Louisa Moritz, an actress and one of the numerous women who accused scandal-plagued comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct, has died of natural causes, a representative said Wednesday. Moritz was 72.
Born in Havana, Cuba in 1946, Moritz made her film debut in 1970’s “The Man From O.R.G.Y.,” portraying prostitute Carmela. Moritz mined similar territory in 1975’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” as the hooker Rose.
Moritz’s other credits include “Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke,” “Death Race 2000” and “The Last American Virgin.”
On the small screen, Moritz appeared on programs including “Love, American Style,” “Ironside” and “Chico and the Man.”
At the time of her death, Moritz was working on two books, one about Cuban cooking and the other about how to get out of traffic tickets.
In 2015, Moritz was named among the accusers in an amended complaint against Cosby. Moritz said that she was in a backstage waiting room prior to appearing on “The Tonight Show” when Cosby showed up at the door.
Cosby “implied that Plaintiff Moritz would become a major star through his direction,” after which he exposed himself, placed his hands behind her head, and “forced his penis into Plaintiff Moritz’s mouth over her resistance,” the lawsuit alleged.
The lawsuit went on to say that Moritz’s “honesty and credibility” were “attacked” in November 2014 when Cosby both directly and through his former attorney, Marty Singer, issued a statement regarding accusations made against Cosby by Moritz and others. According to the lawsuit, the statement read, “[w]e’ve reached a point of absurdity. The stories are getting more ridiculous … I think people are trying to come up with these wild stories in order to justify why they have waited 40 to 50 years to disclose these ridiculous accusations.”