# Kansas Bowling

Kansas Bowling (born August 2, 1996) is an American film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and actress. She is best known for directing B.C. Butcher (2016) and Cuddly Toys (2022) and acting in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).

## Early life

Bowling was born and raised in California. Her parents are Arin Thompson and luxury real estate agent William Preston Bowling of Phoenix, Arizona. At age 13, she received a Super 8 film camera as a Christmas gift and immediately started shooting short films with her sister.

## Career
### B.C. Butcher

Bowling directed B.C. Butcher (2016) starring Kato Kaelin, Rodney Bingenheimer, Natasha Halevi, and Kadeem Hardison. The film was produced by Lloyd Kaufman and distributed by Troma Entertainment on Blu-ray and their streaming service Troma Now on VHX.
The movie had its theatrical premiere on March 3, 2016, at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California. The premiere had a musical performance by Count Smokula and Ron Jeremy.
Bowling was the first inductee into the Troma Institute For Gifted Youth and listed as one of W Magazine's 42 up-and-comers in their April 2016 "Next in Line" issue.

### Music videos

Bowling has directed over 30 music videos for various artists (shot on 8mm or 16mm film).
In the music video for Kat Meoz's "Here I Wait", Bowling shot the only existing footage of Richard Brautigan's papier-mâché bird Willard who was the subject of his 1975 novel Willard and His Bowling Trophies.
On April 13, 2018, Drangsal [de] released a video through Universal Germany for their song "Magst Du Mich" directed by and starring Bowling and her sister Parker Love Bowling.
On August 15, 2018, Rolling Stone released a video Bowling directed for the Death Valley Girls' song "Disaster (Is What We're After)". The video is four minutes of musician Iggy Pop eating a hamburger. The video is an homage to Jørgen Leth's 1982 film 66 Scenes of America, where Andy Warhol eats a hamburger. Yahoo Entertainment named it one of their favorite videos of the year.
On October 2, 2018, Stereogum premiered another video Bowling directed for the Death Valley Girls for their song "One Less Thing (Before I Die)". Bowling attended the home-made rocket launch for the daredevil and limo driver Mad Mike Hughes and filmed his successful attempt at launching in the sky.

### Acting

Bowling and her sister Parker Love Bowling starred in Jared Master's biblical period film Absolute Vow. In 2018, Bowling produced and acted in the short film Swamp Women Kissing Booth which was the first film to feature actress Kathleen Hughes, star of It Came from Outer Space, in a starring role since 1958. In 2020, Bowling starred as the protagonist, Nancy Banana alongside Bill Weeden in the parody film, Psycho Ape!, and will return for the upcoming sequel.
In 2019, she portrayed Sandra Good, a member of the Manson family, in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Bowling appeared in Glenn Danzig's Verotika as well as Glenn Danzig's sophomore feature Death Rider in the House of Vampires, alongside Julian Sands and Devon Sawa.
In early 2020, The Killers debuted a short film to coincide with the release of their new album Imploding the Mirage starring Bowling and Griffin Dunne. Two music videos were edited of the short film for the songs "Caution" and "My Own Soul's Warning".
Bowling was featured in Joe Begos' Christmas Bloody Christmas which was released theatrically December 2022.
In 2023, the 1990's throwback slasher film The Third Saturday in October Part V premiered featuring Bowling in the lead role. Bowling is also in the lead role of the 2023 aerobics slasher film Murdercise.

### Cuddly Toys

As of 2023, Bowling has been touring the United States theatrically with her film Cuddly Toys. The film has been described as a "saccharine nightmare" about taboo matters on girlhood told in a "shockumentary" style. The film stars Cynda McElvana, Brissa Monique, Parker Love Bowling, Caroline Williams, Schooly D, Don Devore, Mickey Madden, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, Charlotte Sartre, Dylan Greenberg, D.C. Douglas, Sune Rose Wagner, and Keith Allison.

### Writing

Kansas Bowling has written and published two books with publisher Far West Press. Her first book A Cuddly Toys Companion details the making of her film Cuddly Toys. The second is titled Prewritten Letters For Your Convenience, which she wrote with her sister, Parker Love Bowling, when they were children and published as adults.

## Personal life

She is the older sister of actress Parker Love Bowling.
In 2019, Bowling sued musician Ariel Pink after he hired her to go on tour with him to film his concerts and did not pay her. Pitchfork reported that as of 2020, the case has been settled in court.
Bowling's longtime boyfriend is musician Don Devore.
She currently lives in Nevada.

