Barbara Bouchet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara Bouchet
Bouchet in 2006
Born	Bärbel Gutscher (1943-08-15) 15 August 1943 (age 81) Reichenberg, Sudetenland, Nazi Germany (present-day Czech Republic)
Occupation	Actress dancer
Years active	1959–present
Spouse(s)	Luigi Borghese ​ ​ (m. 1974; sep 2006)​
Children	2, including Alessandro Borghese

Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943) is a German-born actress, dancer, and model, active in the United States and Italy.

Born in German-occupied Czechoslovakia, Bouchet's family emigrated to the United States after the Second World War. She began her acting career in the '60s, appearing in small roles in films such as In Harm's Way and guest parts on television series such as Star Trek and The Virginian. She had more prominent film roles in Casino Royale (1967), in which she played Miss Moneypenny, and Sweet Charity (1969).

Bouchet moved to Italy in the 1970s, becoming an Italian citizen and starring in a large number of genre films, including thrillers (gialli) and crime films (poliziotteschi). Her best known appearances in Italian cinema include the films Don't Torture a Duckling (1972), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) and Caliber 9 (1972).

Bouchet effectively retired from acting in the early 1980s, transitioning to a career producing fitness videos and books and opening a gym in Rome. She has since made some further appearances acting in film and television, including a small role in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002).

Early life

Bärbel Gutscher was born in Reichenberg, Sudetenland, Nazi Germany (today Liberec in the Czech Republic). She had four siblings. Her father, Fritz, was a photographer, and her mother, Ingrid, was an actress.

After World War II, her family was placed in a resettlement camp in the American occupation zone in Germany. They were granted permission to emigrate to the United States under the humanitarian provisions of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948.

After arriving in the United States, the family lived in Five Points, California on the west side of the Central Valley and eventually settled in San Francisco, where Gutscher was raised. During the early 1960s San Francisco Bay Area television station KPIX-TV ran a show named The KPIX Dance Party and offered Gutscher the opportunity to become a member of the show's dance group.

These were teenage dancers who danced live to the hit songs of the day and became locally known in their own right by being on television six days per week. She was on the show from 1959 until 1962, then moved to Hollywood to get into the film industry, changing her Germanic sounding name to the French sounding Barbara Bouchet.

Career

Bouchet in Amuck! 1972

Bouchet Rome 1970s

Bouchet began her career modelling for magazine covers and appearing in television commercials, before eventually becoming an actress. Her first acting role was a minor part in What a Way to Go! (1964), which led to a series of other roles in the 1960s. She appeared in the films John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1964), In Harm's Way (1964), and Agent for H.A.R.M. (1966).

In Casino Royale (1967), Bouchet played the role of Miss Moneypenny. She guest-starred in the Star Trek episode "By Any Other Name" (1968) as Kelinda, and appeared in the musical film Sweet Charity (1969) playing Ursula.

Bouchet began acting in Italian films, such as Black Belly of the Tarantula, Amuck!, The Man with Icy Eyes, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, and Don't Torture a Duckling.

She starred with Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and The Black (1983). In 1985, she established a production company and started to produce a series of fitness books and videos. In addition, Bouchet opened a fitness studio in Rome. In 2002, Bouchet appeared in Gangs of New York, playing Mrs. Schermerhorn.

Personal life

In 1974, Bouchet married Luigi Borghese, a producer, with whom she has two sons: Alessandro, a TV chef, and Massimiliano, a bartender. Her husband subsequently produced some of her later films. They separated in 2006, citing different aspirations.

Selected Filmography

Films

Television

See also

In Spanish: Barbara Bouchet para niños