WORONOV, Mary (Peter) 1946-

PERSONAL: Born December 8, 1946, in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Victor D. (a doctor) and Carol (Eschholz) Woronov; married Ted Gershuny (a bond broker), 1969 (divorced); married Ted Whitehead (a race car driver and agent), 1979. Education: Attended Cornell University.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Phil Brock, Studio Talent Group, 1328 12th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401. E-mail—mail@maryworonov.com.

CAREER: Actor in films, including The Chelsea Girls, 1967, Death Race 2000, 1975, Rock 'n' Roll High School, 1979, Eating Raoul, 1982, Black Widow, 1987, and Warlock, 1989; actor in television series, including episodes of Logan's Run, 1977, and Sledge Hammer!, 1987, in television movies, including Challenge of a Lifetime, 1985, and in television specials, including Cheech and Chong's Get Out of My Room, 1985; actor in stage productions, including Kitchenette, 1968, and Boom Boom Room, 1974. Painter and author.

AWARDS, HONORS: Theatre World Award, 1974, for Boom Boom Room (play).

WRITINGS:

Wake for the Angels: Paintings and Stories, Journey Editions (Boston, MA), 1994.

Swimming Underground: My Years in the Warhol Factory, Journey Editions (Boston, MA), 1995.

Snake, Serpent's Tail (New York, NY), 2000, 2nd edition, 2002.

Niagara, Serpent's Tail (London, England), 2002.

Blind Love, Serpent's Tail (London, England), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: Actor Mary Woronov is well known for her appearances in such cult films as Eating Raoul and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, both black comedies directed by Paul Bartel. Although Woronov had attended art school for training in sculpture, her association with artist Andy Warhol led to parts in such movies as The Chelsea Girls—an experimental film shot at New York, NY's Chelsea Hotel—and from there a career in acting. In her 1995 autobiography, Swimming Underground: My Years in the Warhol Factory, Woronov recounts her experiences as a member of the Factory and the Velvet Underground.

Woronov still pursues artistic endeavors in other disciplines, however. The book Wake for the Angels is a collection of both her short fiction and expressionist paintings, which are represented in the volume by 130 color plates. "Woronov's stories are jarring and propelled by a powerful undertow," observed Donna Seaman in Booklist. In Wake for the Angels the author depicts failing marriages, drug abusers, street gangs, runaway children, and dysfunctional relationships. The landscape of her short stories, according to a Publishers Weekly contributor, is "an urban hell." Although Woronov's prose style is lean and somewhat surreal, the paintings which accompany the stories are kinetic and boldly colored; the people she depicts, according to Seaman in Booklist, "are tense whirls of emotion." The Publishers Weekly reviewer determined that "there is pleasure in watching Woronov's imagination feverishly teasing stories from the canvases." Library Journal contributor Russell T. Clement stated that the author "brutally yet poignantly weaves a powerfully haunting California-style vision of urban life."

In Woronov's revealing book Swimming Underground, the reader is exposed to the spiraling world of drugs and sex through her experiences in the 1960's drug scene as one of the Warhol disciples. "Using her innate literary ability, she allows us to experience … the depravity of people totally out of control. She takes us on a surreal trip, shocking even to those who experienced the psychedelic sixties for themselves," wrote a reviewer on the Mary Woronov Home Page. Guardian Unlimited Web site reviewer Nicola McAllister observed, "She has taken up a Warhol suggestion—'if you really believe in nothing you can write a book about it'—and made it riveting." It is clear from Woronov's writing that she is no longer a fan of the late Warhol. "Without actually putting him down, Woronov lets her disdain for Warhol matter-of-factly seep onto the pages," according to Gretchen Giles on the Sonoma Independent Web site. Giles also surmised "there is an aching sense of loss in Swimming Underground, and it's not only the loss of youth and innocence. The darkest loss was Woronov's chance to shape herself as an artist." Lit Web site writer Dennis Harvey pointed out that "Swimming Underground doesn't cater to those not already well schooled in the events and personalities of that baroque era. Diving into that black hole with eerie immediacy, Woronov seems to be writing for herself, exorcising (and embracing) old demons." Harvey continued, "For Woronov, the worst of times were the best of times." A reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted Woronov's "writing alone makes this an engrossing read."

