Zohra Lampert
Encyclopedia
Zohra Lampert is an American actress, who has had roles on film, television and stage. She may be best remembered for her role as the title character in the 1971 cult horror film
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
, as well as starring alongside Natalie Wood
and Warren Beatty
in the 1961
romance film
Splendor in the Grass
.
, the daughter of Russia
n Jewish immigrants Rachil Eriss, a draper and hatmaker, and Morris Lampert, an architect and ironworker. Lampert attended New York's High School of Music and Art, and then the University of Chicago
. She was briefly married to actor Bill Alton from 1957 to 1958. In March 2010, Lampert married radio personality Jonathan Schwartz
in New York City.
in a Tony
nominated performance in 1961's Look We've Come Through. She scored with a pair of small but noteworthy performances in the films Pay or Die
and Splendor in the Grass
.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s she was active in supporting roles in film and television, and won an Emmy for her performance as a sinister gypsy on an episode of Kojak
(1975). She co-starred with Gena Rowlands
in John Cassavetes
' Opening Night in (1978).
She was a regular in the sitcom The Girl With Something Extra
and the medical drama Doctors' Hospital
. During the early 1970s, she created the role of Ellie Jardin on the CBS soap, Where the Heart Is, until her character was killed off in 1972.
In 1986, she appeared in Knight Rider: season 4, Hills of Fire.
Lampert worked less during the 1980s and 1990s. She appeared in roles as diverse as The Exorcist III
(playing late actor George C. Scott
's wife), and the offbeat 1999 film, The Eden Myth, her last feature film role.
During the '80s, Lampert became known as the commercial spokesperson for "Goya" food products.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
Let's Scare Jessica to Death is a 1971 low budget American horror film, directed by John D. Hancock, and starring Zohra Lampert in the title role. The film focuses on a recently institutionalized woman who has various nightmarish experiences after moving to an old farmhouse on a Connecticut island...
, as well as starring alongside Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
and Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
in the 1961
1961 in film
The year 1961 in film involved some significant events, with West Side Story winning 10 Academy Awards.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:* Atlantis, the Lost ContinentB...
romance film
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
Splendor in the Grass
Splendor in the Grass
Splendor in the Grass is a 1961 romantic drama film that tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak, and manic-depression, which the character Deanie suffers from...
.
Personal life
Lampert was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the daughter of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Jewish immigrants Rachil Eriss, a draper and hatmaker, and Morris Lampert, an architect and ironworker. Lampert attended New York's High School of Music and Art, and then the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. She was briefly married to actor Bill Alton from 1957 to 1958. In March 2010, Lampert married radio personality Jonathan Schwartz
Jonathan Schwartz (radio)
Jonathan Schwartz is an American radio personality, known for his devotion to traditional pop music.Schwartz worked at New York's WNEW-FM from 1967 to 1976, followed by stints at WNEW-AM, WQEW, and currently WNYC-FM...
in New York City.
Career
After working on minor stages for several years, she performed on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in a Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominated performance in 1961's Look We've Come Through. She scored with a pair of small but noteworthy performances in the films Pay or Die
Pay or Die
Pay or Die is a 1960 film starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine, Alan Austin, and Robert F. Simon. It is a dramatization of the career of crusading New York City police officer Joseph Petrosino, a pioneer in the fight against organized crime in America...
and Splendor in the Grass
Splendor in the Grass
Splendor in the Grass is a 1961 romantic drama film that tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak, and manic-depression, which the character Deanie suffers from...
.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s she was active in supporting roles in film and television, and won an Emmy for her performance as a sinister gypsy on an episode of Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
(1975). She co-starred with Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands
Gena Rowlands is an American actress of film, stage and television. The four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner is best known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, in two of which, Gloria and A Woman Under the Influence, she gave Academy...
in John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
' Opening Night in (1978).
