Early career Left in financial difficulty by her husband's death, Weld's mother put Weld to work as a model to support the family. As the young actress told
Life in 1971: My father's family came from
Tuxedo Park, and they offered to take us kids and pay for our education, on the condition that Mama never see us again. Mama was an orphan who had come here from
London but so far as my father's family was concerned, she was strictly from the gutter. I have to give Mama credit—she refused to give us up… So I became the supporter of the family, and I had to take my father's place in many, many ways. I was expected to make up for everything that had ever gone wrong in Mama's life. She became obsessed with me, pouring out her pent-up love—her alleged love—on me, and it's been heavy on my shoulders ever since. Mama still thinks I owe everything to her. In 1956, Weld played the lead in
Rock, Rock, Rock, which featured record promoter
Alan Freed and singers
Chuck Berry,
Frankie Lymon, and
Johnny Burnette. In the film
Connie Francis performed the vocals for Weld's singing parts. On TV, she appeared in an episode of
Goodyear Playhouse, "Backwoods Cinderella". She understudied on
Broadway in
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. Weld was cast in a supporting role in the
Paul Newman–
Joanne Woodward comedy
Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1958), made by
20th Century Fox. At
Paramount Pictures, Weld was in
The Five Pennies (1959), playing the daughter of
Danny Kaye, who called Weld "15 going on 27". She guest-starred a number of times on
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1958–59). She appeared in
77 Sunset Strip with
Efrem Zimbalist Jr., in the 1959 episode, "Secret Island".
20th Century Fox Weld's performance in ''Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!
impressed executives at Fox, who signed her to a long-term contract. They cast her in the CBS television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'', with a salary of $35,000 for one year. Weld played
Thalia Menninger, the love interest of Dobie Gillis (played by
Dwayne Hickman), whose rivals for Thalia's affection included Milton Armitage (played by
Warren Beatty). Although Weld was a cast member for only one season, the show created considerable national publicity for her, and she was named a co-winner of a "Most Promising Newcomer" award at the
Golden Globe Awards. For Fox, Weld had a supporting role in the sequel
Return to Peyton Place (1961), in the part played by
Hope Lange in the original. Her portrayal of an
incest victim was well received, but the film was less successful than its predecessor. Fox also used her as a guest star on
Follow the Sun ("The Highest Wall") and
Adventures in Paradise ("The Velvet Trap"). On November 12, 1961, she played a singer, Cherie, in the seventh episode of
ABC's television series
Bus Stop, produced by Fox, with
Marilyn Maxwell and
Gary Lockwood. It was an adaptation of the play by
William Inge, with Weld in the role originated on screen by
Marilyn Monroe. Weld supported
Terry-Thomas in the
Frank Tashlin comedy
Bachelor Flat (1962), for Fox. Following the film's release, she appeared on ''
What's My Line?'' as the celebrity mystery guest. Weld's mother was scandalized by her teen daughter's love affairs with older men, such as actor
John Ireland, but Weld resisted, saying, If you don't leave me alone, I'll quit being an actress—which means there ain't gonna be no more money for you, Mama'. Finally, when I was sixteen, I left home. I just went out the door and bought my own house". She was
Stanley Kubrick's first choice to play the role of
Lolita in
his 1962 film, but she turned the offer down, saying: "I didn't have to play it. I was Lolita". She won excellent reviews for a February 7, 1962, episode in the
Naked City, "A Case Study of Two Savages", adapted from the real-life case of backwood killers
Charles Starkweather (played by
Rip Torn) and Caril Ann Fugate, (depicted as the character Ora Mae Youngham, played by Weld), Starkweather's 14 year old girlfriend, on a homicidal spree ending in New York City. She guest starred on
Route 66 in "Love Is a Skinny Kid" (1962),
Ben Casey in "When You See an Evil Man" (1962), and
The Dick Powell Theatre in "A Time to Die" (1962) and "
Run Till It's Dark" with Fabian (1962). In 1963, Weld guest starred as Denise Dunlear in
The Eleventh Hour, in the episode "Something Crazy's Going on in the Back Room" alongside
Angela Lansbury. She was in "
The Legend of Lylah Clare" for
The DuPont Show of the Week (1963), directed by
Franklin J. Schaffner. in the TV series
The Fugitive. In 1964, she appeared in the title role of the episode "Keep an Eye on Emily" on
Craig Stevens's
CBS drama,
Mr. Broadway. In the same year, she appeared as a troubled blind woman in "Dark Corner", an episode of
The Fugitive. She appeared with her former co-star Dwayne Hickman in
Jack Palance's circus drama
The Greatest Show on Earth on
ABC, in separate episodes. Weld supported
Bob Hope in the comedy ''
I'll Take Sweden'' (1965).
