Susan Anspach, the actress known for her roles in 1970s films, such as Bob Rafaelson’s “Five Easy Pieces” and Paul Mazursky’s “Blume in Love,” died Monday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 75.
Anspach’s son, Caleb Goddard, announced her death to the N.Y. Times, saying the cause was coronary failure.
In “Five Easy Pieces,” Anspach played a serious pianist who had sex with Jack Nicholson despite being engaged to his brother.
In “Play It Again, Sam,” she played Allen’s critical ex-wife.
In Dusan Makavayev’s 1981 “Montenegro,” she played a disturbed housewife.
In “Blume in Love,” she portrayed the ex-wife of George Segal’s character who he tries to win back.
Anspach landed recurring roles on TV series, appearing in the family drama “The Yellow Rose,” the 13-hour mini-series “Space,” and the comedy “The Slap Maxwell Story.”
Anspach last appeared in the family drama “Wild About Harry” and the 2010 thriller “Inversion.”
She publicly claimed Jack Nicholson as Goddard’s father, but the actor has never confirmed the paternity, and later tangled with Anspach in court over repayment of substantial loans he made to her.
She was married to actor Mark Goddard, who adopted her children, from 1970 to 1978. Her second husband was musician Sherwood Ball, whom she divorced in 1986.
