Marianna Hill (born Marianna Schwarzkopf; February 9, 1942) is an American actress who is known for her starring roles in the Western films El Condor (1970) and High Plains Drifter and the cult horror film Messiah of Evil (both 1973), as well as many roles on television series in the 1960s and 1970s.
Her father, a building contractor, worked in several countries, which resulted in Hill's education in California, Spain, and Canada. During her teenage years, her family settled in southern California when her father purchased a restaurant there.[2]
Career
Hill's initial acting experience came when she was an apprentice at the Laguna Playhouse. She then worked three summers at the La Jolla Playhouse, and later gained more experience at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.[2] She was a life member of The Actors Studio[3] as of January 1980. She adopted her mother's surname ("Hill") as her professional surname. She appeared in more than 70 films and television episodes.
After moving to New York to teach at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Hill moved to England in 1988 to teach at the Lee Strasberg Studio in London. She remained there until its closure in 2001.[5] Hill continued to teach at the Method Studio in London, and made an appearance in the 2005 British film Coma Girl: The State of Grace, a part she got through the association of one of her students with the film's writer and director Dina Jacobsen.
Her last American film was Chief Zabu, which was filmed on the campus of Bard College in New York in 1986. The film was not released until 2016.[6][7] In a rare public appearance, Hill attended the premier of the movie at the 2016 Fort Lauderdale Film Festival.[8]
Hill lives in the UK. She teaches acting privately and at acting workshops. She was scheduled to make an appearance at the Destination Star Trek Germany convention in June 2021; however, the convention was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]