Edith Minturn Sedgwick Post (April 20, 1943 – November 16, 1971) was an American actress and fashion model, known for being one of
Andy Warhol's superstars.
[Watson, Steven (2003), "Factory Made: Warhol and the Sixties" Pantheon Books, pp. 210–217] Sedgwick became known as "The Girl of the Year" in 1965 after starring in several of Warhol's short films in the 1960s. She was dubbed an "
It Girl
An "it girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging.
The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. ...
", while ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' magazine also named her a "
Youthquaker".
Sedgwick broke with Warhol in 1966, and attempted to forge an independent acting career. However, her mental health deteriorated from drug abuse, and she struggled to complete the semi-autobiographical film ''
Ciao! Manhattan
''Ciao! Manhattan'' is a 1972 American avant garde film starring Edie Sedgwick. A scripted drama in which most of the actors play themselves, it centers on a character very closely based on Sedgwick, and deals with the pain of addiction and the ...
''. She gave up drugs and alcohol after meeting her future husband Michael Post, and completed filming ''Ciao! Manhattan'' in early 1971. Post and Sedgwick married in July 1971; she died four months later of an overdose at age 28.
Early life and education
Edie Sedgwick was born in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...
, the seventh of eight children of Alice Delano de Forest (1908–1988) and Francis Minturn Sedgwick (1904–1967), a rancher and sculptor, and a member of the historical
Sedgwick family
The Sedgwick family is a predominantly American family originating in England. Members of the family and their descendants have been influential in politics, law, business, and the arts. The earliest known member of the Sedgwick family to have gone ...
of Massachusetts. Sedgwick's mother, Alice, was the daughter of
Henry Wheeler de Forest, the president and chairman of the board of the
Southern Pacific Railroad. She was named after her father's aunt,
Edith Minturn Stokes, who was famously painted with her husband,
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes (April 11, 1867 – December 18, 1944) was an American architect. Stokes was a pioneer in social housing who co-authored the 1901 New York tenement house law. For twenty years he worked on '' The Iconography of Manhat ...
, by
John Singer Sargent. She was of English and
French Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Beza ...
ancestry.
Despite the family's wealth and high social status, Sedgwick's early life was troubled.
The Sedgwick children were raised on the family's California ranches. Initially schooled at home and cared for by nannies, their lives were rigidly controlled by their parents. They were largely isolated from the outside world, and it was instilled into them that they were superior to most of their peers. It was within these familial and social conditions that Sedgwick by her early teens developed an
eating disorder, settling into an early pattern of
binging and purging
Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eate ...
. At age 13 (the year her grandfather
Henry Dwight Sedgwick died), Sedgwick began boarding at
the Branson School
The Branson School (also known as Branson, Branson School, or KBS) is a co-educational college-preparatory high school for students in grades 9–12. The school has 320 students, and is located in Ross, California, north of San Francisco.
Histo ...
near San Francisco. According to her older sister Alice "Saucie" Sedgwick, she was soon taken out of the school because of the eating disorder. Her father severely restricted her freedom when she returned home.
All the Sedgwick children had conflicted relationships with their father (whom they called "Fuzzy"). By most accounts, he was narcissistic, emotionally remote, controlling, and frequently abusive. He also openly carried on affairs with other women. On one occasion, Edie walked in on him while he was having sex with one of his mistresses. She reacted with great surprise, but he claimed that she had imagined it, slapped her, and called a doctor to administer tranquilizers to her. As an adult, Sedgwick told people that he had attempted to
molest
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assau ...
her several times, beginning when she was seven.
In 1958, her parents enrolled her at
St. Timothy's School
St. Timothy's School is a four-year private all-girls boarding high school in Stevenson, Maryland.
History
The school was founded as a school for girls by Sarah Randolph Carter in Catonsville, Maryland in 1882. In 1952, the school moved to Steve ...
in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. She was eventually taken out of the school due to an eating disorder that had progressed to
anorexia
Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...
.
In the autumn of 1962, at her father's insistence, Sedgwick was
committed to the private
Silver Hill psychiatric hospital in
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census.
About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bound ...
