Veteran actress Barbara Barrie dies at 95 after medically assisted death
Barbara Barrie, an Oscar-nominated actress known for her role in "Breaking Away," died at age 95 in Manhattan following a medically assisted death after a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Veteran actress Barbara Barrie died on Wednesday at her Manhattan home at the age of 95, according to her representatives. The family confirmed that her death was medically assisted following a terminal cancer diagnosis, as reported by her daughter to the New York Times.
Barrie, born Barbara Berman in Chicago in 1931, began her career on Broadway with a debut in the 1955 play "The Wooden Dish" and later earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Stephen Sondheim's musical "Company" in 1970. Her final Broadway appearance was in 2017, playing Helene Berman in Joshua Harmon's "Significant Other."
Beyond the stage, Barrie amassed more than 120 credits in film and television. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Evelyn Stroller in the 1979 film "Breaking Away," and an Emmy nomination for reprising the character in the 1980 television series. Earlier in her career, she earned a Cannes Film Festival award for her performance in "One Potato, Two Potato" (1964), a film that addressed interracial marriage before it was legal nationwide.
Her later screen work included roles in "Private Benjamin" (1980), a voice role in the animated film "Hercules" (1997), and the 1999 drama "Judy Berlin." According to her IMDb profile, her most recent credit was in the 2025 queer romantic comedy "Things Like This."
After being diagnosed with rectal cancer in 1994, Barrie became an advocate for cancer awareness, publishing two memoirs that detailed her experience and recovery. She was married to actor, director and producer Jay Harnick from 1964 until his death in 2007, and is survived by her children, Jane and Aaron.