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Barbara BaxleyAmerican stage, film and television actress
Date of Birth: 01.01.1923
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Barbara Baxley
Barbara Angie Rose Baxley was an American theater, film, and television actress who played over 70 roles on screen during her 40-year career. Her repertoire of theater roles ranged from Shakespearean tragedies to contemporary musical comedies.
Early Life and Education
Barbara Angie Rose Baxley was born on January 1, 1923, in Porterville, California. She was the younger of two daughters in the family of Emma Tyler and Bert Baxley. She was named after both of her grandmothers, Angie Sibley-Tyler and Iva Matilda Rose-Baxley. Barbara graduated with honors from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where she grew up. She received a scholarship to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse, a drama school in New York City. One of her teachers there was Sanford Meisner, a renowned actor and theater educator.
Career and Achievements
In 1948, Barbara made her Broadway debut in "Private Lives" by British playwright Noel Coward, starring alongside Tallulah Bankhead and Donald Cook. She was one of the founding members of the Actors Studio, established in 1947 and bringing together New York actors, directors, and playwrights. Barbara studied under director Elia Kazan and was a close friend and roommate of the remarkable Tallulah Bankhead.
In 1960, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her work in the Broadway production "Period of Adjustment" by Tennessee Williams. Barbara performed in Chekhov's "The Three Sisters," Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite," the popular 1960s musical "She Loves Me" with Jack Cassidy, Barbara Cook, and Daniel Massey, and "Best Friend." She also appeared in "Bus Stop" and the play "Peter Pan."
Critics highly praised her portrayal of Sally Field's character's mother in the "Oscar-winning" drama "Norma Rae" in 1979, but Broadway remained her true love. Barbara participated in about a dozen productions, with her last performance in 1983 in the detective play "Whodunnit."
During the 1960s and 1970s, Barbara was a sought-after guest star on television, appearing in series such as "The Twilight Zone," "Murder, She Wrote," "Hotel," "The Defenders," and many others, continuing to act until her death. In 1977, she was the leading star of the satirical sitcom "All That Glitters."
Death
Barbara Baxley was found dead on June 7, 1990, in her apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York. Medical professionals determined that the cause of death for the 67-year-old actress was a sudden heart attack.
