Carol Speed, a talented and captivating actress, made a significant impact in the world of cult cinema with her vibrant and charming performances in a few notable 1970s blaxploitation films.
Born Carolyn Stewart on March 14, 1945, in Bakersfield, California, Speed holds the distinction of being the first black homecoming queen in Santa Clara County and one of the first black individuals to receive a scholarship for the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.
She began her career in show business as a backup singer for Bobbie Gentry at Harrah's club in Reno, Nevada, before making her film debut as a hooker in The New Centurions (1972).
Speed's most memorable movie roles include her portrayal of Mickie, a sassy prison inmate, in Jack Hill's comedy The Big Bird Cage (1972),Lulu, the loyal prostitute girlfriend of pimp Max Julien, in The Mack (1973),Janyce, a sarcastic rock groupie, in Bummer (1973),Leslie, the sweet gal pal of club owner Rockne Tarkington, in Black Samson (1974),and Sarah, a deaf-mute, in Al Adamson's Dynamite Brothers (1974).
She also gave an impressive performance as a minister's innocent wife who becomes possessed by the malevolent spirit of an evil demon in William Girdler's horror film Abby (1974).
In addition to her film work, Speed had a recurring role on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives (1965) in the summer of 1970, made a guest appearance on an episode of Sanford and Son (1972),appeared in several TV commercials, and popped up in the made-for-TV films The Girls of Huntington House (1973),Love Hate Love (1971),Tenafly (1973),Getting Away from It All (1972),and The Psychiatrist (1970).
Outside of acting, Speed was also a successful writer, authoring the books "Inside Black Hollywood" and "The Georgette Harvey Story", and a singer and songwriter, having sung her own compositions "I Can Make It" in "The Girls of Huntington House" and "My Soul Is A Witness" in "Abby".
After taking a lengthy hiatus from acting, Speed made a welcome comeback with a supporting part in the independent thriller Village Vengeance (2006).
Sadly, Carol Speed passed away at the age of 76 on January 14, 2022, in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