She was a regular in the sitcom The Girl With Something Extra
The Girl with Something Extra
The Girl with Something Extra is an American fantasy-based sitcom that aired on NBC for one season during 1973-1974. The series was created by Bernard Slade and produced by Screen Gems Television.-Synopsis:...
and the medical drama Doctors' Hospital
Doctors' Hospital
Doctors' Hospital is an American medical drama that ran on NBC during the 1975-1976 season. It followed the neurosurgery team at the fictional Lowell Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, led by Dr. Jake Goodwin and his staff, including residents Norah Purcell , and Felipe Ortega , and Nurse Hestor...
. During the early 1970s, she created the role of Ellie Jardin on the CBS soap, Where the Heart Is, until her character was killed off in 1972.
In 1986, she appeared in Knight Rider: season 4, Hills of Fire.
Lampert worked less during the 1980s and 1990s. She appeared in roles as diverse as The Exorcist III
The Exorcist III
The Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural thriller written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the second sequel of The Exorcist series and a film adaptation of Blatty's novel, Legion . The film stars George C. Scott, Brad Dourif, Ed Flanders, and Nicol Williamson...
(playing late actor George C. Scott
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
's wife), and the offbeat 1999 film, The Eden Myth, her last feature film role.
During the '80s, Lampert became known as the commercial spokesperson for "Goya" food products.
Filmography
- Odds Against TomorrowOdds Against TomorrowOdds Against Tomorrow is a 1959 film noir produced and directed by Robert Wise for HarBel Productions, a company founded by the film's star, Harry Belafonte. Belafonte selected Abraham Polonsky to write the script, which is based on a novel by William P. McGivern. As a blacklisted writer Polonsky...
(1959) (girl in bar) - Pay or DiePay or DiePay or Die is a 1960 film starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine, Alan Austin, and Robert F. Simon. It is a dramatization of the career of crusading New York City police officer Joseph Petrosino, a pioneer in the fight against organized crime in America...
(1960) (Adelina Saulino) - Posse from HellPosse from HellPosse from Hell is a 1961 Audie Murphy Western written by Clair Huffaker based on his 1958 novel of the same name. Herbert Coleman made his directoral debut.-Plot:...
(1961) (Helen Caldwell) - Splendor in the GrassSplendor in the GrassSplendor in the Grass is a 1961 romantic drama film that tells a story of sexual repression, love, heartbreak, and manic-depression, which the character Deanie suffers from...
(1961) (Angelina) - The Man From U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
(TV series)(1965-The Mad, Mad Tea Party Affair) (Kay Lorrison) - A Fine MadnessA Fine MadnessA Fine Madness is a motion picture comedy based on the 1964 novel by Elliott Baker that tells the story of Samson Shillitoe, a frustrated poet unable to finish a grand tome. It stars Sean Connery , Joanne Woodward, Jean Seberg, Patrick O'Neal and Clive Revill...
(1966) (Evelyn Tupperman) - I SpyI SpyI Spy is an American television secret-agent adventure series. It ran for three seasons on NBC from 1965 to 1968 and teamed Robert Culp as international tennis player Kelly Robinson with Bill Cosby as his trainer, Alexander Scott...
(TV series)(1967- Blackout) (Zili Markova) - Bye Bye BravermanBye Bye BravermanBye Bye Braverman is a 1968 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lumet. The screenplay by Herbert Sargent was adapted from the 1964 novel To An Early Grave by Wallace Markfield...
(1968) (Etta Rieff) - Some Kind of a NutSome Kind of a NutSome Kind of a Nut is a 1969 comedy film starring Dick Van Dyke, Angie Dickinson and Zohra Lampert....
(1969) Bunny Erickson - Where the Heart IsWhere the Heart Is (1969 TV series)Where the Heart Is is an American soap opera telecast on the CBS television network from September 8, 1969 to March 23, 1973. Created by Lou Scofield and Margaret DePriest, the program ran for 25 minutes, the remaining five minutes of its timeslot ceded to a CBS news break.Scofield and DePriest...
(TV series) (1969) (Ellie) - Let's Scare Jessica to DeathLet's Scare Jessica to DeathLet's Scare Jessica to Death is a 1971 low budget American horror film, directed by John D. Hancock, and starring Zohra Lampert in the title role. The film focuses on a recently institutionalized woman who has various nightmarish experiences after moving to an old farmhouse on a Connecticut island...
