Barbara Hershey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Hershey
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Hershey in 2016
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| Born |
Barbara Lynn Herzstein
February 5, 1948 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Barbara Seagull |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Stephen Douglas
(m. 1992; div. 1993) |
| Partner(s) | David Carradine (1968–1975) Naveen Andrews (1998–2009) |
| Children | 1 |
Barbara Lynn Herzstein, known professionally as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. She has been acting for over 50 years, playing many different characters in movies and on TV. Her roles have included westerns and comedies. She started acting when she was 17 in 1965. However, she became widely recognized for her talent in the 1980s. At that time, the Chicago Tribune newspaper called her "one of America's finest actresses."
Barbara Hershey has won several important awards for her acting. She won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her role in the TV movie A Killing in a Small Town (1990). She was also nominated for Golden Globes for her roles in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and The Portrait of a Lady (1996). For The Portrait of a Lady, she was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She won two Best Actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival for her movies Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988). She also appeared in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Garry Marshall's Beaches (1988). Later, she received another award nomination for Black Swan (2010).
Early in her career, Barbara Hershey was known for her free-spirited lifestyle. This sometimes caused challenges between her personal life and her acting career. She even changed her stage name for a while to Barbara Seagull. Her personal life was often talked about in the news. Her acting career became more stable after she returned to using the name Hershey. Later, in 1990, she decided to keep her personal life more private.
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Barbara Hershey's Early Life
Barbara Herzstein was born in Hollywood, California. Her father, Arnold Nathan Herzstein, wrote about horse racing. Her mother, Melrose Herzstein, was from Arkansas. Barbara's father's parents were Jewish immigrants from Hungary and Russia. Her mother was of Scots-Irish background.
Barbara was the youngest of three children. She always dreamed of becoming an actress. Her family even nicknamed her "Sarah Bernhardt" after a famous actress. She was very shy in school. People sometimes thought she was deaf because she was so quiet. But by age ten, she was an "A" student. Her high school drama teacher helped her find an agent. In 1965, at 17, she got a role on Sally Field's TV show Gidget. Barbara said that Sally Field was very supportive during her first acting job. Barbara graduated from Hollywood High School in 1966.
Barbara Hershey's Acting Career
Starting Out in the 1960s
Barbara Hershey's first acting job was in three episodes of Gidget. After that, she starred in the TV series The Monroes (1966). Around this time, she started using the stage name "Barbara Hershey." She felt the series helped her career, but she sometimes found her role frustrating. She said, "One week I was strong, the next, weak." While on the show, she also got other roles. One was in Doris Day's last movie, With Six You Get Eggroll.
In 1968, Hershey worked on the western movie Heaven with a Gun (1969). There, she met actor David Carradine. They started a relationship. That same year, she acted in the drama Last Summer. This movie was based on a book by Evan Hunter.
During the filming of Last Summer, a seagull was accidentally killed. Barbara felt very sad about it. She decided to change her stage name to "Seagull" to honor the bird. She explained, "I felt her spirit enter me." However, this name change was not popular. When she got a part in The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974), she had to give up half her salary. This was because the producers did not want her to be billed as "Seagull."
The 1970s: Finding Her Own Way
In 1970, Hershey played Tish Grey in The Baby Maker. This film was about surrogate motherhood. A critic named Shirley Rigby praised Barbara's acting. Rigby said, "Barbara Hershey is a great little actress, much, much more than just another pretty face."
Hershey once said that starring in Boxcar Bertha (1972) was "the most fun I ever had on a movie." This film also starred David Carradine. It was Martin Scorsese's first Hollywood movie. Boxcar Bertha was filmed quickly and on a small budget. It was meant to be a crime drama.
Barbara Hershey later worked with Martin Scorsese again. This was 16 years later in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). She played Mary Magdalene. During the filming of Boxcar Bertha, Hershey had told Scorsese about the book this later film was based on. Their work together led to an Academy Award nomination for Scorsese and a Golden Globe nomination for Hershey.
By the mid-1970s, Hershey wanted to be recognized for her own work. She said, "I've been so tied up with David [Carradine] that people have forgotten that I am me." In 1974, she guest-starred in two episodes of Carradine's TV series Kung Fu. She played a character who was a love interest for his character. She also appeared in two movies Carradine directed.
Later in 1974, she won a gold medal at the Atlanta Film Festival. This was for her role in the Dutch film Love Comes Quietly. This helped her gain recognition on her own.
Later in the 1970s, Hershey starred with Charlton Heston in The Last Hard Men (1976). She hoped this movie would help her career. By this time, she was no longer with Carradine and had changed her stage name back to "Hershey." However, for the rest of the 1970s, she mostly appeared in TV movies.
Success in the 1980s
Barbara Hershey got a role in Richard Rush's movie The Stunt Man (1980). This was her first big screen movie in four years. She received great reviews for her performance. Hershey felt very grateful to Rush for helping her get the part. She also felt The Stunt Man was important for her career. It helped her move from playing young girls to playing adult women.
After The Stunt Man, she played many strong female roles. These included the horror movie The Entity (1982). She also played Glennis Yeager in The Right Stuff (1983). Glennis was the wife of test pilot Chuck Yeager. In The Natural (1984), she played Harriet Bird. For this role, Hershey chose a special hat for her character. The director, Barry Levinson, later cast Hershey in the comedy Tin Men (1987).
In 1986, Hershey moved from California to Manhattan with her son. Soon after, she met Woody Allen. He offered her the role of Lee in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). This movie won three Academy Awards. It also earned Hershey a nomination for a BAFTA award. She called her role "a wonderful gift."
