VIDEOS Annie Golden, who plays silent Norma on Orange is the New Black, used to front a rock band

 

Despite a long career in show business, Annie Golden is probably best-known for playing Norma on Orange is the New Black. In case you’ve forgotten (or haven’t yet started in on season three), Norma is the nearly-silent inmate, the one who worked in the kitchen with Red and then stayed on after Red was removed from power. She’s often referred to as a mute, but, as we know from the Christmas pageant, Norma is anything but.

It may or may not come as a surprise, then, to find out that Annie Golden had an illustrious career as a musician in the 1970s and 80s. If you’ve ever seen Sixteen Candles, for example, you probably recognize the song “Hang Up The Phone,” which Golden performed. Enjoy the song’s video:

 

 

Before that, Annie Golden was the frontwoman for the band The Shirts, who had a brief run in the late 70s. They headlined at legendary New York punk club CBGB’s, among several other illustrious venues:

 

 

Annie Golden also played Jeannie in the 1979 film adaptation of the musical Hair.

By the by–if you haven’t gotten very far into the current season of Orange is the New Black, and you’re hoping Norma gets some more screen time, you’re in luck. And it’s probably not a spoiler to say that she’s not always silent, either.

 

(Photos: Norma on Orange is the New Black via WENN. Hat tip to Boston.com)