Tallie Cochrane was a fiery, pretty, and extremely talented
frizzy-haired brunette who usually portrayed hard-bitten tough cookie
types in a handful of sleazy softcore pictures and entertainingly
trashy drive-in exploitation features made throughout the 1970s.
She was born Lillian Rose Cochrane on October 7, 1944 in Memphis,
Tennessee. Tallie grew up in Alabama. Her father was a doctor and administrator of the county hospital in Greensboro, Alabama while her mother was a Southern blueblood. Moreover, she studied dance for about eleven years and taught dancing with her teacher for three years. Cochrane began acting at age four in stage plays at the
University of Alabama and continued to appear in stage productions
until she was 16. Tallie moved to Hollywood at age 24 and began acting in
films in the late 1960s. Cochrane's most memorable movie roles include
crazed Mansonesque flower child cult member Ruth in
The Love-Thrill Murders (1971), ruthless
lesbian convict Kat in
Five Loose Women (1974), an
ill-fated hitchhiker in
Al Adamson's
Girls for Rent (1974), mean hippie
chick Donna in
The Centerfold Girls (1974),
a brutalized hooker in
Matt Cimber's
sensationally scuzzy blaxploitation blast
The Candy Tangerine Man (1975)
and Jane in the bawdy comedic romp
Tarz and Jane and Cheeta (1975).
Tallie frequently worked with her actor husband
Patrick Wright in such films as
Changes (1970),
Only in My Dreams (1970),
Sassy Sue (1973),
Tanya (1976),
The Amorous Adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza (1976),
If You Don't Stop It... You'll Go Blind!!! (1975),
Dan's Motel (1982),
Frightmare (1983) and
Emanon (1987). Moreover, Cochrane not only
was the associate producer of the raunchy teen sex comedy hoot
Hollywood High (1976) but also
handled make-up chores on
Eroticon (1971),
The Cheerleaders (1973), "Sassy
Sue",
Track of the Moon Beast (1976)
and
Falling in Love Again (1980).
In addition to her film work, Tallie also did voice-overs and TV
commercials.
She died at age 66 on May 21, 2011 in Panama City, Florida.