. As the regime was very lax, Sedgwick easily manipulated the situation at Silver Hill, and her weight kept dropping. She was later sent to
Bloomingdale, the
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
division of
New York Hospital, where her anorexia improved markedly. Around the time she left the hospital, she had a brief relationship with a
Harvard student, became pregnant, and procured an abortion, citing her present psychological issues.
In the autumn of 1963, Sedgwick moved to
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
and began studying sculpture with her cousin, artist
Lily Saarinen. According to Saarinen, Sedgwick "was very insecure about men, though all the men loved her." During this period, she partied with members of an elite bohemian fringe of the Harvard social scene.
Sedgwick was deeply affected by the loss of her older brothers, Francis Jr. (known as "Minty") and Robert (known as "Bobby"), who died within 18 months of each other. Francis Sedgwick, who had a particularly unhappy relationship with their father, suffered several breakdowns, eventually dying by suicide in 1964 while committed at Silver Hill Hospital. Her second oldest brother, Robert, also suffered from mental health problems and died when his motorcycle crashed into the side of a New York City bus on
New Year's Eve 1965.
The Factory
On her twenty-first birthday in April 1964, Sedgwick received an $80,000
trust fund
A trust is a legal relationship in which the holder of a right gives it to another person or entity who must keep and use it solely for another's benefit. In the Anglo-American common law, the party who entrusts the right is known as the " sett ...
from her maternal grandmother. Soon after, she relocated to New York City to pursue a career in modeling. In March 1965, she met artist and
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
filmmaker
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...
at a party at
Lester Persky
Lester Persky (July 6, 1925 – December 16, 2001) was an American film, television, and theatre producer.
Early life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Persky attended Brooklyn College before serving in the Merchant Navy during World War ...
's apartment, and began frequently visiting
The Factory
The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities and Warhol's superstar ...
, Warhol's art studio in
Midtown Manhattan.
During one of her subsequent visits, Warhol was filming ''
Vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
'' (1965), his interpretation of
Anthony Burgess
John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer.
Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his dystopian satire ''A Clockwork ...
' novel ''
A Clockwork Orange''. Despite ''Vinyl''s all-male cast, Warhol put Sedgwick in the movie. Around this time, she also made a small cameo appearance in another Warhol film, ''Horse'' (1965).
Sedgwick's appearances in both films were brief but generated enough interest that Warhol decided to cast her in the starring role of his next films.
The first of these avant-garde films, ''
Poor Little Rich Girl'' (1965), was originally conceived as part of a series of films featuring Sedgwick called ''The Poor Little Rich Girl Saga''. The series was to include ''Poor Little Rich Girl'', ''Restaurant'', ''Face'' and ''Afternoon''. Filming of ''Poor Little Rich Girl'' began in March 1965 in Sedgwick's apartment; it depicted her going about her daily routines. Sedgwick's next film for Warhol was ''
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running wate ...
'', which was filmed in May 1965 but was not released until 1966. Written by Factory scriptwriter
Ronald Tavel
Ronald Tavel (May 17, 1936 – March 23, 2009) was an American screenwriter, director, novelist, poet and actor, best known for his work with Andy Warhol and The Factory.
Early life and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Tavel graduated fro ...
, the film stars Sedgwick,
Rene Ricard
Rene Ricard (July 23, 1946 – February 1, 2014) was an American poet, actor, art critic, and painter.
Life and career
Albert Napoleon Ricard was born in Boston and grew up in Acushnet, Massachusetts near New Bedford. As a young teenager he ran ...
,
Roger Trudeau,
Donald Lyons and Elecktrah. After ''Kitchen'', Chuck Wein replaced Ronald Tavel as a writer and assistant director for the filming of ''
Beauty No. 2'' (1965), which was filmed in June and premiered in July 1965. The film shows Sedgwick lounging on a bed in her underwear with
Gino Piserchio and being taunted by
Chuck Wein off-screen.
Warhol's films were for the most part shown only in underground film theaters and in viewings held at The Factory, and were not commercially successful. Regardless, Sedgwick began receiving attention from the mainstream media, who reported on her appearances in the films and on her personal style. During this period, she developed a distinct look including black leotards, mini dresses, large chandelier earrings, and heavy eye make-up. Sedgwick also cut her naturally brown hair short and dyed it with silver spray, thus matching her look with Warhol's, who was known for wearing silvery hair pieces. Warhol dubbed Sedgwick his "Superstar", and they began appearing together at various public events.
