Zohra Lampert | |
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Lampert in Pay or Die (1960)
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Born |
New York City, New York, U.S. |
May 13, 1937
Alma mater | University of Chicago |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1954-2014 |
Spouse(s) | Bill Alton (1957-1958) (divorced) Jonathan Schwartz (2010-present) |
Zohra Lampert (born May 13, 1937) 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 for starring alongside Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty in the 1961 romance film Splendor in the Grass.
Lampert was born in New York City, the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants Rachil Eriss, a draper and hatmaker, and Morris Lampert, an architect and ironworker. Lampert attended New York's High School of Music & Art, and then the University of Chicago. She was married to actor Bill Alton from 1957 to 1958. In 2010, she married radio personality Jonathan Schwartz.
After working on minor stages for several years, including a stint as a member of the Second City troupe in Chicago, she performed on Broadway 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. In the 1960s/70s 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 (1977). Hawaii Five O 1978.