Barbara Barrie, Broadway Veteran and ‘Barney Miller’ Actress, Dies at 95
Barbara Barrie, the acclaimed actress whose career encompassed Broadway, an Oscar-nominated performance in Breaking Away and memorable television roles in Barney Miller and Suddenly Susan, has died at 95.
Barrie died on October 28 at her home in Manhattan. Her daughter, Jane Harnick, told The New York Times that she had terminal cancer and that her death was medically assisted, according to reports from Broadway.com and TVLine. Broadway.com
A versatile performer equally comfortable with comedy and drama, Barrie built a career stretching from the 1950s into her later years. Her work brought recognition across film, television and theater, including Academy Award, Tony Award and Emmy nominations.
Television audiences knew her as Elizabeth Miller, the wife of Hal Linden’s title character on Barney Miller. She later reached another generation of viewers as Helen “Nana” Keane, the grandmother of Brooke Shields’ character on Suddenly Susan. Her extensive television credits also included The Twilight Zone, Family Ties, Pushing Daisies and Nurse Jackie. tvline.com
On the big screen, Barrie delivered one of her best-known performances in the 1979 coming-of-age film Breaking Away. Playing the mother of a bicycle-obsessed Indiana teenager, she earned an Academy Award nomination for supporting actress. She subsequently reprised the role in the television adaptation, receiving an Emmy nomination.
Her international breakthrough had come in 1964 with One Potato, Two Potato, a drama about an interracial marriage and a bitter custody dispute. Her performance won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. Other film appearances included Private Benjamin and Judy Berlin. Broadway.com
The stage remained central to Barrie’s professional life. She originated the role of Sarah in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company, which opened on Broadway in 1970, earning a Tony nomination for her performance. Her later Broadway credits included California Suite, Torch Song Trilogy and Significant Other, in which she appeared in 2017. Broadway.com
Born Barbara Ann Berman in Chicago on May 23, 1931, Barrie grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. She studied drama at the University of Texas, graduating in 1952, before moving to New York. Her Broadway debut followed in 1955 with The Wooden Dish. Yahoo News Malaysia
Away from acting, Barrie wrote books for young readers and spoke openly about her experiences with cancer. Following a rectal cancer diagnosis in 1994, she wrote Second Act and Don’t Die of Embarrassment, addressing her illness and life after a colostomy. Her writing sought to encourage discussion of a subject often surrounded by silence. thewrap.com
Barrie married theater producer Jay Harnick in 1964. He died in 2007. She is survived by their daughter, Jane; their son, Aaron; and three granddaughters. Yahoo News Malaysia
