Carolyn Purdy-Gordon (born Carolyn Purdy; June 3, 1947), is an American former actress, playwright, and chef, best known for her long-time collaboration with her husband and filmmaker Stuart Gordon until his death in 2020.
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Life and career
Purdy-Gordon had met her future husband Stuart Gordon while they were both studying at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He had reportedly drunk dialed her before they officially began dating. They later relocated to Chicago and founded the Organic Theater Company, where her husband served as artistic director, beginning their 50-year long collaboration. With the company through the 1970s to early '80s, Gordon produced and directed thirty-seven plays, co-written by Purdy-Gordon, among them, the world premieres of The Warp Trilogy (Warp! would later be adapted into a comic book by First Comics), David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Bleacher Bums, E/R Emergency Room (which was adapted into the short-lived TV series E/R where Purdy-Gordon wrote each episode and even guest starred in one), and a two-part adaptation of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The initial production of Warp, written by Purdy-Gordon and her husband Gordon, was a critical and financial darling for Organic and briefly made it to Broadway, where it failed to repeat its initial success due to attendees reportedly not understanding it. Warp was influential according to theater critic, Richard Christiansen, for being a prelude to the Star Wars franchise and paving the way for additional Chicago theater companies. Their 1973 production of The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, (turned into a feature film 25 years later) featured an ensemble cast including Dennis Franz, Meshach Taylor, and Joe Mantegna.
Purdy-Gordon appeared in the stage play Switch Bitch for which she was nominated for the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role during her tenure with the Organic Theatre Company.
Purdy-Gordon is best known for her appearances in her husband's films like Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986), Dolls (1987), and The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) where her characters often met a grisly end. Purdy-Gordon, despite having initially studied acting in university, had no desire to pursue film acting as a full-time career and thus, only appeared in her husband's films with a few exceptions. Her cameo in The Arrival (1991) for instance was done as a personal favor, as her husband was friends with director David Schmoeller, while her small role in Snow White: A Deadly Summer (2012) was as a result of director David DeCoteau having been mentored by Gordon, both directors having worked with Charles Band.
Besides acting, Purdy-Gordon is also known for her cooking skills and often catered for her husband's films. During the 2000s, she also picked up gigs as a caterer for movies, including The Ten (2007) starring Adam Brody, Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, and Winona Ryder.
Personal life
Purdy-Gordon met her husband when they were both 18 and then married 3 years later on December 20, 1968. The couple had three daughters, named Suzanna, Jillian, and Margaret Gordon respectively.
