Biography
Despite an early-career period marked by low-budget films and an unconventional personal life, award-winning actress Barbara Hershey found herself at the height of her professional success at a stage when most leading ladies begin to fade from the limelight. Born and raised in Hollywood, she broke into film and television while still in high school and landed leading roles in features such as "With Six You Get Eggroll" (1968) and "Last Summer" …
Barbara Hershey SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Discoved by an agent during a school production at Hollywood High School | ||
1965 | Made her acting debut with a recurring role on "Gidget" (ABC) | |
1966 | Starred on ABC series "The Munroes" (ABC) | |
1967 | Short film acting debut, "The Whole Damn Human Race and One More" | |
1968 | Made her feature acting debut in "With Six You Get Eggroll" | |
1969 | Co-starred in the Glenn Ford western, "Heaven with a Gun"; first film with actor David Carradine | |
1969 | First leading role in a feature film, "Last Summer" | |
1970 | Played a surrogate mother in "The Baby Maker" | |
1972 | Once again teamed with David Carradine for Martin Scorsese's "Boxcar Bertha" | |
1974 | Guest starred on a two-part episode of Carradine's television series "Kung Fu" (ABC), playing a love interest to his character Kwai Chang Caine | |
1976 | Starred with Charlton Heston in "The Last Hard Men" | |
1980 | Had a leading role in Richard Rush's "The Stunt Man" | |
1980 | Played Karen Holmes in the NBC miniseries version of "From Here to Eternity" | |
1983 | Played Glennis Yeager, wife of test pilot Chuck Yeager in "The Right Stuff" | |
1984 | Landed memorable role as the woman who shot Robert Redford's character in "The Natural" | |
1986 | Had featured role as Leigh in Wooody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters" | |
1986 | Played the love interest to Gene Hackman's character in the basketball drama "Hoosiers" | |
1987 | Won first Cannes Best Actress Award for "Shy People" | |
1988 | Co-starred with Bette Midler in Garry Marshall's "Beaches" | |
1988 | Earned second Cannes Best Actress Award for "A World Apart" | |
1988 | Played Mary Magdalene in Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" | |
1990 | Won an Emmy for playing an accused murderer in "A Killing in a Small Town" (CBS) | |
1991 | Co-starred opposite Dennis Hopper in "Paris Trout" | |
1993 | Succeeded Angelica Huston as Clara Allen in the sequel series "Return to Lonesome Dove" (CBS) | |
1994 | Cast as Sarah in the TNT biblical drama "Abraham" | |
1996 | Received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance as the manipulative Madame Merle in Jane Campion's adaptation of "The Portrait of a Lady" | |
1998 | Starred as the mother superior of a convent in the CBS TV-movie "The Staircase" | |
1999 | Returned to series TV playing Dr. Francesca Alberghetti on CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope" | |
2004 | Cast on short-lived drama series "The Mountain" (The WB) | |
2004 | Starred in "Riding the Bullet," based on the novel by Stephen King | |
2008 | Co-starred with Rachel Blanchard and Shirley MacLaine in "Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning" | |
2010 | Appeared in the horror thriller "Insidious" | |
2010 | Portrayed Natalie Portman's overbearing mother and a former ballerina in Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" | |
2012 | Joined the cast of ABC's "Once Upon a Time" as the Evil Queen's (Lana Parrilla) mother | |
Awards
1986 | BAFTA Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in Hannah and Her Sisters |
1987 | Cannes Film Festival for Best Actress in Shy People |
1988 | Cannes Film Festival for Best Actress in A World Apart |
1988 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in The Last Temptation of Christ |
1990 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in A Killing in a Small Town |
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In a Miniseries or Special in A Killing in a Small Town |
1991 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In a Miniseries or Special in Paris Trout |
1996 | Academy Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in The Portrait of A Lady |
1996 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in The Portrait of A Lady |
1996 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Portrait of A Lady |
1996 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Portrait of A Lady |
2010 | BAFTA Award for Supporting Actress in Black Swan |