Sedgwick and Warhol continued making films together —''Outer and Inner Space'', ''Prison'', ''Lupe'' and ''
Chelsea Girls
''Chelsea Girls'' is a 1966 American experimental underground film directed by Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey. The film was Warhol's first major commercial success after a long line of avant-garde art films (both feature-length and short). It w ...
''— throughout 1965. The edited footage of Sedgwick in ''Chelsea Girls'' would eventually become the film ''Afternoon''. Their relationship deteriorated by late 1965, and Sedgwick demanded that Warhol stop showing her films.
''Lupe'' is often thought to be Sedgwick's last Warhol film, but she filmed ''
The Andy Warhol Story
''The Andy Warhol Story'' is a 1966 underground film directed by Andy Warhol with cinematography by Paul Morrissey, and starring Edie Sedgwick and Rene Ricard (as Andy Warhol).
According to the Warhol Stars website, the film was made in November ...
'' with Rene Ricard in November 1966, almost a year after finishing ''Lupe''. ''The Andy Warhol Story'' was an unreleased film that was only screened once at The Factory. Along with Sedgwick, the film featured Ricard satirically pretending to be Andy Warhol.
Post-Factory years
Following her estrangement from Warhol's inner circle, Sedgwick began living at the
Chelsea Hotel, where she became close to
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
. Dylan and his friends eventually convinced Sedgwick to sign up with
Albert Grossman
Albert Bernard Grossman (May 21, 1926 – January 25, 1986) was an American entrepreneur and manager in the American folk music and rock and roll scene. He was famous as the manager of many of the most popular and successful performers of folk an ...
, Dylan's manager. According to
Paul Morrissey, Sedgwick had developed a crush on Dylan that she thought he reciprocated. She was also under the impression that she and Dylan would star in a mainstream film together. Unbeknownst to Sedgwick, Dylan had secretly married his girlfriend
Sara Lownds
Sara may refer to:
Arts, media and entertainment Film and television
* Sara (1992 film), ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui
* Sara (1997 film), ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda
* Sara (2010 ...
in November 1965. Morrissey claimed that Sedgwick was informed of the marriage by Warhol (who reportedly heard about it through his lawyer) in February 1966. Friends of Sedgwick's later said that she saw the supposed offer of doing a film with Dylan as a ticket to a mainstream film career. Paul Morrissey claimed that Dylan likely never had plans to star in a film with Sedgwick, and Dylan "hadn't been very truthful."
Since Sedgwick's death, Bob Dylan has routinely denied that he ever had a romantic relationship with her, but did acknowledge knowing her. In December 2006, several weeks before the release of the controversial film ''
Factory Girl'', the
Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...
and the film's producers interviewed Sedgwick's older brother, Jonathan, who said that Sedgwick told him she had
aborted
Aborted is a Belgian death metal band formed in 1995 in Waregem. The group currently consists of vocalist, founder and only constant member Sven de Caluwé, guitarist Ian Jekelis, bassist Stefano Franceschini and drummer Ken Bedene. Although t ...
a baby she claimed was Dylan's. Jonathan Sedgwick claimed that Edie had the abortion soon after she was injured in a motorcycle accident. As a result of the accident, doctors consigned her to a mental hospital where she was treated for drug addiction. No hospital records or Sedgwick family records exist to support this story. Nonetheless, Sedgwick's brother also claimed "Staff found she was pregnant but, fearing the baby had been damaged by her drug use and anorexia, forced her to have the abortion."
Throughout most of 1966, Sedgwick was involved in an intense but troubled relationship with Dylan's friend
Bob Neuwirth
Robert John Neuwirth (June 20, 1939May 18, 2022) was an American folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and visual artist. He was noted for being the road manager and associate of Bob Dylan, as well as the co-writer of Janis Joplin's hit s ...
. During this time, she became increasingly dependent on
barbiturates. In early 1967, unable to cope with Sedgwick's drug abuse and erratic behavior, Neuwirth broke off their relationship.
Later years
After breaking with Andy Warhol and The Factory scene, Sedgwick attempted to forge a legitimate acting career. She auditioned for
Norman Mailer. His stage adaptation of his novel ''
The Deer Park
''The Deer Park'' is a Hollywood novel written by Norman Mailer and published in 1955 by G.P. Putnam's Sons after it was rejected by Mailer's publisher, Rinehart & Company, for obscenity. Despite having already typeset the book, Rinehart claime ...