Stardom Weld appeared in 1965 in the
Norman Jewison film
The Cincinnati Kid, opposite
Steve McQueen. There was some controversy when she refused to meet the local governor at a fund-raiser for hurricane victims, jumping out of a car in view of 70,000 people. The film was a major commercial success. Weld got a star role in
Lord Love a Duck (1966), with
Roddy McDowall,
Ruth Gordon, and
Harvey Korman. Weld received excellent reviews, but the film was a box office disappointment. She followed it playing Abigail in a TV adaptation of
The Crucible (1967), opposite
George C. Scott and
Colleen Dewhurst. After guest starring on
Cimarron Strip (1967), Weld had the starring role in
Pretty Poison (1968), co-starring
Anthony Perkins. The film became a cult success, but she disliked the film and did not get on with director
Noel Black. Around this time, Weld became famous for turning down roles in films that succeeded at the box office, such as
Bonnie and Clyde, ''
Rosemary's Baby, True Grit, Cactus Flower, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. In a 1971 interview with The New York Times'', Weld explained that she had chosen to reject these roles precisely because she believed they would be commercial successes: "Do you think I want a success? I refused 'Bonnie and Clyde' because I was nursing at the time, but also because deep down I knew it was going to be a huge success. The same was true of 'Bob and Carol and Fred and Sue' or whatever it was called. It reeked of success".
Peak years of success Weld began to work again in television, starring in
Reflections of Murder (1974) and
F. Scott Fitzgerald in Hollywood (1975) in which she played
Zelda Fitzgerald. Weld attracted attention as the favored, out-of-control Katherine in
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)—packing into her short screen time an orgy, a divorce, a lot of alcohol, and two abortions—and was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress; She played the lead in the TV films:
A Question of Guilt (1978), in which she plays a woman accused of murdering her children;
Mother and Daughter: The Loving War (1980), a remake of
Madame X (1981); a new version of
The Rainmaker (1982); and co-starred with
Donald Sutherland in the TV film
The Winter of Our Discontent (1983), for which she received an Emmy nomination. In feature films, Weld had a supporting role in
Michael Mann's 1981 film
Thief, opposite
James Caan. She played
Al Pacino's wife in
Author! Author! (1982), and had a supporting role in
Heartbreak Hotel (1988). In 1984, she appeared in
Sergio Leone's gangster film
Once Upon a Time in America, playing a jeweler's secretary who is in on a plan to steal a shipment of diamonds. During the robbery, her character goads
Robert De Niro's character,
David "Noodles" Aaronson, into "raping" her with her complicity. She later meets up with the gang from the robbery, and becomes the moll of
James Woods' character Max Bercovicz. The performance earned Weld a
BAFTA nomination for
Best Supporting Actress of 1984. On TV, Weld was in
Scorned and Swindled (1984),
Circle of Violence (1986) and
Something in Common (1986).
Later career Weld was reunited with
Anthony Perkins in an episode of
Mistress of Suspense (1990). In 1993, she played a police officer's
neurotic wife in
Falling Down, starring
Michael Douglas and
Robert Duvall. She had small supporting roles in
Feeling Minnesota (1996),
Investigating Sex (2001), and
Chelsea Walls (2001). ==Personal life==