Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic screen presence and versatility.
Barbara Stanwyck was a versatile and prolific American actress who starred in over 80 films and several TV shows in her six-decade-long career. She was born as Ruby Catherine Stevens in Brooklyn, New York, in 1907, and lost her parents at a young age. She started working as a dancer and model, and made her Broadway debut in 1926. She moved to Hollywood in 1929 and became one of the most popular and respected stars of the 1930s and 1940s, working with directors like Frank Capra, Cecil B. DeMille, and Fritz Lang. She was known for her realistic and strong screen presence, playing a range of characters from femme fatales to working-class women. Some of her most acclaimed films include Stella Dallas (1937), Double Indemnity (1944), The Lady Eve (1941), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). She received four Academy Award nominations for Best Actress, but never won. She was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1982 for her contribution to cinema. She also had a successful career on television, winning three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes. She is best remembered for her roles as Victoria Barkley on The Big Valley (1965-1969) and Constance Colby on The Colbys (1985-1986). She died in 1990 at the age of 82.