Barbara Meek
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Barbara Meek (born February 26, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actress.
Barbara Meek is best-known for playing the character of Ellen Canby for two seasons on Archie Bunker's Place. Meek is active member of the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, and has appeared in almost 100 of their productions.
She was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Juanita and Harold Meek, and she was the granddaughter of the Reverend Horatius "H.H." Coleman, pastor of the Greater Macedonia Baptist Church. She graduated from Cass Technical High School, and as an undergraduate was asked to join Wayne State University's graduate theatre program, and toured with the United Services Organizations, performing for wounded soldiers on Okinawa and other U.S. Army bases. In 1968, she joined the Trinity Repertory Company with her husband, Martin Molson (1928-1980).
Highlights of Meek's stage career at Trinity include leading roles in Fences, Athol Fugard's Boesman and Lena, Peer Gynt, The Threepenny Opera, Tartuffe, The Visit, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fires in the Mirror, A Christmas Carol, Terrence McNally's Master Class, and The Henriad.
Meek played the role of Sadie in the European premiere of Having Our Say at Vienna's English Theatre, and appeared in the world premiere of A Lesson Before Dying by Romulus Linney at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Meek has also performed at Hilberry Repertory Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Cleveland Play House, The Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Hampton Playhouse, The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and the Brandeis University Theatre.
In addition to Archie Bunker's Place on CBS, Meek appeared in "Brother to Dragons", "The House of Mirth", and "Life Among the Lowly" for PBS, "Melba" on ABC, and "Big Brother Jake" on The Family Channel. Meek was also featured in the television movies See How She Runs with Joanne Woodward and Jimmy B. and Andre with Susan Clark and Alex Karras.
Ms. Meek has received the Foundation for Repertory Theatre Award and The Wayne State University Arts Achievement Award in Theatre. In 1998, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from the University of Rhode Island, and she was awarded the 2004 Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 2006, she was awarded The Edward Bannister and Christiana Bannister History Makers Award from the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society.
In 2006, Meek will be appearing in Cyrano de Bergerac at Trinity Rep.