After Hannah and Her Sisters, Hershey won two Best Actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival. One was for Shy People. The other was for her role as anti-apartheid activist Diana Roth in A World Apart (1988). Her character in A World Apart was based on a real person, Ruth First. Also in the 1980s, she played actress Lili Damita in a TV movie. She also played a love interest in the basketball movie Hoosiers (1986).
Barbara Hershey starred in Beaches (1988) with Bette Midler. The movie was very popular.
The 1990s: More TV and Film Roles
In 1990, Hershey won an Emmy and a Golden Globe. This was for her role as Candy Morrison in A Killing in a Small Town. This movie was based on a true court case. To prepare, Hershey spoke with the real person her character was based on.
In 1991, Hershey played Hanna Trout in the TV movie Paris Trout. She worked again with the director of A Killing in a Small Town, Stephen Gyllenhaal. Paris Trout was nominated for several Emmy Awards. Later that year, Hershey played a lawyer in the movie Defenseless (1991).
By the end of 1991, Barbara Hershey was appearing often on television. In 1992, she starred with Jane Alexander in the TV miniseries Stay the Night. A writer for the Associated Press noted that Barbara Hershey could easily switch between movies and television. She starred in another TV miniseries in 1993, Return to Lonesome Dove. She was also nominated for an award for her TV appearance in The Staircase (1998). From 1999 to 2000, she played Dr. Francesca Alberghetti in the TV drama Chicago Hope.
Hershey also starred in several feature films in the 1990s. She was in The Public Eye (1992) and Falling Down (1993). She also appeared in Jane Campion's movie The Portrait of a Lady (1996). For this role, Hershey was nominated for an Oscar. She also won an award from the National Society of Film Critics. In 1995, she starred in Last of the Dogmen with Tom Berenger. In 1999, Hershey starred in an independent film called Drowning on Dry Land. During this movie, she met co-star Naveen Andrews.
The 2000s and Beyond
In 2001, Barbara Hershey appeared in the movie Lantana. She was the only American in the cast. A film writer called it "one of the best to emerge from Australia in years." Another movie, 11:14 (2003), followed. In 2002, she had a small role in the TV miniseries Daniel Deronda.
Hershey continued to appear on television in the 2000s. This included a season on the series The Mountain. In 2008, she took on the role of an older Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning. This was the fourth TV movie in the series.
In 2010, Hershey played Mrs. Hubbard in an adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. This was for the British TV series Poirot. Also in 2010, Hershey co-starred in Darren Aronofsky's movie Black Swan. The next year, she was in the horror film Insidious (2011). From 2012 to 2013, she had a recurring role in the TV show Once Upon a Time. She played Cora, the Queen of Hearts. She returned to this role in 2014 and 2016.
In the A&E series Damien, Hershey played Ann Rutledge. This character was a powerful woman who helped Damien fulfill his destiny. Hershey's more recent films include The Manor (2021) and 9 Bullets (2022).
Barbara Hershey's Personal Life
In 1968, Barbara Hershey met David Carradine while they were working on a movie. They were together until 1975.
On October 6, 1972, Barbara Hershey gave birth to their son. He later changed his name to Tom. After her relationship with Carradine ended, she changed her stage name back to "Hershey." She explained that the story behind "Seagull" had lost its meaning for her.
By 1990, Barbara Hershey was known for being a private person. She had decided to keep her personal life out of the public eye.
On August 8, 1992, Hershey married artist Stephen Douglas. The wedding was at her home in Oxford, Connecticut. Only their mothers and Hershey's son, Tom, were guests. The couple separated and divorced one year later.
Hershey began dating actor Naveen Andrews in 1999. They ended their relationship in 2009.
Selected Filmography
Movies
Barbara Hershey has appeared in many movies throughout her career. Here are some of them:
- 1968: With Six You Get Eggroll
- 1969: Heaven with a Gun
- 1969: Last Summer
- 1970: The Baby Maker
- 1972: Boxcar Bertha
- 1980: The Stunt Man
- 1982: The Entity
- 1983: The Right Stuff
- 1984: The Natural
- 1986: Hannah and Her Sisters
- 1986: Hoosiers
- 1987: Shy People
- 1988: A World Apart
- 1988: The Last Temptation of Christ
- 1988: Beaches
- 1992: The Public Eye
- 1993: Falling Down
- 1996: The Portrait of a Lady
- 2001: Lantana
- 2010: Black Swan
- 2011: Insidious
- 2013: Insidious: Chapter 2
- 2018: Insidious: The Last Key (voice role)
- 2021: The Manor
- 2022: 9 Bullets
Television Movies and Series
Barbara Hershey has also had many roles in television movies and series:
- 1965–1966: Gidget (TV series)
- 1966–1967: The Monroes (TV series)
- 1974: Kung Fu (TV series)
- 1976: Flood! (TV movie)
- 1985: My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn (TV movie)
- 1990: A Killing in a Small Town (TV movie)
- 1993: Return to Lonesome Dove (TV miniseries)
- 1999–2000: Chicago Hope (TV series)
- 2010: Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV series)
- 2012–2016: Once Upon a Time (TV series)
- 2016: Damien (TV series)
- 2018: The X-Files (TV series)
Awards and Nominations
Barbara Hershey has won and been nominated for many awards for her acting. Some of her notable awards include:
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for A Killing in a Small Town (1990)
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for A Killing in a Small Town (1990)
- Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
- Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
- Nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Black Swan (2010)
Images for kids
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Hershey in 2016
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Hershey and Mark Slade in the TV western The High Chaparral (1968)
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Barbara Hershey in a publicity photo from 1981
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Hershey at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 13, 2010
See also
In Spanish: Barbara Hershey para niños
