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Barbara Barrie

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Barbara Barrie
Barrie on the set of Barney Miller in 1975 with Hal Linden.
Born
Barbara Ann Berman

(1931-05-23) May 23, 1931 (age 93)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, Singer, Author
Years active1953–present
SpouseJay Harnick (1964-2007 his death)

Barbara Barrie (born May 23, 1931) is an American actress of film, stage and television. She is also an accomplished author.

Her film breakthrough came in 1964 with her performance as Julie in the landmark film One Potato, Two Potato, for which she won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She is best known for her role as Evelyn Stoller in Breaking Away, which brought her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1979 and an Emmy Award nomination in 1981 when she reprised the role in the television series created based on the film Breaking Away (series).

Barrie also is known for her extensive work in the theatre, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1971 for originating the role of Sarah in Steven Sondheim's Company.

Personal life

Barrie was born Barbara Ann Berman in Chicago, Illinois, [1] the daughter of Jewish parents, Frances Rose (née Boruszak) and Louis Berman.[2] The family moved to Texas when she was nine years old, where she was raised in Corpus Christi. She had one sibling, a brother, Geoffrey Melvin Berman (1924-1983). At the start of her acting career, she chose "Barrie" as her stage name instead of "Berman".[3]

She graduated from Corpus Christi Senior High School in 1948. She briefly attended Del Mar College as a journalism major, and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama in 1952. She then moved to New York to begin her professional career.[4] During her time at UT-Austin, she received two scholarships for drama, including the Kappa Kappa Gamma Donna Dellinger annual scholarship for Most Outstanding Junior in the Drama Department,[5] as well as awards for specific performances, such as the Atlas Award from the Globe Theatre in San Diego for "Best Female Performance for 1950–51" based on her role in the California Theatre's summer production of Much Ado About Nothing as Beatrice.[6][7]

She married director, actor, and producer Jay Malcom Harnick (1928-2007) in July 1964. They had two children, Jane Caroline Harnick b. 1965 and Aaron Louis Harnick b. 1969.

Her husband founded Theatreworks USA and was the brother of Tony Award-winning musical lyricist Sheldon Harnick.[8]

She was treated successfully for rectal cancer in 1994, and wrote a memoir, Second Act: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures, about the experience. In September 2014, Barrie announced she has been diagnosed with a terminal lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. [9]

Theatre

One of Barrrie's first professional stage jobs was a resident actress for one season for a theatre company in Corning, New York, where she played the lead in The Moon is Blue in 1953. She also worked at the Rochester Arena Theatre. She made her Broadway debut in the 1955 play The Wooden Dish with Louis Calhern. [10] In 1959, she appeared on Broadway in The Beaux' Stratagem by George Farquhar as Cherry. Some of her earliest Off-Broadway credits were in a 1958 production of The Crucible as Elizabeth Proctor and as Illse in a play version of Mädchen in Uniform. She was a repertory member of the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford for the 1958 and 1959 seasons, playing numerous Shakespearean roles to critical acclaim. In 1961 she went on tour in Europe as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker.

In 1969, she played Viola in Twelth Night, directed by Joseph Papp at the Delacorte Theater. In 1970, Barrie originated the role of Sarah in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company, in a cast that included Elaine Stritch and Susan Browning. Company won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Barrie was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

In 1974, Barrie earned critical acclaim for her performance as Sparky Off-Broadway in The Killdeer by Jay Broad, for which she received an Obie Award for Best Actress and a Drama Desk Award for Most Outstanding Performance. In 1976, Barrie performed in Neil Simon's successful Broadway play California Suite.

In 1995, Barrie performed in After-Play, written by Anne Meara at the Manhattan Theatre Club.[11]In 2014, Barrie performed in I Remember Mama Off-Broadway, receiving a Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play. [12]

Film

Barrie made her film debut uncredited in Giant (1956). Her first credited role was as Edna in The Caretakers (1963), starring Joan Crawford and Polly Bergen. In 1964, Barrie was given her first leading role in film with One Potato, Two Potato, portraying Julie Cullen Richards, a divorced woman newly remarried to an African-American man while her ex-husband demands custody rights for their child, on grounds that their child is in danger because they are living with a man of color. The film was considered controversial when released, dealing with racial tensions at the time, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay. Barrie won the Cannes Best Actress Award for her performance.

In 1979, Barrie received critical acclaim for her role as Evelyn Stoller, the small-town mother of a young man who dreams of becoming an Italian bicycle racer in Breaking Away. Breaking Away was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Barrie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1980, she played the mother of Goldie Hawn's character in Private Benjamin. In the 1999 film Judy Berlin, Barrie was nominated for an Indie Spirit Award for her performance as Sue Berlin, the mother of Edie Falco's character.