'' was being produced. But Mailer "turned her down....—She was very good in a sort of tortured and wholly sensitive way—...She used so much of herself with every line that we knew she'd be immolated after three performances."
As fast as
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland (September 29, 1903 – August 22, 1989) was a French-American fashion columnist and editor. She worked for the fashion magazine ''Harper's Bazaar'' and as editor-in-chief at ''Vogue'', later becoming a special consultant to the ...
of ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' had been to cast aside Edie the young American aristocrat, she now pounced on a teen-age working-class girl from England,
Twiggy
Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, widely known by the nickname Twiggy. She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenaged model during the swinging '60s in London.
...
, whose arrival in New York in March 1967 caused nearly riotous events among young American followers of style and fashion. In that same month, March 1967, Sedgwick began what may have seemed propitious but in fact began her torturous and final decline: the shooting of ''
Ciao! Manhattan
''Ciao! Manhattan'' is a 1972 American avant garde film starring Edie Sedgwick. A scripted drama in which most of the actors play themselves, it centers on a character very closely based on Sedgwick, and deals with the pain of addiction and the ...
'', a semi-autobiographical underground film co-directed by John Palmer and
David Weisman
David Weisman (March 11, 1942 – October 9, 2019) was an American film producer, author, and graphic artist, most noted for his films ''Ciao! Manhattan'' and ''Kiss of the Spider Woman''. He was the brother of film director Sam Weisman.
Fi ...
. During this, she accidentally set her room on fire in the Chelsea Hotel and was briefly hospitalized with burns. Due to Sedgwick's rapidly deteriorating health from drug use, the film was suspended. After further hospitalizations for drug abuse and mental issues in 1968 and 1969, Sedgwick returned to her family's ranch in California to recuperate. In August 1969, she was hospitalized again in the psychiatric ward of the
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is a community hospital in the city of Santa Barbara, California. It is owned and operated by the Cottage Health System.
Services
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital is a full-service hospital, primarily serving the dive ...
after being arrested for drug offenses by the local police. While in the hospital, Sedgwick met another patient, Michael Brett Post, whom she would marry in July 1971.
Sedgwick was hospitalized again in the summer of 1970 but was let out under the supervision of a psychiatrist, two nurses, and the live-in care of filmmaker John Palmer and his wife Janet. Determined to finish ''Ciao! Manhattan'' and have her story told, Sedgwick reconnected with the film crew and began shooting in
Arcadia and Santa Barbara in late 1970. She also recorded audio tapes reflecting on her life story: accounts Weisman and Palmer incorporated into the film's dramatic arc. Filming completed in early 1971, and the film was released in February 1972.
Marriage and death
In the summer of 1970, Sedgwick met Michael Post, who was a fellow patient at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. They married on July 24, 1971. During this time she gave up drugs and alcohol, but in October 1971, she relapsed after taking prescription pain medication given to her for a physical illness, which in turn led to abusing
barbiturates and alcohol.
On the night of November 15, 1971, Sedgwick went to a fashion show at the
Santa Barbara Museum that included a segment filmed for the television show ''
An American Family
''An American Family'' is an American television documentary series that followed the life of a California family in the early 1970s. Widely referred to as the first example of an American reality TV show, the series drew millions of weekly vie ...
''. After the fashion show, she attended a party where she drank alcohol. She then phoned her husband to pick her up. On the way home, Sedgwick expressed thoughts of uncertainty about their marriage. Before they both fell asleep, Post gave Sedgwick the medication that had been prescribed for her. According to Post, Sedgwick started to fall asleep very quickly and her breathing was "bad – it sounded like there was a big hole in her lungs", but he attributed it to her heavy smoking habit and went to sleep.
When Post awoke the following morning at 7:30 a.m., he found Sedgwick dead. The coroner ruled her death as "undetermined/accident/suicide". Her death certificate states the immediate cause was "probable acute
barbiturate intoxication" due to ethanol intoxication. Sedgwick's
alcohol level
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
was registered at 0.17% and her barbiturate level was 0.48
mg%
Milligram per cent is a traditional symbol used to denote a unit of measure of concentration. The traditional use of the 'mg%' symbol was meant to indicate the mass (in milligrams) of that chemical in 100 litre, milliliters of solution (e.g., blood ...
