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Man in “Out of the Blue”
Linda Manz, who as an androgynous teen conquered many with her appearances in the films “Days of Heaven” and “Out of the Blue,” died Friday at 58. The cause, according to extended family post on social media, was pneumonia and long cancers.
Born in NYC on August 20, 1961, Manz was cast around 15 to appear as the narrator of Terrence Malick’s period film “Days of Heaven”, which was released in 1978 after an arduous shoot. Initially received with mixed reviews, it has progressed to overwhelming critical acclaim. Manz’s improvised narration is widely regarded as an essential aspect of what makes the film – which is kept in the United States Film Registry – an artistic success.
In 1979, Manz had Peewee’s favorite memory supporting role in the hit movie “The Wanderers.” One of her stars, Ken Wahl, wrote Friday from Manz on Facebook, “She was great to work with and I’m glad I had to talk to her before she continued.”
Manz’s last starring role was in the 1980s “Out of the Blue”, in which she was directed by and appeared alongside Dennis Hopper. The influential film competed at Cannes, and Manz’s achievements inspired a generation of actresses. Chloe Sevigny told Paper in 1995, “As for actress, I would like to have a career as Linda Manz. She’s my favorite actress. She’s made three films and all of them are masterpieces, except ‘The Wanderers.’ “Now she lives in a trailer park with three or four kids, I think. But I’d rather do that than do 10 movies and make millions of dollars and they all have trashy movies.”
Natasha Lyonne told Interview in 2013, “The world at large does not always make sense to me, and there are safe havens. Linda Manz in ‘Out of the Blue’ is one of them.”
Crowdsourcing raised more than $ 60,000 last year to repair ‘Out of the Blue’.
Getty Images
Manz (L) with Matt Dillon, Brooke Shields & Christopher Atkins on Shields’ 15th birthday in 1980.
In 1997, Manz – who rarely performed in the ’80s, and appeared in a small role in that year’s Gummo’ – told Time Out New York, “There was a whole bunch of new “young actors who were there, and I was kind of getting lost in the shuffle. So I lay back and had three kids. Now I just enjoy staying home and cooking soup.”
Manz was preceded in death by her son Chris, who died in a motorcycle accident two years ago. She leaves behind her husband, Bobby Guthrie, her two surviving sons, and three grandchildren.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the late actor – whose married name was Linda Guthrie – to help cover the final expenses.
