Biography for
Barbara Bel Geddes More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

31 October 1922, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

8 August 2005, Northeast Harbor, Maine, USA (lung cancer)

Height

5' 3½" (1.61 m)

Mini Biography

Arguably best remembered for her role as Miss Ellie, the Ewing family matriarch on the long-running TV series "Dallas" (1978), Barbara Bel Geddes had earlier scored success on stage and screen long before gaining more lasting fame on television. Born in New York City on Halloween Day 1922, the daughter of noted theatrical and industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes, who staged more than 200 plays. After growing up amidst the theatre, Bel Geddes began acting on stage at age 18 and soon moved on to Broadway. The silver screen also beckoned, making her film debut in The Long Night (1947). She was quickly labeled a star, gracing the cover of Life magazine on April 12, 1948. Her third motion picture, I Remember Mama (1948), garnered Bel Geddes an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. Other notable films include Panic in the Streets (1950) directed by Elia Kazan; Alfred Hitchcock's classic mystery-thriller Vertigo (1958) with James Stewart and Kim Novak; and The Five Pennies (1959) opposite Danny Kaye. Though she achieved immediate success in films, Bel Geddes also continued to tread the boards on Broadway, since theatre was her first love. In 1952, she received the prestigious Woman of the Year Award by Hasty Pudding Theatricals USA, America's oldest theater company. She was nominated for Tony Awards as best dramatic actress for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in 1956 and for the lead in Mary, Mary in 1961. Bel Geddes made several TV appearances on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1955) and other programs in the mid-50s, but her greatest television role came as Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow on "Dallas" (1978), which enjoyed a run of 13 years (1978-1991). She won the Emmy Award for best actress in 1980 and was nominated in the same category in 1979 and 1981. Bel Geddes left the show for health reasons during the 1984-85 season, with Donna Reed taking over the role of Miss Ellie. Bel Geddes returned for the 1985-86 season and continued on "Dallas" (1978) until 1990, when she effectively retired from acting. She did not appear in either of the two Dallas TV reunion movies. On August 8, 2005, she died following a long illness.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Lisa Kelly Eason

Spouse

Windsor Lewis	(15 April 1951 - 15 May 1972) (his death) 1 child
Carl Schreuer	(24 January 1944 - 1951) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

She played Maggie the Cat in the original Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Elizabeth Taylor garnered the role in the Hollywood film version - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)).

Daughters, Susan and Betsy.

Daughter of stage designer/art director Norman Bel Geddes and Helen Belle Sneider Geddes.

Stepdaughter of famous theatrical costumer designer Edith Lutyens-Bel Geddes

At age 16 she was kicked out of the fancy Putney Finishing School in New England for being a disruptive influence.

Had 3 grandchildren: Samantha, Hannah and Joshua.

Designed stationery for Caspari and Crane in her retirement years.

Spent her retirement years in Northeast Harbor, Maine up until her death.

Operated on for breast cancer in 1971/72, and relived the experience in "Dallas" (1978) when Miss Ellie underwent a mastectomy.

She played the showgirl in The Sleeping Prince on Broadway. Marilyn Monroe garnered the role in the Hollywood film version - The Prince and the Showgirl (1957).

She played the lead in Mary, Mary on Broadway. Debbie Reynolds garnered the role in the Hollywood film version - Mary, Mary (1963).

Was twice nominated for Broadway's best dramatic actress Tony Award: in 1956 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and in 1961 for Mary, Mary.

A longtime smoker, she was forced to quit by her doctors after her heart attack in March 1984.

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