Barbara Barrie has died at the age of 95. The New York Post reported that the daughter of the Oscar-nominated actress said that her mother's death was medically assisted. Barrie was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
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Barbara Barrie Was an Actress on Stage, Screen, and Television
Barrie was born on May 23, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama at the University of Texas at Austin, the actress moved to New York City to pursue acting.
One of Barrie's early roles was as Julie in the landmark 1964 film One Potato, Two Potato. She won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance as a divorced parent in an interracial romance.
Several years later, Barrie starred in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway production Company. In 1971, she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Sarah.
But perhaps the actress is best known for her Oscar-nominated role as mother Evelyn Stohler in the coming-of-age dramedy Breaking Away. She returned to the role in the 1981 television series based on the film. She received an Emmy nomination for her performance.
Television viewers will also recognize Barrie for her role as the wife of the titular character in Barney Miller. She also portrayed the grandmother of Brooke Shields' character in the sitcom Suddenly Susan. The actress also wrote two children's books, as well as two memoirs about her battle with colorectal cancer.
Barrie Battled More Than Cancer
While she had beaten colorectal cancer, Barrie had later received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Her daughter said she received medical assistance in her death.
In addition to cancer, Barrie was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2014. According to the National Institutes of Health, the chronic disease develops when the tissue surrounding the lung's air sacs thickens for unknown reasons. As a result, it can cause permanent scarring and make it harder to breathe.
Barrie is survived by her two children with her late husband, Jay Harnick: Jane and Aaron.
