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Barbara Barrie, the Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-nominated actress who starred in the original production of “Company” and in films including “Breaking Away,” died Wednesday in Manhattan. She was 95.
Her daughter confirmed
her death to the New York Times and said Barrie’s death was medically assisted following a terminal cancer diagnosis.
On stage, Barrie made her Broadway debut in 1955 in “The Wooden Dish,” and went on to perform in roles across Broadway and off for more than 60 years until she took her last bow in “Significant Other.” She starred in 1976’s “California Suite,” 1958’s “The Crucible,” and in both “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Taming of the Shrew” from 1958-1959. She was, most notably, a member of the original Broadway cast of “Company,” Stephen Sondheim’s acclaimed 1970s musical. She was nominated for a Tony for best featured actress in a musical for the role of Sarah.
On screen, Barrie made her film debut in “Giant” in 1956, and went on to star in 1964’s “One Potato, Two Potato,” for which she won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1979, she starred in “Breaking Away,” which was nominated for five Oscars. She earned a best supporting actress nod for her role. On television, Barrie appeared on shows including “The Defenders,” “Naked City,” “Twilight Zone,” “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour,” “Barney Miller” and “Suddenly Susan.” She earned Emmy nominations for the TV adaptation of “Breaking Away,” as well as for her appearances on “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: SVU.”
Barrie was born on May 23, 1931, in Chicago, and grew up in Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas in 1952 with a major in drama.
Barrie was diagnosed with rectal cancer in the early 90s, and wrote two books about her battle with the illness in an effort to reduce the stigma: “Second Act” in 1997 and “Don’t Die of Embarrassment” in 1999. Years later, in 2014, she announced that she had the degenerative disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
In addition to her daughter, she is survived by her son, Aaron Harnick, and three granddaughters. Her husband, Jay Harnick, died in 2007.
