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Barbara Hershey

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001149
Barbara Hershey at an event for Black Swan (2010)
After suffering a stroke, Judith Albright moves into a historic nursing home, where she begins to suspect something supernatural is preying on the residents. In order to escape she'll need to convince everyone around her that she doesn't actually belong there after all.
Play trailer1:57
The Manor (2021)
47 Videos
99+ Photos
Barbara Hershey was born Barbara Lynn Herzstein in Hollywood, California to Melrose Moore and Arnold Nathan Herzstein, a horse-racing columnist. Her father, born in Manhattan, was from a Jewish family from Hungary and Russia, and her mother, originally from Arkansas, had English and Scots-Irish ancestry. Hershey was raised in a small bungalow and had aspirations of being an actress from her earliest memories.

The multi-award-winning actress has been in some of Hollywood's most memorable films. She has been a winner of an Emmy and a Golden Globe for A Killing in a Small Town (1990). She won two consecutive Best Actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival (which is unprecedented) for Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988). She won a Gemini Award for Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning (2008) for PBS and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Vienna International Film Festival.

Hershey was nominated for an Academy Award for The Portrait of a Lady (1996).

She's worked with some of the world's great directors, including Martin Scorsese, William Wyler, Woody Allen, Jane Campion, and Darren Aronofsky.

The versatile actress was first discovered by a talent agent while she was attending Hollywood High School. She began working in television, The Monroes (1966), and film, With Six You Get Eggroll (1968), with Doris Day; with roles in The Baby Maker (1970) and Boxcar Bertha (1972), she quickly advanced to starring roles.

The 1980s catapulted Hershey's film career, when she starred in The Stunt Man (1980) with Peter O'Toole, The Entity (1982), The Right Stuff (1983), The Natural (1984) with Robert Redford, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) with Woody Allen, Hoosiers (1986) with Gene Hackman, Tin Men (1987), Shy People (1987), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), A World Apart (1988), and Beaches (1988) with Bette Midler.

Hershey returned to television in 1990 with her highly-lauded performance in A Killing in a Small Town (1990), Paris Trout (1991), Return to Lonesome Dove (1993), the British mini-series Daniel Deronda (2002), and the last season of Chicago Hope (1994).

During the same period, Hershey remained active in features. She was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for The Portrait of a Lady (1996). She also starred in Merchant-Ivory's A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) and the award-winning Australian film, Lantana (2001).

In the 2010 years, Hershey has performed in James Wan's cult-hit, Insidious (2010) and Darren Aronofsky's award-winning Black Swan (2010), playing Natalie Portman's insane mother.

Hershey resides in Los Angeles.
BornFebruary 5, 1948
  • More at IMDbPro
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    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornFebruary 5, 1948
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001149
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 15 wins & 24 nominations total

    Photos244

    View Poster
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    + 240
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    Known for

    Natalie Portman in Black Swan (2010)
    Black Swan
    8.0
    • Erica Sayers
    • The Queen
    • 2010
    Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, and Dianne Wiest in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
    Hannah and Her Sisters
    7.8
    • Lee
    • 1986
    Ty Simpkins in Insidious (2010)
    Insidious
    6.8
    • Lorraine Lambert
    • 2010
    Rachael Leigh Cook, Patrick Swayze, Barbara Hershey, Shawn Hatosy, and Hilary Swank in 11:14 (2003)
    11:14
    7.1
    • Norma
    • 2003

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actress



    • Woodstockers
      • Rebecca
      • Post-production
      • TV Movie



    • Beacon 23 (2023)
      Beacon 23
      5.7
      TV Series
      • Sophie
      • 2023
    • Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald in Strange Darling (2023)
      Strange Darling
      7.1
      • Genevieve
      • 2023
    • Lena Headey and Sam Worthington in 9 Bullets (2022)
      9 Bullets
      4.2
      • Lacy
      • 2022
    • Barbara Hershey in The Manor (2021)
      The Manor
      5.3
      • Judith
      • 2021
    • Paradise Lost (2020)
      Paradise Lost
      6.5
      TV Series
      • Byrd Forsythe
      • 2020
    • Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny in The X-Files (1993)
      The X-Files
      8.6
      TV Series
      • Erika Price
      • 2018
    • Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
      Insidious: The Last Key
      5.7
      • Lorraine Lambert (voice)
      • 2018
    • Sarah Gadon, Aaron Paul, Jamie Dornan, and Aiden Longworth in The 9th Life of Louis Drax (2016)
      The 9th Life of Louis Drax
      6.3
      • Violet Drax
      • 2016
    • Bradley James in Damien (2016)
      Damien
      6.8
      TV Series
      • Ann Rutledge
      • 2016
    • Dania Ramirez in Once Upon a Time (2011)
      Once Upon a Time
      7.7
      TV Series
      • Cora Mills
      • 2012–2016
    • John Heard, Barbara Hershey, David Lascher, Reid Scott, and Grace Kaufman in My Sister (2014)
      My Sister
      6.6
      • Susan Presser
      • 2014
    • Sophie Lowe and Peter Gadiot in Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (2013)
      Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
      6.9
      TV Series
      • Cora Mills
      • 2014
    • Rose Byrne in Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
      Insidious: Chapter 2
      6.6
      • Lorraine Lambert
      • 2013
    • Rachael Leigh Cook and Barbara Hershey in Left to Die (2012)
      Left to Die
      5.6
      TV Movie
      • Sandra Chase
      • 2012
    • Barbara Hershey, Julie Benz, Dane Cook, and Elizabeth Mitchell in Answers to Nothing (2011)
      Answers to Nothing
      5.0
      • Marilyn
      • 2011

    Soundtrack



    • Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey in Beaches (1988)
      Beaches
      7.0
      • performer: "You Are My Sunshine"
      • 1988

    Videos47

    Beaches
    Clip 1:43
    Beaches
    Beaches
    Clip 1:16
    Beaches
    Beaches
    Clip 1:16
    Beaches
    Beaches
    Clip 1:28
    Beaches
    Answers to Nothing
    Clip 0:43
    Answers to Nothing
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:02
    Official Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:16
    Official Trailer

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Barbara Seagull
    • Height
      • 5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
    • Born
      • February 5, 1948
      • Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Spouse
      • Stephen DouglasAugust 8, 1992 - November 1993 (divorced)
    • Children
      • Tom Carradine
    • Parents
        Arnold Herzstein
    • Relatives
        Samuel Herzstein(Grandparent)
    • Other works
      "Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre" (1967)
    • Publicity listings
      • 3 Interviews
      • 3 Articles
      • 9 Pictorials
      • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mother, with David Carradine, of son Tom Carradine.
    • Quotes
      I am afraid of being lazy and complacent. I am afraid of taking myself too seriously.

    FAQ12

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