. She was 28.
Sedgwick was not buried in her family's
Sedgwick Pie cemetery plot but in the small Oak Hill Cemetery in
Ballard, California
Ballard is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California. The town of Ballard is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley. The nearest city is Solvang. The population was 467 at the 2010 census. Ballard is the sma ...
. Her epitaph reads "Edith Sedgwick Post – Wife Of Michael Brett Post 1943–1971".
In popular culture
Music
Edie Sedgwick has been inspiration for a number of songs.
* Bob Dylan's "
Just Like a Woman
"Just Like a Woman" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan first released on his seventh studio album, ''Blonde on Blonde'' on June 20, 1966. It was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. A shorter edit was released as a sin ...
", "
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
"Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat" is a song by Bob Dylan, from his 1966 album '' Blonde on Blonde''. Like many other Dylan songs of the 1965–1966 period, the song features a surreal, playful lyric set to an electric blues accompaniment.
Lyrics
Dylan' ...
" and "
Fourth Time Around
"4th Time Around" (also listed as "Fourth Time Around") is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the 12th track on his seventh studio album ''Blonde on Blonde'' on June 20, 1966. The song was written by Dylan and ...
" from his 1966 album ''
Blonde on Blonde'' are reportedly about Sedgwick. Reportedly, his 1965 No. 2 single "
Like a Rolling Stone
"Like a Rolling Stone" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 20, 1965, by Columbia Records. Its confrontational lyrics originated in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted fro ...
" was also inspired by her.
* The Velvet Underground's "
Femme Fatale" from their 1967 album ''
The Velvet Underground & Nico
''The Velvet Underground & Nico'' is the debut album by the American rock band the Velvet Underground and German singer Nico, released in March 1967 through Verve Records. It was recorded in 1966 while the band were featured on Andy Warhol's Ex ...
'' was written about Sedgwick.
* Sedgwick appears on the cover of
Dramarama's 1985 debut album ''
Cinéma Vérité
Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or ...
''. The music video for the album's first single "
Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)
"Anything, Anything (I'll Give You)" is a 1985 song by the alternative rock band Dramarama released as the first single from their debut album ''Cinéma Vérité''. Written by John Easdale in the mid-1980s, "Anything, Anything" features a steady b ...
" features clips of her in ''Ciao! Manhattan''.
* The lyrics of the 1986
Primal Scream song "
Velocity Girl
Velocity Girl was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in College Park, Maryland, and active in the Washington, D.C., area. The band released three albums before splitting up in 1996.
History
The band started as the duo of Kelly Rile ...
" were inspired by Sedgwick.
* In 1985,
Dream Academy
The Dream Academy were a British band consisting of singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist (chiefly oboe, cor anglais player) Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most noted for their 1985 hit singles " ...
released a 7" single "The Love Parade" in the US with the b-side "Girl In A Million (For Edie Sedgwick)" on Reprise Records.
* The second track from the
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an alternative rock jam band that originated in Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s. The band is widely known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album '' Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars''. Their music contain ...
' 1988 album ''
Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars
''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, released on August 9, 1988 by Geffen Records. The album went 2× platinum in the United States.
"What I Am" was the l ...
'' is titled "Little Miss S." and is about Sedgwick.
* "
Edie (Ciao Baby)
''Sonic Temple'' is the fourth studio album by British Rock music, rock band The Cult, released on 10 April 1989. The album features some of the band's most popular songs, including "Fire Woman" and "Edie (Ciao Baby)". ''Sonic Temple'' was the l ...
" is a hard rock song by English band
The Cult
The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury' ...
. It appeared on their fourth studio album ''
Sonic Temple
''Sonic Temple'' is the fourth studio album by British rock band The Cult, released on 10 April 1989. The album features some of the band's most popular songs, including "Fire Woman" and "Edie (Ciao Baby)". ''Sonic Temple'' was the last album r ...
'' in 1989. The cover of the single features a photograph from ''Ciao! Manhattan''.
* The 7th song on Tal Cohen-Shalev's 2009 ''Heartaches and Ashes'' is dedicated to Sedgwick and called "Factory Girl (Song for Edie Sedgwick)".
