Laurie Bird

Laurie Bird September 26 1953 June 15 1979 was an American actress and photographer She appeared in three films during the 1970s two of which were directed by Monte Hellman She was romantically involved with Hellman and Art Garfunkel committing suicide in the latters apartment by taking an overdose of Valium Birds mother died by suicide when Bird was a baby Her father was an electrical engineer She had two older brothers Her father restricted her social life and she fled home multiple times In response he placed her in an institution for troubled girls She attended Jamaica High School in New York City until she was 15 Described by Hollywood columnist Dick Kleiner as looking like an innocent Hayley Mills Bird appeared in just three films TwoLane Blacktop 1971 Cockfighter 1974 and a small role as girlfriend to Paul Simons character in the romantic comedy Annie Hall 1977 While researching for TwoLane Blacktop screenwriter Rudolph Wurlitzer met her and recommended her to Hellman while he was looking for actresses for the same movie In TwoLane Blacktop she played a hitchhiker to whom the films characters are initially attracted but who runs off with a motorcyclist near the end of the film In 2012 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress Her second release Cockfighter had her paired opposite Warren Oates He loses her in a bet Film critic Michael Atkinson wrote in his book Exile Hollywood 2008 In two films she made more of an impression left more of a synaesthetic presence than many actors do in a career Bird was the still photographer on Cockfighter and shot the cover photo for Art Garfunkels 1977 album Watermark She appeared on the cover of Garfunkels 1975 album Breakaway She was romantically involved with her Blacktop and Cockfighter director Monte Hellman From 1974 until her death in 1979 Bird was in a serious romantic relationship with Art Garfunkel In 1979 Bird died by suicide by taking an overdose of Valium in the New York apartment she shared with Garfunkel who was deeply affected by her death Garfunkel said She was beautiful in a lonesome haunted way and I adored her But I wasnt ready for marriage and she was not very comfortable being Laurie She wasnt happy with herself Her mother committed suicide at 26 and so did she