Stanwyck, Barbara

Stanwyck, Barbara

 orig. Ruby Stevens

(born July 16, 1907, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died Jan. 20, 1990, Santa Monica, Calif.) U.S. film actress. She made her screen debut in 1927 and went on to appear in over 80 films, often portraying strong-willed, independent women. Her movies include Stella Dallas (1937), Union Pacific (1939), Ball of Fire (1942), Double Indemnity (1944), Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), and Executive Suite (1954). She later starred in the television series The Big Valley (1965–69), and she appeared in the popular miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983). She received several Academy Award nominations, but she failed to win an award until she was granted an honorary award in 1981.

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Stanwyck, Barbara (b. Ruby Stevens) (1907–90) film actress; born in New York City. A working girl from the age of 13, she debuted on Broadway as a chorus girl at age 15. Beginning in Hollywood in Broadway Nights (1927), she established herself as a professional, dependable leading lady, playing both comedy and drama, usually in the role of a no-nonsense lady. In 1965 she switched to television, and was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 1981.