American character actress Elsa Raven, best known for her roles in “Back to the Future” and “Amen,” has died. She was 91.
Raven died on Tuesday at home in Los Angeles as confirmed by her agent, David Shaul, Deadline reported.
Born Elsa Rabinowitz on September 21, 1929, in Charleston, SC, the fourth child of Louis and Rosalie Rabinowitz.
Raven moved to New York City to start her career, where she started out on the stage and served as an assistant to Joseph Papp at the Free Shakespeare Festival to Central Park. She got her start on the small screen in episodes of Combat!, General Hospital and New York Television Theatre.
Raven made her feature film acting debut in the 1970 film The Honeymoon Killers, followed by Such Good Friends, The Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight and South of Hell Mountain.
After a bit of a hitaus in the mid-70s, she returned as Mrs. Townsend in the beloved horror-thriller The Amityville Horror.
She continued to work steadily throughout the 1980s with film roles such as Second Thoughts and The Twilight Zone Movie, along with episodes of The A-Team.
Her most well-known role was a brief but memorable turn as Clocktower Lady in the 1985 classic Back to the Future. She’s seen in early scenes of the film trying to raise funds to save the clocktower in Hill Valley.
Raven was part of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, where she actively watched films and engaged in voting each year.
She is survived by her sister-in-law Lynne Rabinowitz and her 15 nieces and nephews.
