Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter. She starred as a country singer in Robert Altman's film "Nashville" in 1975. A native of Illinois, Black studied acting in New York City and performed on Broadway before making her major film debut in Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy Now (1966). She followed this with roles in Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970)