Today Barbara Stanwyck is remembered primarily as the matriarch of the family known as the Barkleys on the TV western The Big Valley, wherein she played Victoria, and from the hit drama The Colbys. But she was known to millions of other fans for her movie career, which spanned the period from 1927 until 1964, after which she appeared on television until 1986. It was a career that lasted for 59 years. She was born Ruby Stevens on July 16, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York. She went to work at the local telephone company for $14 a week, but she had the urge (a dream--that was all it was) somehow to enter show business. When not working, she pounded the pavement in search of dancing jobs. The persistence paid off. Barbara was hired as a chorus girl for the princely sum of $40 a week, much better than the wages she was getting from the phone company. She was 17, and she was going to make the most of the opportunity that had been given her.

In 1928 Barbara moved to Hollywood, where she was to start one of the most lucrative careers filmdom had ever seen. She was an extremely versatile actress who could adapt to any role. Barbara was equally at home in all genres, from melodramas, such as Forbidden and Stella Dallas, to thrillers, such as Double Indemnity, one of her best films, also starring Fred MacMurray (as you have never seen him before). She also excelled in comedies such as Remember the Night and The Lady Eve. Another genre she excelled in was westerns, Union Pacific being one of her first and TV's The Big Valley (her most memorable role) being her last. In 1983, she played in the ABC hit mini-series The Thorn Birds, which did much to keep her in the eye of the public. She turned in an outstanding performance as Mary Carson.

Barbara was considered a gem to work with for her serious but easygoing attitude on the set. She worked hard at being an actress, and she never allowed her star quality to go to her head. She was nominated for four Academy Awards, though she never won. She turned in magnificent performances for all the roles she was nominated for, but the "powers that be" always awarded the Oscar to someone else. However, in 1982 she was awarded an honorary Academy Award for "superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting." Sadly, Barbara died on January 20, 1990, leaving 93 movies and a host of TV appearances as her legacy to us.
Forbidden (1932): $50,000
Godmother of Bobbie Poledouris. Sister-in-law of actress Caryl Lincoln. Her stage name was inspired by a theatrical poster that read "Jane Stanwyck in 'Barbara Frietchie.'". Her nickname among co-workers was "Missy" or "The Queen." In 1944, when she earned $400,000, the government listed her as the nation's highest-paid woman. Often called "The Best Actress Who Never Won an Oscar." According to biographical film Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire, Stanwyck became a model for women actors. Such stars as Sally Field and Virginia Madsen have publicly pointed to Stanwyck as their model. American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. [1987] Sister of actor Bert Stevens. In the early 1950s, made a television commercial for Lustre Creme shampoo. Was of Scots-Irish and English descent. Her mother died when she was accidentally knocked off a trolley by a drunk. Barbara was four at the time. Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1973. Measurements: 33 1/4-23-33 1/2 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine). Her son, Dion Anthony "Tony" Fay, was born in February 1932. He was adopted on December 5, 1932. Worked briefly as a fashion model in the late 1920s. Was listed #11 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years of The Greatest Screen Legends." Her wicked turn as Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity was ranked #8 on the American Film Institute's "100 Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains" list. She was voted the 40th "Greatest Movie Star of All Time" by Entertainment Weekly. Her stormy marriage to Frank Fay finally ended after a drunken brawl, during which he tossed their adopted son, Dion, into the swimming pool. Despite rumours of affairs with Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford, Stanwyck wed Robert Taylor, who had gay rumours of his own to dispel. Their marriage started off on a sour note when his possessive mother demanded he spend his wedding night with her rather than with Barbara. Picked up the starring role in Ball of Fire after Ginger Rogers dropped out. She became estranged from her son in February 1951. She lost a kidney in 1971. In 1981, she was beaten and robbed in her bedroom by an intruder who woke her up at one in the morning. In 1985, her house was destroyed in a fire. She was upset to lose all of Robert Taylor's love letters. She did not have a funeral and has no grave. Her ashes are scattered in Lone Pine, California. Her siblings were named Maude, Mable, Mildred ("Millie"), and Malcolm Byron ("Bert") Stevens. Her parents were Byron and Catherine McGee Stevens. Ailing, she was replaced by Susan Hayward in Heat of Anger, which was to have been a pilot for a prospective TV series to be called "Fitzgerald and Pride." Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1751 Vine St. Graduate of Erasmus Hall High School, Brooklyn, New York. Stanwyck's papers are in the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, P.O. Box 3924, Laramie, WY 82071. Turned down the role of Angela Channing on Falcon Crest. Her performance as Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity is ranked #98 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time list (2006). Her performance as Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity is ranked #58 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time list. Was best friends for many years with Frank Sinatra's first wife, Nancy. The film A Star Is Born starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March is said to be modeled after Stanwyck's rise to stardom and first husband Frank Fay's descent into obscurity. William Holden was considered not to be up to his role in Golden Boy; however, Stanwyck urged producers to keep him in the picture and succeeded. In 1978, at the The 50th Annual Academy Awards, before starting the presentation of the sound award, William Holden publicly thanked her for what she did. Miss Stanwyck nearly broke down in tears and kissed Holden, and the exchange received rapturous audience applause. In Italy, almost all of her films were dubbed by Lidia Simoneschi. She was occasionally dubbed by Tina Lattanzi and Marcella Rovena. As Leona Stevenson in Sorry, Wrong Number, she was dubbed by Andreina Pagnani. This was the only time the Italian actress lent her voice to Stanwyck. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 796-798. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. Planned to play Joan Crawford's role in _Mildred Pierce (1945)_, but Crawford was faster and got the role.