Television

Barrie made her television debut in 1955 performing on Kraft Television Theatre. In 1956, she performed in Horton Foote's teleplay Flight as the sister of Kim Stanley's character. Starting in 1955, she began appearing as Edna on The Phil Silvers Show. She was credited in 35 episodes, the last one being in 1959. She guest-starred on two episodes of Decoy in 1958 and 1959.

In 1962, she guest-starred on three episodes of Naked City. In 1963, she played Virginia in a teleplay version of The Dark Labyrinth by Lawrence Durrell. During the 1960s, Barrie guest-starred on many of the popular television series of the time. She appeared in three episodes of The Defenders and two episodes of Ben Casey.

In 1964, Barrie appeared in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The first was Isabel in which Barrie played the title role of Isabel Smith. The second was titled Consider Her Ways and also starred Barrie as the lead named Jane Waterleigh.

In 1975, Barrie was directed by Lee Grant in the television movie For The Use Of The Hall as the character Charlotte, played on stage previously by Marian Seldes.

In 1977, she appeared in two television films, as the mother of Lesley Ann Warren's character in 79 Park Avenue and as Emily McPhail in Tell Me My Name. In 1978, she played Emily Armsworth in the Disney television film Child of Glass, based on the novel The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck. Also in 1978, she played the mother of Kristy McNichol in the television film Summer of My German Soldier from the novel by Bette Greene.

From 1975 to 1978, Barrie was credited in 37 episodes of Barney Miller as Elizabeth Miller, the wife of Barney Miller, played by Hal Linden.

In the 1979 television mini-series Backstairs at the White House, she portrayed Mamie Eisenhower. In the fall of 1980, a television series based on the film Breaking Away debuted on ABC with Barrie reprising her role as Evelyn Stoller. The show only lasted one season with Barrie nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance.

In November 1981, Barrie reprised her role as Harriet Benjamin, which she had played in the 1980 film, on the television series that was created based on the film. Also in 1981, she played the role of Ethel Banks (originated by Mildred Natwick) in a televised version of the play Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon.

She guest-starred on a 1987 episode of Family Ties as Aunt Rosemary. For her performance as Mrs. Bream on a February 1992 episode of Law & Order (Vengeance), Barrie was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama.

In 1994, she played the character of Pauline Robillard in the Emmy-winning mini-series Scarlett. In 1997, she voiced Alcmene, the adoptive mother of Hercules, in the Disney animated film Hercules, and in 1998, she played the role of Ruth in the television film A Chance of Snow.

Barrie was credited in 92 episodes of the television series Suddenly Susan as Brooke Shields' character's grandmother, Helen Keane. For her performance in a May 2003 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Perfect) as Paula Haggerty, Barrie was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Guest Actress in a Drama.

Her final television credits have included roles on Pushing Daisies, Nurse Jackie, and Enlightened.

Books

Barrie has written two children's books. In 1990, she published Lone Star, a biographical book about a girl named Jane who moves from Illinois to Texas and deals with her Orthodox Jewish family assimilating to Texas culture. [13]

Her second book, Adam ZigZag, was published in 1994 and is also biographical, about a young boy named Adam with an actress mother who struggles with dyslexia.[14]

References

  1. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (February 25, 2000). "Worshipping Suburbia". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Archived from the original on October 27, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Barbara Barrie Biography (1931–)
  3. ^ https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VG1S-2Z5 accessed 9/26/14
  4. ^ No author. "Local girl in first starring role," Corpus Christi Caller-Times, February 17, 1957, page 7F.
  5. ^ No author. "Miss Barbara Berman receives scholarship," Corpus Christi Times, May 10, 1951, page 7C.
  6. ^ No author. "Miss Berman wins dramatic award," Corpus Christi Times, October 10, 1951, page 12.
  7. ^ http://archives.nypl.org/uploads/collection/generated_finding_aids/the18639.pdf accessed 9/26/14
  8. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/obituaries/01harnick.html accessed 9/26/14
  9. ^ http://playbill.com/news/article/barbara-barrie-reveals-diagnosis-with-incurable-lung-disease-331251 accessed 9/26/14
  10. ^ http://www.playbillvault.com/Person/Detail/54888/Barbara-Barrie accessed 9/26/14
  11. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/01/theater/theater-review-after-play-when-dinner-conversation-after-theater-gets-crazy.html accessed 9/26/14
  12. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/theater/i-remember-mama-reminisces-at-the-gym-at-judson.html accessed 9/26/14
  13. ^ http://wyld.sdp.sirsi.net/client/en_US/wmc/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:311407/ada;jsessionid=D79A50BA7EF233B1BBFB2E506D9E77A5.enterprise-35500?qu=Moving+fiction&ic=true&ps=300 accessed 9/27/14
  14. ^ http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-385-31172-4 accessed 9/27/14

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