(1971) (Jessica) - The Bob Newhart ShowThe Bob Newhart ShowThe Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, , to April 1, . Comedian Bob Newhart portrayed a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers...
(TV Series)(1972-Motel) (Janine) - The Connection (made-for-TV) (1973) (Hannah)
- The Girl with Something ExtraThe Girl with Something ExtraThe Girl with Something Extra is an American fantasy-based sitcom that aired on NBC for one season during 1973-1974. The series was created by Bernard Slade and produced by Screen Gems Television.-Synopsis:...
(TV series) (1973–74) (Anne) - Doctors' HospitalDoctors' HospitalDoctors' Hospital is an American medical drama that ran on NBC during the 1975-1976 season. It followed the neurosurgery team at the fictional Lowell Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles, led by Dr. Jake Goodwin and his staff, including residents Norah Purcell , and Felipe Ortega , and Nurse Hestor...
(TV series) (1975–76) (Dr. Norah Purcell) - Opening Night (1977) (Dorothy Victor)
- Lady of the House (1978) (Julia de Paulo)
- The Suicide's Wife (made-for-TV) (1979) (Sharon Logan)
- Children of DivorceChildren of DivorceChildren of Divorce is a silent film, directed by Frank Lloyd from an adaptation of Owen Johnson's novel, written by Adela Rogers St. Johns, Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton.-Plot:...
(made-for-TV) (1980) - The Girl, the Gold Watch & EverythingThe Girl, the Gold Watch & EverythingThe Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything is a science fiction novel written by John D. MacDonald, considered "a classic screwball mystery".-Plot synopsis:...
(made-for-TV) (1980) (Wilma) - The Cafeteria (1984) (Esther)
- Alphabet City (film)Alphabet City (film)Alphabet City is a 1984 crime drama film directed by Amos Poe. The story follows a young gangster of Italian descent named Johnny, who has been given control over his own neighborhood by the Mob. Then unknown actors Vincent Spano , Jami Gertz, and Michael Winslow give compelling performances in...
(1984) (Mama) - TeachersTeachers (film)# "Teacher, Teacher" - 38 Special# "Cheap Sunglasses" - ZZ Top# "Foolin' Around" - Freddie Mercury# "I Can't Stop the Fire" - Eric Martin# "Edge of a Dream" - Joe Cocker# " Teacher" - Ian Hunter# "One Foot Back in Your Door" - Roman Holliday...
(1984) (Mrs. Pilikian) - Izzy & MoeIzzy and MoeIzzy & Moe is a 1985 made for TV crime/comedy film, starring Jackie Gleason and Art Carney. It is a fictional account of two Prohibition-era policemen, Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith, and their adventures in tracking down illegal bars and gangsters....
(1985) (Esther Einstein) - Ladies of the Corridor (made-for-TV) (1986)
- American Blue Note (1989) (Louise)
- Stanley & Iris (1990) (Elaine)
- The Exorcist IIIThe Exorcist IIIThe Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural thriller written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the second sequel of The Exorcist series and a film adaptation of Blatty's novel, Legion . The film stars George C. Scott, Brad Dourif, Ed Flanders, and Nicol Williamson...
(1990) (Mary Kinderman) - Alan & NaomiAlan & NaomiAlan & Naomi is a 1992 film about the friendship between two children in 1944 Brooklyn. Lukas Haas and Vanessa Zaoui star as the titular characters, and the screenplay is based on a novel by Myron Levoy...
(1992) (Mrs. Liebman) - Last Supper (1992)
- The Last Good TimeThe Last Good TimeThe Last Good Time is a 1994 drama film, released in early 1995, starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Olivia d'Abo, Maureen Stapleton and Lionel Stander in his final theatrical role...
(1994) (Barbara) - The Eden Myth (1999) (Alma Speck)
Television
- Bob Newhart Show (Second season, second episode - hooker in Peoria)
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963 episode - A Tangled Web)
- Hawaii 5-0 (1979 episode - Small Potatoes)