*
Alizée
Alizée Lyonnet (''née'' Jacotey; born 21 August 1984), known professionally as Alizée, is a French singer, dancer and musician. She was born and raised in Ajaccio, Corsica.
She first became known with her winning performance in the talent s ...
's 2010 album ''
Une Enfant Du Siècle'' was inspired by and depicts Sedgwick's life.
* On the 2010 album ''
13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests'' by
Dean & Britta
Dean & Britta is a musical duo consisting of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, both former members of Luna. Wareham had formed Luna in 1991 after leaving his first band, Galaxie 500. Phillips joined Luna in 2000, replacing bassist Justin Harwo ...
, the fifth track, "It Don't Rain in Beverly Hills", was written to accompany Warhol's screen test for Sedgwick.
*
The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 2009. The band consists of Taylor Momsen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Ben Phillips (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Damon (bass), and Jamie Perkins (drums).
The ban ...
’ song "Factory Girl" on their 2010 debut album ''
Light Me Up'' is based on Edie Sedgwick and her life in the factory. In 2009 lead singer
Taylor Momsen
Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American musician, singer, model, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (2000) and Je ...
said “Edie Sedgwick had a cool style; she pushed the envelope for the time.“
*
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
's "
Applause
Applause (Latin ''applaudere,'' to strike upon, clap) is primarily a form of ovation or praise expressed by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences usually applaud after a performanc ...
" and "
Marry the Night
"Marry the Night" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Lady Gaga for her second studio album, '' Born This Way'' (2011). The track was initially released for promotion on '' FarmVille'', six days before the release of ''Born This ...
" music videos include references to Edie Sedgwick and the film ''
Ciao! Manhattan
''Ciao! Manhattan'' is a 1972 American avant garde film starring Edie Sedgwick. A scripted drama in which most of the actors play themselves, it centers on a character very closely based on Sedgwick, and deals with the pain of addiction and the ...
''.
* Rapper
G-Eazy's 2014 song "Downtown Love" is based on Sedgwick's life story.
*
Beach House
Beach House is an American musical duo formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2004. The band consists of Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals).
Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006 t ...
's 2018 album, ''
7,'' was inspired by Sedgwick's life and icon status, in particular its penultimate track "Girl of the Year."
* The band
Deadbolt
A dead bolt, deadbolt or dead lock is a locking mechanism distinct from a spring bolt lock because a deadbolt can only be opened by a key or handle. The more common spring bolt lock uses a spring to hold the bolt in place, allowing retraction ...
released the Sedgwick-inspired song "Edie" on its 1992 debut EP, ''Creepy World''.
Other
* Sedgwick popularized the mini-skirt by purchasing children's skirts and wearing them as her own.
* The previously niche phrase "Superstar" was popularized and became a mainstream term because of Sedgwick being dubbed one by Andy Warhol and the increased mainstream media attention the pair received. Sedgwick can be seen defining the term on the
Merv Griffin Show
''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 ...
, indicating that the word was not a staple in the general public's vocabulary before her appearance on the show.
*
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...
bought the rights to Sedgwick's life story in the 1980s and was planning to make a movie, initially with
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was cast in her first major role as Molly in the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' (1979–80) after a casting director saw her playing an o ...
then with
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough as Stacy Hamilton in '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). Sh ...
starring as Sedgwick.
Al Pacino was tapped to play Andy Warhol. It was also reported that a film titled ''The War at Home'' was to be loosely based on her life during The Factory years, with
Linda Fiorentino
Clorinda "Linda" Fiorentino (born March 9, 1958 or 1960) is an American former actress. Fiorentino made her screen debut with a leading role in the 1985 coming-of-age drama film ''Vision Quest'', followed that same year with a lead role in the ac ...
slated to portray her. It was to be based on
John Byrum
John Byrum is an American film director, and writer known for ''The Razor's Edge'', '' Heart Beat'', ''Duets'' and '' Inserts''.
Early life
Raised in Winnetka, Illinois, on the North Shore of Chicago, Byrum attended New Trier High School, and l ...
's fictionalized account of a working-class man who becomes enamored of her. Neither was ever produced.
* Actress and model
Jennifer Rubin played Sedgwick in the 1991 film ''
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...
