Katherine Tupper "Kitty" Winn (born February 21, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as the heroin addict Helen in the romantic drama ''

The Panic in Needle Park ''The Panic in Needle Park'' is a 1971 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino (in his first lead role) and Kitty Winn. The screenplay is written by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, ...

'' (1971), for which she won the Best Actress award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, and her recurring role of Sharon Spencer in the horror film franchise ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

''.

Early life

Kitty Winn was born on February 21, 1943, in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Army officer James J. Winn and Molly Pender Brown Winn. She had one brother. Winn traveled widely during much of her childhood, having spent time in the United States, England, Germany, China, India, and Japan. Her mother is the stepdaughter of U.S. General of the Army, former

US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

, and former

US Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (acronym: SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclos ...

George C. Marshall and daughter of Katherine Tupper Marshall.

Career

Winn's career has spanned a wide range of dramatic productions on stage, in motion pictures and on television. She studied acting at Centenary Junior College and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

, graduating from the latter in 1966. During her college years Winn acted in student productions at Centenary Junior College, Boston University, and

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

and summer stock for two summers at The Priscilla Beach Theatre, south of Boston. Shortly after college she joined the company at

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The American ...

in San Francisco, where she remained for four years under the artistic direction of William Ball. In the fall of 1970 Winn left American Conservatory Theater to star opposite

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

in the film ''

'', for which she won the Best Actress award at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. Although she went on to do several more films, including ''

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...

'' (1971) and ''

'' (1973), she spent most of her career in theater. She played Cordelia in '' The Tragedy of King Lear'' for

KCET KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOC ...

in 1983, and soon retired from acting. She did not return to the stage again until 2011, when she played the lead in ''The Last Romance'' at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. For this performance, she was nominated for a best actress award by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.

Body of work

Theatre

Motion pictures

Movies for television

Series for television

Awards

Cannes Film Festival

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winn, Kitty 1943 births Living people Actresses from Washington, D.C. American stage actresses Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners 21st-century American women Centenary University alumni Boston University alumni