Oscar-nominated actress Barbara Barrie dies at 95 after long illness
Barbara Barrie, a 95-year-old actress known for Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominations, died at her Manhattan home with medical assistance following a decade-long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Veteran actress Barbara Barrie died at age 95 at her Manhattan residence, according to a statement from her family on Wednesday. The actress, who had been receiving medical assistance, had been battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a degenerative lung disease, since her diagnosis in 2014.
Barrie earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1979 film Breaking Away and received an Emmy nomination for reprising the same character in the 1981 television adaptation. She was also nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Sarah in Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 musical Company.
Her career spanned seven decades and included notable film roles such as the mother in Private Benjamin (1980) and a range of television appearances, including parts on Barney Miller and Suddenly Susan. On stage, she performed in productions such as The Crucible, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and All’s Well That Ends Well.
Born Barbara Ann Berman in Chicago on May 23, 1931, she grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, and earned a drama degree from the University of Texas in 1952. After moving to New York, she debuted on Broadway in 1955 with The Wooden Dish and built a prolific career in theater, film and television.
She is survived by her daughter Jane Harnick, son Aaron Harnick, and three granddaughters.
"I thought — boy, this is exciting! This is what I want," Barrie told The Times in 1964, expressing her early passion for filmmaking.