Woronov takes a stab at fictional writing for her next literary endeavor, Snake. The book centers on the story of a Greek prophetess, Cassandra, who had visions no one would take seriously, of which Woronov has woven into a contemporary tale, renaming the main character Sandra. As a child, Sandra was abandoned by her mother, and left to live with her grandmother, who was embittered by men. When Sandra's grandmother dies she is forced to go back to live with her mother who is now married and lives in suburbia. Sandra's mother still has scorn for her, which is only exacerbated by the advances of her stepfather on Sandra. She can no longer tolerate living in that home and moves to Los Angeles where she gets involved in sleazy nightclubs. She ends up marrying one of the men she meets, and not only regrets it, but wishes he would die. One night her wish comes true when a novice hit man kills her husband right in front of her while she is in a drug-induced state. The hit man ends up taking Sandra with him rather than killing her, and a run from the mob ensues. "Woronov excels at depicting the ways sexual sophistication and excess often mask deeper anxiety and insecurity," observed a reviewer for Publishers Weekly. New Statesman contributor Graham Bendel wrote, "Woronov has a habit of going off at a tangent, occasionally losing the plot altogether. But her writing is assured and imaginative." On the Mary Woronov Home Page, the book is described as "'The Stepford Wives' meet 'Bonnie and Clyde' in Mary Woronov's debut novel which is as unpredictable as it is unforgettable."

In Woronov's next attempt at fiction, Niagara, she once again turns heads with her bizarre story line that delves into the world of sex and drugs. This story is about a young Asian girl named Molly, who has forgotten who she is and where she parked. Woronov digs into risqué material when she suggests that Molly and her half brother become lovers. Molly's boyfriend at the time is the high school quarterback and longs for the affection of Molly, for which he waits patiently. When Molly's brother dies after going over the Falls in a barrel, Bobby sees his opportunity. Bobby and Molly marry and they move to California. A series of bizarre events, including Molly's brother showing up again, as a gay man who enjoys dressing in drag, shake up their world. In the end Molly decides it is best to stay with her husband, however their future together is uncertain. A Kirkus Reviews critic wrote that Niagara is "a long drop from … Woronov's stunning debut." "Caught in a riptide between noir and farce, emerging as too little of either," was this critic's final summation of Woronov's book.

It is clear from Woronov's autobiography that she uses her life experiences as a base for her writing. Woronov's fans are sure to be waiting in anticipation for her next surprise.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

books

Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television, Volume 8, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 1990.

periodicals

Booklist, September 15, 1994, p. 98; October 15, 1995, Donna Seaman, review of Swimming Underground: My Years in the Warhol Factory, p. 379.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2002, review of Niagara, pp. 611-612.

Library Journal, September 1, 1994, p. 181.

New Statesman, October 23, 2000, Graham Bendel, review of Snake, p. 57.

People, February 12, 1996, Kim Hubbard, review of Swimming Underground, pp. 38-39.

Publishers Weekly, August 29, 1994, p. 61; October 2, 1995, review of Swimming Underground, p. 62; May 15, 2000, review of Snake, p. 90.

online

Bookwire, http://www.bookwire.com/ (November 25, 2002), Donna Seaman, review of Swimming Underground.

Guardian Unlimited Web site, http://www.guardian.co.uk/ (November 25, 2002), Nicola McAllister, review of Swimming Underground.

Lit Web site, http://www.sfbg.com/ (November 25, 2002), Dennis Harvey, review of Swimming Underground.

Mary Woronov Home Page, http://www.maryworonov.com (November 25, 2002), reviews of Swimming Underground and Snake.

Sonoma County Independent, http://www.metroactive.com/ (November 25, 2002), Gretchen Giles, review of Swimming Underground.*