'', directed by
Oliver Stone.
* ''The Escape Artist'' is a 1994 novel by a Madrid-based writer, Jonathan Holland. The villain of the novel is a character called Marc, about whom it is said: "He'd spent most of his teens working with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey, and he'd slept with someone called Edie Sedgwick: apparently
Jean Shrimpton
Jean Rosemary Shrimpton (born 7 November 1942) is an English model and actress. She was an icon of Swinging London and is considered to be one of the world's first supermodels.
She appeared on numerous magazine covers including ''Vogue,'' ''Har ...
was not the only beautiful woman in the world with the name of a dinner lady." All of Marc's life-story is false.
* In the 2002 film ''
Igby Goes Down'',
Amanda Peet
Amanda Peet (born January 11, 1972) is an American actress. She began her career with small parts on television, and made her feature film debut in '' Animal Room'' (1995). Her portrayal of Jill St. Claire in '' The Whole Nine Yards'' (2000) bro ...
's character, Rachel, is described as an "Edie Sedgwick wanna-be" and dresses in Sedgwick-inspired attire throughout the film.
* A 2004
off-Broadway play entitled ''
Andy & Edie'' was written and produced by
Peter Braunstein
Peter Braunstein (born January 26, 1964) is an American former journalist, writer and playwright who became infamous for committing an October 31, 2005 rape and leading police on a multi-state manhunt until his capture and self-injury in Memphis, ...
. It ran for 10 days. Misha Moore, who portrayed Sedgwick, claimed to be the late model's niece. At the request of the Sedgwick family, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' published a notice of correction.
* Director
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols (born Michael Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude fo ...
and actress
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
considered doing a film about Sedgwick and Andy Warhol but decided to film an adaptation of
Patrick Marber
Patrick Albert Crispin Marber (born 19 September 1964) is an English comedian, playwright, director, actor, and screenwriter.
Early life
Marber was born and raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Wimbledon, London, the son of Angela (Benja ...
's play ''
Closer'' instead, which was released in 2004.
*
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian '' Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli c ...
played Sedgwick in
George Hickenlooper
George Loening Hickenlooper III (May 25, 1963 – October 29, 2010) was an American narrative and documentary filmmaker.
Early life
Hickenlooper was born in St. Louis, the son of Barbara Jo Wenger, a social worker and stage actress, and George L ...
's film ''
Factory Girl'', a fictionalized account of Sedgwick's life, released in December 2006. The film portrays Warhol, played by
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series ''Neighbours ...
, as a cynic who leads Sedgwick into a downward spiral of drug addiction and psychiatric problems.
Hayden Christensen
Hayden Christensen (; born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in the ''Star Wars'' media franchise. He first appeared in the prequel trilogy films, '' Star Wars: Episode ...
plays "Billy Quinn", an apparent conglomeration of various characters but a look-alike of Bob Dylan. (As of late 2006, Dylan was apparently threatening to pursue a
defamation lawsuit, claiming the film implicates him as having driven Sedgwick to her death.) Michael Post, Sedgwick's widower, appears as a taxi driver in one of the last scenes of the film.
Filmography
Bibliography
* Victor Bockris and Gerard Malanga: ''Uptight: The Velvet Underground Story''
* Victor Bockris: ''Andy Warhol''
* Michael Opray: ''Andy Warhol. Film Factory''
* Jean Stein: ''Edie: American Girl''
* Andy Warhol: ''The Philosophy of Andy Warhol''
* Melissa Painter and David Weisman: ''Edie: Girl on Fire'' Book and Film
* Steven Watson: ''Factory Made: Warhol And the Sixties''
*
Nat Finkelstein and David Dalton: ''Edie: Factory Girl''
* John Sedgwick: ''In My Blood: Six Generations of Madness and Desire in an American Family''
References
External links
*
''Blast'' magazine article "Girl on Fire"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sedgwick, Edie
1943 births
1971 deaths
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from New York City
Actresses from Santa Barbara, California
Female models from California
American artists
American film actresses
American people of English descent
American people of French descent
American socialites
Burials in California
Delano family
Drug-related deaths in California
Barbiturates-related deaths
Sedgwick family
Muses
People associated with The Factory
Radcliffe College alumni
Unsolved deaths
Winthrop family