Died on this day: tempestuous maverick “outsider actress” Susan Tyrrell (18 March 1945 – 16 June 2012). Tyrrell possessed the talent and beauty to be a mainstream movie star (those heart-shaped cheekbones!), but her destiny lay in portraying downtrodden grotesques, harridans, shrews and alcoholics. (When she died, The Guardian’s headline summarised her as “Actor often cast in sleazy, raunchy roles.” Seriously – what higher praise could an actress possibly hope for?). Films I’ve loved Tyrrell in: Fat City (1972), Andy Warhol’s BAD (1976), I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977), Forbidden Zone (1980), Angel (1984), Avenging Angel (1985), Big Top Pee-Wee (1988) and John Waters’ Cry-baby (1990). (Afterwards, Waters reflected, “She had talent, yes but God she was exhausting”). Hell, I’m such a Tyrrell devotee I’ve even suffered through dreck like Poker Alice (1987) and Powder (1995) to catch a fleeting glimpse of her. (Hailing her as "Cinema's Gonzo Goddess”, the Dangerous Minds site praised Tyrrell's ability to "ignite flicks that strained to be weird with flashes of her eccentric brilliance, often salvaging otherwise unwatchable pieces of crap”). If you’ve never experienced Tyrrell onscreen, start with her rare starring role in ultra-freaky 1981 hagsploitation horror movie Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker (aka Night Warning). She’s ferocious in that one! In conclusion: was anyone better at interviewing Tyrrell than Michael Musto? Here’s some samplings of her wit and wisdom via Musto’s 1981 profile of her in Soho Weekly News: “I’m disillusioned with the whole fuckin’ world. I’m having my tubes tied next week. I just want to ensure that no actors come out of me.” “I don’t win personality contests. I’m an actor, and who I am offstage is nobody’s business. I don’t get jobs over the desk. Maybe under the desk.” “I either have lots of money or I’m penniless. I’m basically a c*nt either way, so it doesn’t mean much to my friends.” Pic: portrait of Tyrrell by Rocky Schenck promoting her one-woman stage show My Rotten Life: A Bitter Operetta, 1992.
