Barbara Babcock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara Babcock
Babcock in 1968
Born	(1937-02-27) February 27, 1937 (age 88) Fort Riley, Kansas, US
Education	Wellesley College University of Lausanne University of Milan
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1956–2004
Spouse(s)	Jay Sheffield (1962-1968)
Awards	Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Hill Street Blues, 1981)

Barbara Babcock, born on February 27, 1937, is an American actress. She started her acting journey on television in the mid-1950s. Throughout her career, she appeared as a guest star in over 60 TV shows.

She is well-known for her roles in popular series like Star Trek: The Original Series, Mannix, and Murder, She Wrote. From 1978 to 1982, she also had a repeating role in the CBS show Dallas. In 1981, Barbara Babcock won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This was for her role as Grace Gardner in the NBC police drama Hill Street Blues.

Later, she starred in several other TV series. One of her most notable roles was Dorothy Jennings in the CBS Western series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. She played this character from 1993 to 1998. For her work on Dr. Quinn, she was nominated for another Primetime Emmy Award in 1995. Babcock also appeared in movies such as Far and Away (1992) and Space Cowboys (2000).

Early Life and Education

Barbara Babcock was born in the United States. However, she spent much of her childhood in Tokyo, Japan. Her father, U.S. Army Gen. Conrad Stanton Babcock, Jr., was stationed there. Because of this, she learned to speak Japanese before she learned English.

She studied at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. She also attended the University of Milan in Italy. Later, she went to Miss Porter's School and graduated from Wellesley College. At Wellesley, she was classmates with actress Ali MacGraw.

Acting Career Highlights

Barbara Babcock with Avery Schreiber (right) and Jack Burns in Love, American Style (1973)

Barbara Babcock first appeared on television in 1956. This was in an episode of the show The United States Steel Hour. In the years that followed, she made many guest appearances on TV. Some of these shows included The Munsters, The Green Hornet, and Mission: Impossible.

From 1967 to 1969, she was in several episodes of the original Star Trek. She often did uncredited voice roles for the show. She also appeared in three episodes of Hogan's Heroes. In 1968, she made her first big movie appearance in the Western film Day of the Evil Gun.

During the 1970s, Babcock acted in many TV movies and miniseries. These included The Last Child (1971) and Salem's Lot (1979). She also had supporting roles in films like Chosen Survivors (1974) and The Black Marble (1980). She made guest appearances on shows such as Starsky & Hutch and The Rockford Files. From 1978 to 1982, she played Liz Craig in the popular soap opera Dallas.

In 1981, Babcock gained a lot of praise for her role as Grace Gardner in Hill Street Blues. She won an Emmy Award for this role. She appeared in 17 episodes of the show until 1987. After Hill Street Blues, she starred in TV movies like Quarterback Princess (1983). She also had roles in the sitcom Mr. Sunshine and the detective series The Law & Harry McGraw.

During the 1980s, she guest-starred on shows like Cheers and The Golden Girls. She also appeared five times on Murder, She Wrote. In 1992, she played the mother of Nicole Kidman's character in the movie Far and Away.

From 1993 to 1998, Barbara Babcock was a main cast member in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. She played Dorothy Jennings in 100 episodes. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for this role in 1995. In 1994, People magazine named her one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.

In 2000, Babcock appeared in her last major film, Space Cowboys. She also made guest appearances on shows like Frasier and Judging Amy. From 2001 to 2002, she played Lillian Greeley in the drama series Pasadena. In 2002, she was in the TV comedy Home Alone 4.

Personal Life

In 2004, Barbara Babcock was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She lives in Carmel, California.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Barbara Babcock para niños