Barbara Steele

Barbara Steele

Barbara Steele in trailer to The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
Born 29 December 1937
Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK
Occupation Actress
Years active 1958 - present
Spouse(s) James Poe (1969 - 1978; divorced); 1 child

Barbara Steele (born 29 December 1937) is an English film actress. She is best known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. Her breakthrough role came in Italian director Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960), now hailed as a classic.[1]

Steele starred in a string of horror films, including The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962), The Ghost directed by Riccardo Freda, and Roger Corman's 1961 adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Pit and the Pendulum, among others.

She guest starred on various British television shows including the spy drama, Danger Man starring Patrick McGoohan. She made her American television debut in 1960 as Dolores in the "Daughter of Illusion" episode of the ABC series, Adventures in Paradise, starring Gardner McKay. In that same year she was replaced in the Elvis Presley film Flaming Star after a disagreement with director Don Siegel. In 1961, she appeared as Phyllis in the "Beta Delta Gamma" episode of CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Steele was cast as Julia Hoffman in the 1991 remake of the 1960s ABC television series, Dark Shadows. In 2010, she was a guest star in the Dark Shadows audio drama, The Night Whispers.

In 2010, actor-writer Mark Gatiss interviewed Steele about her role in Black Sunday (1960) for his BBC documentary series A History of Horror.[2][3] 2014 starred in the directorial debut of Ryan Gosling an drama thriller film Lost River,[4] in which she potrayed Belladonna in a supporting role.[5]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Director
1958 Bachelor of Hearts Fiona Wolf Rilla
1959 Sapphire Student Basil Dearden
1959 Upstairs and Downstairs Mary Ralph Thomas
1960 Your Money or Your Wife Juliet Frost Anthony Simmons
1960 Black Sunday Katia Vajda/Princess Asa Vajda Mario Bava
1961 The Pit and the Pendulum Elizabeth Roger Corman
1962 The Horrible Dr. Hichcock Cynthia Hichcock Riccardo Freda
1963 8½ Gloria Morin Federico Fellini
1963 The Hours of Love Leila Luciano Salce
1963 The Ghost Margaret Hichcoc Riccardo Freda
1964 The Long Hair of Death Helen Karnstein / Mary Karnstein Antonio Margheriti
1964 I maniaci Barbara/signora Brugnoli Lucio Fulci
1964 Un tentativo sentimentale Silvia Pasquale Festa Campanile and Massimo Franciosa
1964 Castle of Blood Elisabeth Blackwood Antonio Margheriti
1964 White Voices Giulia Pasquale Festa Campanile and Massimo Franciosa
1965 I soldi cameo appearance Gianni Puccini and Giorgio Cavedon
1965 Terror-Creatures from the Grave Corinne Hauff Massimo Pupillo
1965 Nightmare Castle Muriel Arrowsmith / Jenny Arrowsmith Mario Caiano
1966 L'armata Brancaleone Teodora Mario Monicelli
1966 The She Beast Veronica Michael Reeves
1966 Young Törless Bozena Volker Schlöndorff
1966 An Angel for Satan Harriet Montebruno / Belinda Camillo Mastrocinque
1968 Curse of the Crimson Altar Lavinia Morley Vernon Sewell
1974 Caged Heat Supt. McQueen Jonathan Demme
1975 Shivers Betts David Cronenberg
1977 I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (scenes deleted) Idat Anthony Page
1978 Pretty Baby Josephine Louis Malle
1978 Piranha Dr. Mengers Joe Dante
1980 Silent Scream Victoria Engels Denny Harris
1983 The Winds of War (TV mini series) Mrs. Stoller Dan Curtis
1988 War and Remembrance (TV mini series) Elsa MacMahon Dan Curtis
1991 Dark Shadows (TV mini series) Dr. Julia Hoffman / Countess Natalie Du Pres Dan Curtis
2012 The Butterfly Room Ann Gionata Zarantonello

References

  1. ↑ Dave Kehr "Critics Choice: New DVDs: The Mario Bava Collection, Volume 1", New York Times, April 10, 2007
  2. ↑ Clarke, Donald. "Mark Gatiss’s History of Horror". Irish Times.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  3. ↑ "A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss – Home Counties Horror Ep 2/3". BBC. 2010-10-18.
  4. ↑ "Lost River". BD. 2015-02-18.
  5. ↑ "Lost River". BD. 2015-02-18.

External links