Sharon Gans (July 29, 1935January 22, 2021) was an American actress and cult leader.
Gans grew up in the
Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
New York. She is best known for playing the role of Billy Pilgrim's wife, Valencia Merble, in
George Roy Hill
George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American actor and film director.
His films include ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford; both fil ...
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
's ''
Slaughterhouse-Five
''Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death'' is a 1969 semi-autobiographic science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows the life experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years, to his ...
''. Gans also starred in the award-winning
documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...
for
Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress award ...
for her performance in ''Soon Jack November''.
Career
In October 1988, Gans directed the play ''The Legend of Sharon Shashanovah'', presented at the 47th Street Theater in New York City. Gans co-wrote ''A Chekhov Concert'' with
Jordan Charney
Jordan Charney (born April 1, 1937) is an American character actor known for ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Network'' (1976) and ''Hill Street Blues'' (1981).
Early life and career
Charney was born in Brooklyn, New York,Alex Horn, founded and operated a "school" of the
Fourth Way
The Fourth Way is spiritual teacher George Gurdjieff's approach to human spiritual growth, developed and systematised by him over years of travel in the East (c. 1890 – 1912), and taught to followers in subsequent years. Gurdjieff's students ...
which some former students have asserted is actually a cult but which Gans had vehemently disputed. In December 1978, it was reported that Gans and Horn operated a theatre company in San Francisco where members accused Gans and Horn of brainwashing and violence. One former member of their group in New York, recounted specific allegations of public humiliation, forced labor, private adoptions, and ostracizing of former members.
In 2002,
Jeannette Walls
Jeannette Walls (born April 21, 1960) is an American author and journalist widely known as former gossip columnist for MSNBC.com and author of '' The Glass Castle'', a memoir of the nomadic family life of her childhood. Published in 2005, it ha ...
reported that Gans, who starred in the documentary film '' Artists and Orphans: A True Drama'' which had just been nominated for an Academy Award, had come under fire for various controversial practices, including attempts to force gay men to change their sexual orientation.
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...
, who had narrated the documentary, demanded to have her voice removed, claiming on her
show
Show or The Show may refer to:
Competition, event, or artistic production
* Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry
* Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy
** Cat show
** Dog show
** Horse show
** ...
that she did not know the connection between the film and Gans. "What is my luck that of all the theater groups in the world, the one I pick would be a cult?," she stated on her show.
Gans died on January 22, 2021.
In July 2022, ''Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of Sex, Crimes, Chaos and Survival'' was published by Arcade Publishing. Written by Spencer Schneider, it recounts his 23 years as a member of the Gans group.