Barbara Hershey (born Barbara Lynn Herzstein; February 5, 1948) is an American actress with a career spanning nearly 50 years, known for roles in television and cinema across various genres including westerns and comedies. She began acting in 1965 at age 17 but gained critical acclaim in the late 1980s, when the Chicago Tribune called her "one of America's finest actresses."
Hershey won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries/TV Film for A Killing in a Small Town (1990). She received Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actress for The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Portrait of a Lady (1996), with an Academy Award nomination and a Los Angeles Film Critics Award for the latter. She won Best Actress at Cannes for Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988). Other notable films include Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Beaches (1988), and Black Swan (2010), earning British Academy Award nominations for the first and last. Early in her career, Hershey faced personal and professional challenges, including a decline during a six-year relationship with David Carradine and a regretted stage name change. After separating from Carradine and reverting to her original stage name, her career stabilized and she later maintained privacy about her personal life.
United States