## Filmography

Film
| Year | Title | Writer | Director | Actor | Producer | Role |
| 2003 | Klepto | No | No | Yes | No | Nick's daughter |
| 2016 | B.C. Butcher | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Model |
| 2016 | The Bridemaker | No | No | Yes | No | Bride |
| 2017 | Absolute Vow | No | No | Yes | Yes | Bithiah |
| 2017 | Curious Females | No | No | Yes | No | Tara |
| 2018 | Swamp Women Kissing Booth | No | No | Yes | Yes | Sissy |
| 2018 | Reagitator: Revenge of the Parody | No | No | Yes | No | Nancy the Demon Cheerleader |
| 2018 | Primitiva | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Katrina |
| 2019 | Verotika | No | No | Yes | No | Young Peasant Girl |
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | No | No | Yes | No | "Blue" |
| 2019 | Beyond the Law | No | No | Yes | No | Chastity |
| 2020 | Psycho Ape! | No | No | Yes | No | Nancy Banana |
| 2020 | Tales From the Grave: The Movie | No | No | Yes | No | Emma |
| 2021 | Death Rider in the House of Vampires | No | No | Yes | No | Rider's Dead Sister |
| 2022 | Cuddly Toys | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Professor Kansas Bowling |
| 2022 | Christmas Bloody Christmas | No | No | Yes | No | Liddy |
| 2023 | Third Saturday in October Part V | No | No | Yes | No | Maggie |
| 2023 | Murdercise | No | No | Yes | No | Phoebe |
| 2024 | Psycho Ape 2 | No | No | Yes | No | Nancy Banana |
| TBA | Creek Encounters | No | No | Yes | No | Evie Tucker |
| TBA | Bad Brain | No | No | Yes | No | TBA |
| TBA | Untitled Crispin Glover Film | No | No | Yes | No | Mary |
| TBA | Untitled True Crime Project | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | TBA |
Television
| Year | Title | Episode | Writer | Director | Actor |
| 2017 | Party Legends | "Breaking Bad Vibes" (S1E3) | No | No | Yes |
Music videos
| Year | Song | Artist | Credit |
| 1998 | "Believe" | K's Choice | Actor |
| 2010 | "Farmer's Daughter" | Crystal Bowersox | Actor |
| 2014 | "So Long" | Alyeska | Director |
| 2015 | "You Needed to Know" | CTZNSHP | Director |
| 2016 | "Post Teenage Angst" | Kill My Coquette | Director |
| 2016 | "Disco" | Death Valley Girls | Director |
| 2016 | "Muffins" | Them Guns | Actor |
| 2016 | "Zombie Movie" | Peter Litvin | Actor |
| 2016 | "I Just Sued the School System!" | Prince Ea | Actor |
| 2016 | "Bloom" | Papa M | Director |
| 2017 | "Spin Spin" | Tilli | Director |
| 2017 | "Flesh Flower Dream" | Tilli | Director |
| 2017 | "Always" | The Fontaines | Director |
| 2017 | "Dd" | Taffy | Director |
| 2017 | "Forever Blue" | The Moonkids | Director |
| 2017 | "L.A. Don't Love You" | Kat Meoz | Director |
| 2017 | "Murkiii" | Taffy | Director |
| 2017 | "Never Slow Down" | Livingmore | Director |
| 2017 | "The Jester" | Silas Nello | Director |
| 2017 | "Christmas in Hollywood" | Kat Meoz | Director |
| 2018 | "Disaster (Is What We're After)" | Death Valley Girls | Director |
| 2018 | "The Resort Beyond the Last Resort" | Collapsing Scenery | Director |
| 2018 | "Burn Down the Cornfield" | Collapsing Scenery | Director |
| 2018 | "Modern World" | Collapsing Scenery | Director |
| 2018 | "Here I Wait" | Kat Meoz | Director |
| 2018 | "Magst du mich" | Drangsal | Director |
| 2018 | "(One Less Thing) Before I Die" | Death Valley Girls | Director |
| 2018 | "Trashworld" | Surfbort | Director |
| 2018 | "More Dead" | Death Valley Girls | Actor |
| 2018 | "Diamond Nights" | Lauren Rocket | Director |
| 2019 | "Falling" | CRX | Director |
| 2019 | "Get Close" | CRX | Director |
| 2019 | "The Bold One" | Kristeen Young | Director |
| 2020 | "Imploding the Mirage: The Short Film" | The Killers | Actor |
| 2020 | "Caution" | The Killers | Actor |
| 2020 | "My Own Soul's Warning" | The Killers | Actor |
| 2020 | "Beam Me Up" | Lauren Rocket | Director |
| 2021 | "Corpse Grinding Man” | Harley Poe | Actor |
| 2021 | "My Sweet Lord” | George Harrison | Actor |
| 2022 | "You Already Know” | Collapsing Scenery | Director |
| 2022 | "Feathers in the Clouds” | James Marlon Magas | Director |
| 2022 | "Violence” | Headkrack | Director |
| 2023 | "Morbid Symptoms” | Collapsing Scenery ft. Tippa Lee, Avalon Lurks, and L'Espiral | Director |
| 2023 | "Shakin'” | Basic Elements | Actor |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result |
| 2020 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 2020 | Independent Horror Movie Awards | Psycho Ape | best actress | Nominated |
| 2021 | New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival | Psycho Ape | best actress | Nominated |
| 2022 | Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival | Cuddly Toys | best film | Nominated |
| 2022 | LA Live Film Festival | Headkrack: Violence | best music video | Won |
| 2023 | GenreBlast Film Festival | Murdercise | best actress | Nominated |