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IMDbPro

Barbara Rush

  • Actress
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"When Worlds Collide" Barbara Rush 1951, Paramount, **I.V.
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:39
Strangers When We Meet (1960)
8 Videos
99+ Photos
The epitome of poise, charm, style and grace, beautiful brunette Barbara Rush was born in Denver, Colorado in 1927 and enrolled at the University of California before working with the University Players and taking acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse. It didn't take long for talent scouts to spot her and, following a play performance, Paramount quickly signed her up in 1950, making her debut with The Goldbergs (1950). Just prior to this, she had met fellow actor Jeffrey Hunter, an incredibly handsome newcomer who would later become a "beefcake" bobbysoxer idol over at Fox. The two fell in love quickly and married in December of 1950. Soon, they were on their way to becoming one of Hollywood's most beautiful and photogenic young couples. Their son Christopher was born in 1952.

While at Paramount, she was decorative in such assembly-line fare as When Worlds Collide (1951), Quebec (1951) and Flaming Feather (1952). She later co-starred opposite some of Hollywood's top leading males: James Mason, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, Paul Newman, Richard Burton and Kirk Douglas. In most cases, she played brittle wives, conniving "other women" or socialite girlfriend types.

Despite the "A" list movies Barbara was piling up, the one single role that could put her over the top never showed its face. By the early 60s, her film career started to decline. She married publicist Warren Cowan in 1959 and bore a second child, Claudia Cowan, in 1964. TV became a viable source of income for Barbara, appearing in scores of guest parts on the more popular shows of the time while co-starring in standard mini-movie dramas. She even had a bit of fun playing a "guest villainess" on the Batman (1966) series as temptress "Nora Clavicle". The stage also became a strong focus for Barbara, earning the Sarah Siddons Award for her starring role in "Forty Carats". She made her Broadway debut in the one-woman showcase "A Woman of Independent Means", which also subsequently earned her the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award during its tour. Other showcases included "Private Lives", "Same Time, Next Year", "The Night of the Iguana" and "Steel Magnolias". The still-beautiful Ms. Rush occasionally graces the big and small screen these days, more recently in a recurring role on TV's 7th Heaven (1996).
BornJanuary 4, 1927
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BornJanuary 4, 1927
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Awards

Photos117

Barbara Rush in McCloud (1970)
Barbara Rush and Dennis Weaver in McCloud (1970)
Jeff Pomerantz and Barbara Rush in McCloud (1970)
Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Richard Carlson, Charles Drake, Kathleen Hughes, Virginia Mullen, and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Richard Carlson, Russell Johnson, and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Richard Carlson, Russell Johnson, and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Known for

Richard Carlson, Charles Drake, Kathleen Hughes, and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)
It Came from Outer Space
6.5
  • Ellen Fields
  • 1953
When Worlds Collide (1951)
When Worlds Collide
6.6
  • Joyce Hendron
  • 1951
Paul Newman in Hombre (1967)
Hombre
7.4
  • Audra Favor
  • 1967
Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Barbara Rush in Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)
Robin and the 7 Hoods
6.4
  • Marian
  • 1964

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Bleeding Hearts: The Arteries of Glenda Bryant
  • Jessica Biel, Beverley Mitchell, Barry Watson, David Gallagher, Catherine Hicks, Mackenzie Rosman, and Happy in 7th Heaven (1996)
    7th Heaven
  • My Mother's Hairdo
  • The Outer Limits (1995)
    The Outer Limits
  • David Conrad and Kimberly Williams-Paisley in Relativity (1996)
    Relativity
  • Beverly D'Angelo, Bruce Davison, and Mackenzie Astin in Widow's Kiss (1996)
    Widow's Kiss
  • Gene Barry and Peter Barton in Burke's Law (1994)
    Burke's Law
  • Susan Lucci, Debbi Morgan, Rebecca Budig, Cameron Mathison, and Darnell Williams in All My Children (1970)
    All My Children
  • Hearts Are Wild (1992)
    Hearts Are Wild
  • Paradise (1988)
    Paradise
  • Web of Deceit (1990)
    Web of Deceit
  • Hooperman (1987)
    Hooperman
  • Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)
    Murder, She Wrote
  • Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I. (1980)
    Magnum, P.I.
  • Anne Baxter, James Brolin, and Connie Sellecca in Hotel (1983)
    Hotel

Videos9

Superdad
Clip 1:10
Superdad
Superdad
Clip 1:04
Superdad
Trailer
Trailer 2:01
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:40
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:07
Trailer
Strangers When We Meet
Trailer 2:39
Strangers When We Meet
The Young Philadelphians
Trailer 0:38
The Young Philadelphians
When Worlds Collide
Trailer 2:00
When Worlds Collide
It Came from Outer Space
Trailer 1:14
It Came from Outer Space

Personal details

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    • January 4, 1927
    • Denver, Colorado, USA
    • Jim GruzalskiSeptember 24, 1970 - October 1973 (divorced)
    • Claudia Cowan
    • Carolyn Hennesy(Niece or Nephew)
  • Other works
    Unsold pilot: Co-starred in a pilot for a proposed series to be called "Dateline". It featured Rod Taylor as a San Francisco-based newspaper columnist. The pilot cost $200,000 and was shot on location.
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Interviews
    • 8 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Was separated from second husband Warren Cowan in 1969 at the time she learned of first husband Jeffrey Hunter's sudden death following brain surgery after falling down a flight of stairs.
  • Quotes
    I can safely say that every movie role I was ever offered that had any real quality went to someone else.

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