Verna Bloom, star of Animal House and The Last Temptation of Christ, dies aged 80
VERNA BLOOM, the star of Animal House and The Last Temptation of Christ, has died aged 80 from complications arising from dementia.
Verna left behind her husband 49-year-old, Jay Cocks, who was Oscar-nominated for his screenplay for Gangs Of New York.
She also has left behind her son.
The star of the silver screen was born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1938 and attended Boston University.
After graduation, she moved to Denver where she started a local theatre.
The film star has more than 30 acting credits to her name and was nominated for two National Society of Film Critics Awards in 1970.
The performer was nominated for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her role in Medium Cool.
The film was her first role on the big screen.
In 2003 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
It was deemed to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
However, she was most memorable for her role in John Landis' Animal House.
The 1978 romantic comedy saw Verna star as Marion Wormer, who sleeps with a fraternity student when drunk.
Her final big-screen role was in 1988 when she starred in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, in which she portrayed Mary mother of Jesus.
Verna’s last TV acting role was in 2003 when she appeared in an episode of The West Wing.
It was her first acting role in a decade.
Her family has requested donations may be made in her memory to Bonaparte’s Retreat Dog Rescue.