Karen Landry, who worked in television and film and on the Twin Cities' major stages, died from cancer on New Year's Eve, with her family around her in Venice Beach, Calif. A native of south Minneapolis and graduate of the University of Minnesota, Landry was 65.
"I'm losing my acting coach," said her husband of 34 years, Minnesota-bred actor Chris Mulkey. "All of the stuff I've done, she was a part of it. I always would ask her about a role and we'd pick it all apart together."
After earning a BFA in studio arts in 1972, Landry acted for three seasons at the Guthrie Theater. Mulkey, who grew up in St. Paul, first saw her on stage as Stella in "A Streetcar Named Desire."
"I was working at Children's Theatre and I remember on a night off watching her and leaning over to a friend at intermission and saying, 'That woman playing Stella is the best thing on the stage.' And the first time she saw me, I was riding on a white horse in 'He Who Gets Slapped' at CTC."
However, the two did not actually meet until 1980, at a party in Los Angeles. Shortly thereafter, they drove back to Minneapolis together because Landry was disillusioned with Hollywood.
"I always say that we fell in love by Des Moines," Landry said in a 2004 interview. They married in 1981 and split time between Southern California and a home in Roseville.
"They are one of those couples that really sought each other's company, made each other laugh — best friends," said Mixed Blood Theatre artistic director Jack Reuler, who knew Landry since she worked at the Guthrie and the Cricket Theatre.
Landry appeared in several independent films, most notably as the star of "Patti Rocks." The 1988 film, which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination as co-screenwriter, was filmed in the Twin Cities and achieved notoriety in no small part for Landry's fierce performance in the title role.