Carol Speed
| Carol Speed | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Carolyn Stewart March 14, 1945 Bakersfield, California, United States |
| Education |
Santa Clara High School American Conservatory Theatre |
| Occupation | Actress, singer, author |
| Years active | 1970-present |
Carol Speed (born Carolyn Stewart; March 14, 1945) is an American actress, singer and author.[1] She is best known for her roles in films of the 1970s blaxploitation era, Most notably starring as Abby Williams in the American International Pictures 1974 blaxploitation horror film Abby. Speed has appeared in sixteen films since 1970 and has since authored some books including Inside Black Hollywood which was published in 1980.
Early life
Born Carolyn Stewart in Bakersfield, California, Speed was the first black homecoming queen during her sophomore year at Santa Clara High School. After high school, she received a scholarship to attend American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California.
Career
Speed began her career in music, singing background for Bobbie Gentry at the Harrah's Club in Reno, Nevada. In 1972, she made her film debut in The New Centurions as Martha, a teenage hooker. Speed found more film success as Mickie, a prison inmate in Jack Hill's 1972 The Big Bird Cage and Lulu, the top prostitute alongside Max Julien in the 1973 film The Mack.
Selected filmography
- The Big Bird Cage (1972) as Mickie
- The New Centurions (1972) as Martha
- The Mack (1973) as Lulu
- Savage! (1973) as Amanda
- Dynamite Brothers (1974) as Sarah
- Black Samson (1974) as Leslie
- Abby (1974) as Abby Williams
- Disco Godfather (1979) as Noel