A Portrait of a Lady

Background:

“I am afraid of being lazy and complacent. I am afraid of taking myself too seriously.” Barbara Hershey

Spotted by an agent while performing in a student production Hollywood High School, American actress of television and film Barbara Hershey soon embarked as a professional player in the mid-1960s, but the mellow and sensible beauty did not really enjoy success until the 1980s. First gaining notice in Richard Rush's critical favorite “The Stunt Man” (1980), she continued to appear in such high-profile films as Philip Kaufman's “The Right Stuff” (1983), Barry Levinson's “The Natural” (1984) and “Tin Men” (1987), Woody Allen's “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986, received a BAFTA nomination) and David Anspaugh's “Hoosiers” (1986) and eventually attained star status thanks largely to her consecutive Cannes Film Festival-winning performances in Andrei Konchalovsky's “Shy People” (1987, also won a Chicago Film Critics Association Award) and Chris Menges' “A World Apart” (1988).She also picked up a Golden Globe nomination for her scene-stealing role as Mary Magdalene on Martin Scorsese's “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988), her second partnership with the director after 1972's “Boxcar Bertha.”

One of the most acclaimed American actresses of her generation, Hershey, who previously co-won a Western Heritage Award for her work in the 1966 Western TV series “The Monroes,” gained major victory on television with her Emmy and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of real-life murderess Candy Morrison in the CBS made-for-TV drama “A Killing in a Small Town” (1990). The following year, she was nominated for an Emmy for her work in the Showtime film “Paris Trout” (1991). Still a regular present on the big screen, Hershey scored her next big breakthrough with her supporting role as Madame Merle on Jane Campion's period drama, “A Portrait of a Lady” (1996), from which she attained a National Society of Film Critics Award, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award and both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Her more recent and forthcoming projects include “A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries” (1998, with Kris Kristofferson), “Breakfast of Champions” (1999, with Bruce Willis), “The Staircase” (1998, TV), “Lantana” (2001, won a a IF Award), “11:14” (2003), “Riding the Bullet” (2004), The Bird Can't Fly” (2007), “Uncross the Stars” (2008), “Childless (2008), “Son of Mourning” (2008) and “Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2009, TV). She also played regular roles on CBS's “Chicago Hope” (1999-2000) and WB's “The Mountain” (2004-2005).

Hershey had a brief married with Stephen Douglas (together from 1992 to 1993). She is the mother of a son, Tom Carradine, who was fathered by former long-term companion actor David Carradine. Currently, she lives with her mate, “Lost” star Naveen Andrews, who is 21 years younger that her.

Seagull

Childhood and Family:

Barbara Lynn Herzstein was born on February 5, 1948, in Hollywood, California. The daughter of a Jewish American father who wrote columns for horse-racing and an Irish American mother attended Hollywood High School, where she became a member of the drill team and pom pom squad. An active youth, Barbara also took acting lessons during high school.

At age 25, Barbara changed her last name to “Seagull” after accidentally killing one. However, after two years, she changed her name back.

Barbara lived together with actor David Carradine from 1969 to 1975. The couple had a son together named Tom Carradine (previously Free). On August 8, 1992, she married Stephen Douglas, but they soon divorced in 1993.

A Killing in a Small Town

Career:

Hollywood-born and bred Barbara Herzstein had ambitions of appearing in movies as a little girl. A quiet and reclusive girl, she used to act out stories in her back yard and in high school, she participated in school plays. In one of her performances, Herzstein caught the eye of an agent and by the time she was 17 years old, she had made her professional debut in three episodes of the teen television series “Gidget” (1965-1966). Before long, she moved on to become a regular character on the Weatern series “The Monroes” (1966-1967), playing Kathy Monroe. Starring along side Michael Anderson Jr., she jointly won a Bronze Wrangler for Fictional Television Drama from the 1967 Western Heritage Awards, and followed the project up by making a series of guest appearances in such shows as “The Invaders” and “The High Chaparral.”

Hershey segued to the big screen in 1968 when she landed the supporting role of Stacy Iverson in the Howard Morris comedy “With Six You Get Eggroll,” starring Doris Day and Brian Keith. The following year, she was cast opposite Glenn Ford and Carolyn Jones in in the Western film “Heaven With a Gun,” playing an Indian girl named Leloopa, and had her first starring role in the drama “Last Summer,” for director Frank Perry. Her performance in the latter film brought her a Golden Laurel nomination for Female New Face. Hershey next was seen in the crime/drama “The Liberation of L.B. Jones” (1970), “The Baby Maker” (1970), “The Baby Maker” (1970), “The Pursuit of Happiness” (1971) and “Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues” (1972) before starting a collaboration with a then-nameless Martin Scorsese in the drama “Boxcar Bertha” (1972), where she played the title heroine. There she was cast along side then boyfriend David Carradine, who later directed Hershey and her father as well as he himself in the drama film “Americana” (made in 1973, released in 1983).

Billed as Barbara Seagull after “Boxcar Bertha,” Hershey appeared as a guest star in the TV series “Love Story” (1973) and “Kung Fu” (1974) and in the films “Love Comes Quietly” (1973), “You and Me” (1975) and “Diamonds” (1975). After dropping the “Seagull” surname, she resurfaced in the Western “The Last Hard Men” (1976) and the comedy “Choice of Weapons” (1976) and then returned to television to star with Robert Culp and Martin Milner in the disaster film “Flood!” (1976). She also acted in the miniseries “A Man Called Intrepid” (1979), based on the international best-selling book by William Stevenson, and the NBC remake series “From Here to Eternity” (1980), playing Karen Holmes.

