Tamara Wilcox (March 4, 1940 – January 30, 1998), also known as Tamara Horrocks and Tamara Wilcox-Smith, was an American costume designer, actress, and theatrical producer and director.
Early life and education
Wilcox was born in Soda Springs, Idaho, and was adopted by William H. and Dora Mickelson Wilcox. She married Leland R. Horrocks on June 8, 1958. In 1962, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University. Her marriage ended in 1965. She had one son, Sean Leland.
Career
Beginning in 1965, Wilcox worked as a theatrical costume designer in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. She later performed with the Committee Theatre on tour. In 1976, she founded the improvisational theatre group Interplay, and subsequently established the similar groups Play by Play and the National Improvisational Theatre.
In the early 1980s, she was recognized as the best director by the National Academy of Concert and Cabaret Artists for her work with Interplay. A feature on that group on the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour was nominated for a Peabody Award. In 1980, she collaborated with John Phillips, former leader of the rock group The Mamas & the Papas, on a screenplay titled Sweet Believer, a story about Cass Elliott, who died of heart failure in 1974.
Acting credits
Wilcox's acting credits include portraying Capt. Bridget "Knocko" McCarthy in Robert Altman's original 1970 film version of M.A.S.H., and appearing in Andy Warhol's Bad (1977) and Pontiac Moon (1994).
Selected works
- M.A.S.H., "Capt. Bridget 'Knocko' McCarthy," 1970
- Disco (screenplay), broadcast by NBC in 1976
- Andy Warhol's Bad, "Angry Mother," 1977
- Cats, Bats, and Sacred Cows, Contemporary Perspectives, 1977
- Mysterious Detectives: The Psychics, Contemporary Perspectives, 1977
- (with Ed Love) Dance for Me, produced 1980
- Whattashow!, produced 1983
- Pontiac Moon, "Buffalo Bar Singer," 1994
Death
Wilcox died on January 30, 1998, in Los Angeles, California, of heart failure at age 57. She was dubbed "The First Lady of Improv" by the New York press.
