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| Birth Name(s) : Ruby Catherine Stevens |
Date of Birth: July 16, 1907 |
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| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Barbara Stanwyck Biography
Most of America's audiences see Barbara Stanwyck as the matriarch of the family known as the Barkley's on TV's western, THE BIG VALLEY, where she played Victoria. Later she starred on the hit drama, DYNASTY. But for millions of other fans, she had a movie career that spanned from 1927 until 1964, and then was on television until 1986. It was a film career that lasted for 59 years.
She was born, Ruby Stevens, on July 16, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York. She went to work at the local telephone company for $14 dollars a week, but she had the urge to somehow enter show business. Dreams, that was all it was. When not working, she pounded the pavement in search of dancing jobs. The persistance paid off. Barbara was hired as a chorus girl for the princely sum of $40 a week. This was so much better than the wages she was getting from the phone company. She was 17 and she was going to make the most out of the opportunity that had been given her.
In 1928, Barbara moved to Hollywood where she was to start out one of the most lucrative careers filmdom had ever seen. She was an extremely versatile actress, who could adapt to any role. Barbara was equally at home in diverse genres such as the melodrama FORBIDDEN in 1932 and STELLA DALLAS in 1937, along with one of her best films, DOUBLE INDEMNITY in 1944. The latter starred Fred McMurray as you have never seen him before. She excelled in comedies such as REMEMBER THE NIGHT in 1940 and THE LADY EVE in 1941. One of her first westerns was UNION PACIFIC in 1939 and finally her most memorable role in TV's BIG VALLEY. In 1983, she played in the ABC hit mini-series THE THORN BIRDS which did much to keep her in the eye of the public. She turned out an outstanding performance as Mary Carson.
Barbara was nominated for four Academy Awards, though she never won. The roles she was nominated for were all roles in which Barbara turned in magnificent performances, but the "powers that be" always awarded the Oscar to someone else. She was considered gem to work with, for her serious but easygoing attitude on the set. She worked hard at being an actress and she never allowed her star quality to go to her head. However in 1982, Barbara was awarded an honorary Academy Award for "superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting." Sadly, Barbara died on January 20, 1990 leaving 93 movies and a host of TV appearances as her legacy to us. |
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Additional Barbara Stanwyck Biography
Barbara Stanwyck (July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was a four-time Academy Award-nominated, three-time Emmy Award-winning, and Golden Globe-winning American actress of film, stage, and screen.
In 1926, Stanwyck began performing at the Hudson Theatre in the drama The Noose, which became one of the biggest hit plays of the season. She co-starred with actors Rex Cherryman and Wilfred Lucas. Cherryman and Stanwyck began a romantic relationship. The relationship was cut short however, when in 1928, Cherryman died at the age of 30 of septic poisoning while vacationing in Le Havre, France. Her performance in The Noose earned rave reviews, and she was summoned by film producer Bob Kane to make a screen test for his upcoming 1927 silent film Broadway Nights where she won a minor part of a fan dancer after losing out the lead role, because she couldn't cry during the screen test. This marked Stanwyck's first film appearance.
Her first husband was actor Frank Fay. They were married on August 26, 1928. On December 5, 1932 they adopted a son, Dion Anthony "Tony" Fay, who was one month old. (He and Stanwyck eventually became estranged.) The marriage was a troubled one; Fay's successful career on Broadway did not translate to the big screen, whereas Stanwyck achieved Hollywood stardom, after a short bumpy start. Also, Fay reportedly did not shy away from physical confrontations with his young wife, especially when he was inebriated. Some film historians claim that the marriage was the basis for A Star is Born. The couple divorced on December 30, 1935.
Stanwyck and actor Robert Taylor began living together. Their 1939 marriage was arranged with the help of the studio, a common practice in Hollywood's golden age. She and Taylor enjoyed their time together outdoors during the early years of their marriage, and were the proud owners of many acres of prime West Los Angeles property. Their large ranch and home in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, Los Angeles, California is still to this day referred to by locals as the old "Robert Taylor ranch".
Taylor would have several affairs during the marriage, including one with Ava Gardner. Stanwyck was rumored to have attempted suicide when she learned of Taylor's fling with Lana Turner. She ultimately filed for divorce in 1950 when a starlet made her romance with Taylor public. The decree was granted on February 21, 1951. Even after the divorce, they still acted together in Stanwyck's last feature film The Night Walker (1964).
Stanwyck was reportedly devastated when many of his old letters and photos were lost in a house fire. She never remarried, collecting alimony of 15 percent of Taylor's salary until his death.
In 1926, a friend introduced Stanwyck (then known under her original name) to Willard Mack, who was casting his play The Noose. Asked to audition, she was hired on the spot. Willard thought a great deal of the actress and believed that to change her image, she needed a first class name, one that would stand out. He happened to notice a playbill for a play then running called Barbara Frietchie in which an actress named Jane Stanwyck appeared. He used this to come up with "Barbara Stanwyck" as Ruby's new stage name. She was an instant hit and he even re-wrote the script to give her a bigger part.
Stanwyck starred in almost a hundred films during her career and received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Stella Dallas (1937), Ball of Fire (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). In 1954 she appeared alongside Ronald Reagan in the western Cattle Queen of Montana.
As well as being a versatile actress Stanwyck also had a reputation as being one of the nicest people ever to grace Hollywood. Frank Capra said she was 'destined to be beloved by all directors, actors, crews and extras. In a Hollywood popularity contest she would win first prize hands down'. She received an Academy Honorary Award "for superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting" in 1982.
When Stanwyck's film career declined in 1957, she moved to television. Her 1961–1962 series The Barbara Stanwyck Show was not a ratings success but earned the star her first Emmy Award. The 1965–1969 western series The Big Valley made her one of the most popular actresses on television, winning her another Emmy. Twenty years later, she earned her third Emmy for The Thorn Birds. Her last starring role was in 1985, on the TV series The Colbys alongside Charlton Heston, Stephanie Beacham and Katharine Ross.
William Holden always credited her with saving his career when they costarred together in Golden Boy. They remained lifelong friends and he paid tribute to her at the 1977 Academy Awards. In 1977, Stanwyck and Holden were presenting the Best Sound Oscar. Holden paused to pay a special tribute to Stanwyck.
In 1973, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Her retirement years were somewhat active, with charity work done completely out of the limelight. She became somewhat reclusive following a robbery in her home while she was present; she was pushed into a closet, but suffered no serious physical injury. |
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