Frequently cast in “flower child” roles in movies, Hershey finally could escape from the typecast when she made her return to the cinematic industry in 1980 with the Richard Rush-helmed “The Stunt Man,” where she received good reviews for her portrayal of actress Nina Franklin, opposite the Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole, who portrayed director Eli Cross. She went on to appear in the indie-comedy “Take This Job and Shove It” (1981) and offer a fine performance as Carla Moran in the horror “The Entity” (1981), for which she picked up a 1983 Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival for Best Actress.

Once regarded as an emerging star, by this point, Hershey was mostly ignored by the Hollywood noted filmmakers. However, in 1983, she received the offer to have a small part in “The Right Stuff,” an acclaimed adventure/drama directed by Philip Kaufman. The next year, she had another small but important role in the Barry Levinson sport-themed “The Natural” and gained additional boost with her subsequent noted TV gigs on the biopic “My Wicked, Wicked Ways” (1985) and the crime/drama “Passion Flower” (1986). Hershey further proved she was back on the track when Woody Allen tapped her to play the role of Lee, Hannah's sister, in the comedy “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986) and was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in the Oscar winner. She followed it up by costarring with Gene Hackman in the high-profile film “Hoosiers” (1986), directed by David Anspaugh, and reuniting with Barry Levinson for the comedy/drama “Tin Men” (1987), opposite Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito.

One memorable moment also came in 1987 when Hershey landed the starring role of Ruth in the Andrei Konchalovsky brilliant drama “Shy People,” along side Jill Clayburgh. When the film debuted on the Cannes Film Festival in May 1987, the talented actress successfully brought home the Best Actress honor at the world's prestigious festival. Her fine performance also won a 1989 Chicago Film Critics Association in the same category. Hershey again enjoyed success in the Cannes when she nabbed her next Best Actress Award for her work in the fabulous drama “A World Apart” (1988), for director Chris Menges. Still in 1988, she found herself reuniting with Martin Scorsese for “The Last Temptation of Christ,” in which her role as Mary Magdalene won her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, and costarring with Bette Midler in the Garry Marshall's “Beaches.”

Back to the small screen, Hershey took on the starring role of an accused murderer, Candy Morrison, in the CBS television film “A Killing in a Small Town” (1990) and under the direction of Stephen Gyllenhaal, she was handed an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special and a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. She next appeared in Showtime's “Paris Trout” (1991, received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special), the miniseries “Return to Lonesome Dove” (CBS, 1993) and the e TNT biblical drama “Abraham” (1994). Meanwhile, on the silver screen, she remained active by having roles in such projects as “Tune in Tomorrow” (1990), “Defenseless” (1991), “The Public Eye” (1992), “Falling Down” and “Swing Kids” (both 1993).

After the Western “Last of the Dogmen” (1995), with Tom Berenger, Hershey gave a memorable turn as the mother of a newly dead young man who seduces one of his friends in “The Pallbearer” (1996). However, it was her next film assignment that really brought the actress huge notice. As the manipulative Madame Serena Merle in the Jane Campion adaptation of the Henry James' novel “The Portrait of a Lady” (1996), she netted a National Society of Film Critics and a Los Angeles Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actress and most notably an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

Hershey filled in the rest of the decade with performances in “Frogs for Snakes” (1998, as a a struggling actress), “A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries” (1998, played the bohemian wife of Kris Kristofferson), “Drowning on Dry Land” (1999), the eagerly-waited “Breakfast of Champions” (1999, as Bruce Willis' wife) and “Passion: The Story of Percy Grainger” (1999). In addition, she starred in the CBS TV-movie “The Staircase” (1998, earned a Golden Satellite nomination) and returned to series TV as a regular in the CBS drama series “Chicago Hope” (1999), where she played Dr. Francesca Alberghetti in 22 episodes until 2000.

After departing “Chicago Hope,” Hershey had a supporting role as Dr. Valerie Somers on the Australian drama “Lantana” (2001) and for her work in the film, she co-won a IF for Best Actress. She was next seen in the TV films “Daniel Deronda” (2002), “Hunger Point” (2003), “The Stranger Beside Me” (2003) and “Paradise” (2004) before being cast as Gennie Carver on the short-lived WB series “The Mountain” (2004-2005), opposite Oliver Hudson and Anson Mount. She returned to film in Greg Marcks' “11:14” (2003) and then in “Riding the Bullet” (2004), adapted from the novel by Stephen King. Three years later, in 2007, she acted in the South Africa-made drama “The Bird Can't Fly” and “Love Comes Lately,” written and directed by Jan Schütte.

Recently, 60-year-old Hershey has completed the comedy/drama “Uncross the Stars” (2008), playing the aunt of Daniel Gillies, and the drama “Childless (2008), starring with Joe Mantegna and Diane Venora. She also will be cast along side Heather Graham in the comedy/drama “Son of Mourning” (2008), playing Leda. On television, Hershey is scheduled to portray older Anne Shirley on the drama/family film “Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2009).

Awards:

• DVD Exclusive: Best Supporting Actress (in a DVD Premiere Movie), “11:14,” 2006

• Munich Film Festival: CineMerit Award, 2002

• IF: Best Actress, “Lantana,” 2001

• National Society of Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress, “The Portrait of a Lady,” 1997

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Supporting Actress, “The Portrait of a Lady,” 1996

• Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, “A Killing in a Small Town,” 1991

• Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special, “A Killing in a Small Town,” 1990

• Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Actress, “Shy People,” 1989

• Cannes Film Festival: Best Actress, “A World Apart,” 1988

• Cannes Film Festival: Best Actress, “Shy People,” 1987

• Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival: Best Actress, “The Entity,” 1983

• Western Heritage: Bronze Wrangler, Fictional Television Drama, “The Monroes,” 1967