Camilla Carr died on 4 Febraury 2026 in El Paso, Texas, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease and a dislocated hip. Her son, Caley O’Dwyer a writer, poet, and painter confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
Who Was Camilla Carr?
Camilla Carr was an American actress who built a lasting reputation in cult cinema and television. Born on September 17, 1942, in Memphis, Texas, she studied at Kermit High School and later attended the University of North Texas.
She began her acting career in theatre and film, eventually becoming a familiar face in exploitation and horror movies during the 1970s. Despite working mostly in low-budget productions, Carr stood out for her intense performances and fearless choice of roles.
Camilla Carr’s Cult Horror Film Career
Carr played a disturbed patient who murders a nurse in Don’t Look in the Basement (1973). She followed this with the role of a manipulative hillbilly daughter in Poor White Trash Part II (1974), also known as Scum of the Earth, a film that became popular at drive-in theaters.
In Keep My Grave Open (1977), she starred as a woman with a violent split personality who believes she is also her brother. All three films were directed by S.F. Brownrigg, a filmmaker praised for creating chilling atmospheres on extremely small budgets.
Camilla Carr’s Memorable Role on Designing Women
Carr made a powerful television appearance in CBS’ Designing Women in 1987. In the episode “They’re Killing All the Right People”, she played Mrs. Imogene Salinger, a Sugarbaker client with offensive views about AIDS.
In one scene, her character says,“As far as I’m concerned, this disease has one thing going for it: It’s killing all the right people.”
Reflecting on the role, her son later said, “It was a shitty character, but she did a great job for an important cause.”
The episode was written by series creator Linda Bloodworth Thomason, whose mother had died after contracting AIDS through a blood transfusion. The script earned Thomason an Emmy nomination.
Camilla Carr’s Television, Theatre, and Later Work
Carr appeared in Michael Anderson’s Logan’s Run (1976) and played housekeeper Nellie Maxwell in three episodes of CBS’ Falcon Crest in 1988. She also had roles in One Day at a Time and Another World.
On stage, she performed in several productions for the Los Angeles Theatre Center, including Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana in 1991, where she portrayed Maxine.
In 2015, Carr came out of retirement to appear in Don’t Look in the Basement 2, directed by Anthony Brownrigg, the son of S.F. Brownrigg.
Camilla Carr’s Writing Career and Personal Life
In addition to acting, Carr worked as a writer on telefilms and authored the comic novel Topsy Turvy Dingo Dog (1989). The book follows a B-movie actress, Mary Jane Shady, who returns to her hometown of Uncertain, Texas, for her 20th high school reunion.
Carr’s second husband was Edward Anhalt, an Oscar-winning screenwriter known for Panic in the Streets and Becket. They were married from 1968 to 1976, and she was one of his five wives.
