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Creator
Barrie, Barbara
Call number
*T-Mss 2008-017
Physical description
1.09 linear feet (3 boxes)
Preferred Citation

Barbara Barrie papers, *T-Mss 2008-017. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Billy Rose Theatre Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

These papers of American actress and author Barbara Barrie include awards, correspondence, notes, photographs, programs, and a scrapbook. The collection documents her professional career, including her award-winning roles in One Potato, Two Potato and Breaking Away, and the publication of her memoir, Second Act: Life after Colostomy and Other Adventures in 1997.

Biographical/historical information

Barbara Barrie is an American actress and author. She was born as Barbara Ann Berman on May 23, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois to Louis Berman and Frances Rose Boruszak. She was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas and graduated from Corpus Christi Senior High School. In 1953, Barrie received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin. In July of 1964, she married Jay Malcolm Harnick, a director and producer. They had two children, Jane Caroline Harnick and Aaron Louis Harnick.

Barrie's career as an actress began in the 1950s. The Wooden Dish, 1955, was her Broadway debut, and in 1956 she began television appearances. Barrie won the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Award (shared with Anne Bancroft) for One Potato, Two Potato in 1964. In 1971, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the musical Company and in 1979 she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in Breaking Away. She received another nomination for Breaking Away in 1981: an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Barrie is the author of two novels, Lone Star (1989) and Adam Zigzag (1995), and a memoir, Second Act: Life after Colostomy and Other Adventures (1997). Second Act was written after Barrie's battle with rectal cancer. From 1996 to 2000, Barrie played the grandmother on the television series Suddenly Susan. She continues to act, making episode appearances in television series; her most recent appearance was in 2011 as Carol in Enlightened, Season 1, Episode 9.

Scope and arrangement

The Barbara Barrie papers consist of awards, biographical information, correspondence, notes, photographs, playbills, programs, reviews, and a scrapbook. The collection documents Barrie's professional career from the early 1950s until 2008. These papers provide insight into the various plays, television series and films in which she performed, and the books she wrote. The photographs provide a visual sense of Barrie's stage performances and some also offer a glimpse into her personal life. The scrapbook consists of clippings, programs, photographs, correspondence, and publicity materials that cover Barrie's career from 1950 to 1961, with documentation of her touring theatre, summer stock, Broadway, Off-Broadway, and television appearances.

Arrangement

The papers are arranged alphabetically by subject and format.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Barbara Barrie, May 2008.

Processing information

Compiled by Joyce LeeAnn Joseph, Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science, Class of 2012, and Weatherly Stephan, 2013

The scrapbook was removed from its binding to prevent further damage to pages.

Related Material

Miscellaneous manuscripts: Barbara Barrie. Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.

Using the collection

Location

Billy Rose Theatre Division
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-7498
Third Floor

Conditions Governing Use

The author/creator retains copyright of materials. For information on obtaining permission to publish, contact the Theatre Division at theatrediv@nypl.org.

Access restrictions

Scrapbook pages are brittle and researchers should exercise care when using this material.