Go Before I Sleep"2002Judging AmyDr. LarabieEpisode: "People of the Lie"2003Mrs. Martha RoweEpisode: "Red Haven's on Fire"

TV films and miniseries Year Title Role1969Silent Night, Lonely NightJanet1970Janet / Diane1971Grace McCormack1978Love's Dark RideNancy Warren1979Fast FriendsDiana HaywardSharon Keyes1984NadiaStefania Comaneci1985Isobel Bennett1990Joan Pinkerton1991Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. IndianapolisLouise McVay1992Woman with a PastMama1994Rise and Walk: The Dennis Byrd StoryMrs. Byrd1996Death BenefitVirginia McGinnisAll She Ever WantedAlma Winchester2004Iron Jawed AngelsMrs. Paul

Awards and nominations +AwardYearCategoryWorkResultRef.Academy Award1971Best ActressDiary of a Mad HousewifeBritish Academy Film Award1972Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film RolesDiary of a Mad HousewifeDaytime Emmy Awards1984Outstanding Performer in Children's ProgrammingABC Afterschool Special ("Andrea's Story: A Hitchhiking Tragedy")Golden Globe Awards1971Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or ComedyDiary of a Mad HousewifeNew Star of the Year – ActressLaurel Award1971Best Dramatic Performance, FemaleStar of Tomorrow, FemaleNational Society of Film Critics Award1970Best Actress

References

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