'High Plains Drifter' and 'Animal House' Actress Verna Bloom Dead at 80

Actress Verna Bloom, who appeared in classic films such as, Animal House and High Plains Drifter [...]

By Stephen Andrew

Actress Verna Bloom, who appeared in classic films such as, Animal House and High Plains Drifter has passed away at the age of 80.

According to Variety, a rep for Bloom confirmed that she died on died Jan. 9 in Bar Harbor, Maine.

He cause of death was reportedly due to complications of dementia, as per her family.

In addition to the aforementioned films, Bloom also appeared in Street Scenes (1970), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), After Hours (1985) and Honkytonk Man (1982).

Bloom was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on Aug. 7 1938. As an adult, she graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Boston University with a BFA, and later went on to study at the HB Studio in New York City.

In High Plains Drifter, Bloom co-starred alongside Clint Eastwood, who also directed the picture. In it, she played Sarah Belding, a woman whose husband finds himself on the bad side of Eastwood's Stranger.

The 1973 film holds wide critical acclaim, with Rotten Tomatoes recording an aggregated score of 96 percent Fresh.

"Clint Eastwood's sophomore outing as director sees him back in the saddle as a mysterious stranger, as the result is one of his most memorable Westerns," the site's Critics Consensus of the film reads.

In 1978, Bloom appeared in Animal House, a film that paved the way for the raunchy-comedy film genre. Bloom starred as Marion Wormer, the wife of John Vernon's Dean Vernon Wormer.

"The talents of director John Landis and Saturday Night Live's irrepressible John Belushi conspired to create a rambunctious, subversive college comedy that continues to resonate," Rotten Tomatoes' Critics Consensus reads for the legendary comedy.

Interestingly, neither of those films are the highest rated movies of her career, the 1985 Disney film The Journey of Natty Gann holds a rating of 100 percent Fresh. That film also starred Meredith Salenger, John Cusack, Lainie Kazan and Ray Wise.

Bloom's final film appearance was 1988s The Last Temptation of Christ, in which she played Mary, the mother of Jesus.

According to Yahoo News, Bloom is survived by her her son Sam and her spouse of nearly 50 years, screenwriter Jay Cocks (The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York).

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