If there’s one actress who had the talent and the beauty that outshone her contemporaries,
it’s Adrienne Barbeau.
And it’s safe to say that she’s still got it today!
She made her mark when she appeared in the now-classic sitcom Maude.
Since the 1980s, she’s established herself as one of the most famous actresses in the
horror genre.
Now in her seventies, she’s still just as busy as ever.
But how did she get started?
Did you know that she actually began her show business career working as a go-go dancer?
She’s certainly come a long way from there…
Let’s look back at Adrienne Barbeau’s life and career and how she’s keeping herself
busy today…
EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Adrienne Barbeau was born on June 11, 1945, in Sacramento, California.
She wasn’t from a show business family, yet somehow, she had an innate desire to entertain
others.
She graduated from Del Mar High School in San Jose and then decided to relocate to New
York City in the late 1960s.
She soon found herself working as a go-go dancer at some of New York City’s most notorious
nightclubs!
In her autobiography, she later described this as “working for the mob!”
But it was clear that she was destined for bigger things.
She decided to try her luck at a theater.
Her Broadway debut was as a member of the chorus in Fiddler on the Roof.
As she gained more experience, she eventually landed the role of Hodel – one of Tevye’s
daughters in the play.
This helped increase her popularity in theater circles and she soon found herself receiving
one offer after another for plays and musicals.
She kept herself busy and appeared in over 20 plays and musicals – building up her
acting talent.
She was also briefly involved with an opera troupe, The San Jose Civic Light Opera.
With them, she toured Southeast Asia and performed for American troops stationed in the region.
It was during this time that she realized she wanted to dedicate her life to entertaining
others.
While theater was keeping her busy, she knew that it had its limits.
To become a big star and make an impact on a larger audience, she had to graduate to
working in film and television.
She also knew that these industries were a lot harsher than working in theater.
They were highly competitive and often, it was hard to find decent roles.
Adrienne got a lot of attention for her beauty, and often, she came across producers who were
more interested in exploiting her beauty than they were in her acting talents.
Nevertheless, she was determined to make it.
As the 1970s approached, she was eager to become a TV star…
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ADRIENNE’S TV CAREER
Adrienne Barbeau’s TV debut is arguably one of the best TV debuts of any actress!
She was cast as Carol Traynor in the new sitcom Maude, which debuted in 1972.
Carol Traynor was the divorced daughter of the titular character, Maude Findlay – played
by Bea Arthur.
She loved working on the show and her work was praised – though there were times when
she felt that it was her beauty, rather than her talent that was the focus.
She even recalled in her autobiography that “…no one was even listening to me.
They were just watching my breasts precede me.”
In fact, she appeared in only a few episodes of the final season of Maude.
She was determined to establish herself as a serious actress and fight against the notion
that she was merely a sex symbol.
Apart from her role on Maude, she appeared in several television movies which gave her
a chance to showcase her talent.
Her first major role was as Daisy White in The Great Houdini – a biopic about Harry
Houdini.
Her role received praise and she continued to get more work in TV movies.
She also appeared in the TV movies, Crash, Someone’s Watching Me!, and The Darker Side
of Terror.
Her film career began in the 1980s, but she never stopped working in television.
In 1980, she appeared in three back-to-back hit TV movies.
These were Top of the Hill, Valentine Magic of Love Island and Tourist.
She played lead roles in these 3 TV movies, and they helped increase her popularity in
the industry.
With these roles, she showed that she was a talented and versatile actress.
After these 3 TV movies, she never looked back.
Adrienne Barbeau has kept herself busy working in television ever since.
Her other notable roles have been as Silvia Hartnell in the mini-series The Burden of
Proof.
She also played Selina Kyle aka Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman
Adventures, and Gotham Girls.
She played Kim Harvey in 6 episodes of The Drew Carey Show, Ruthie in the TV series Carnivàle,
and Susanne Stanwyck in the popular soap opera, General Hospital.
Her most recent TV roles was in the episode “Drive-in” in the show American Horror
Stories and in the episode “Callisto Soul” in the show Cowboy Bebop – both released
in 2021.
ADRIENNE’S FILM CAREER
Adrienne Barbeau has been a familiar face on the small screen – and she’s also a
huge star on the big screen!
She made her big-screen debut in 1980 when she was cast in the lead role as Stevie Wayne
in the horror film The Fog – which was co-written and directed by her then-husband, John Carpenter.
John Carpenter created the character specifically for Adrienne to play.
The film was a low-budget independent film that had huge success upon its release.
This film was proof that Adrienne Barbeau had talents not just for TV – but that she
was on her way to becoming a movie star as well!
It also established her as a staple for the horror genre.
Today, she’s seen as an iconic actress in the horror genre.
Another popular role of hers was in the escapist sci-fi film Escape from New York – also
written and directed by John Carpenter.
She also appeared in the horror film Swamp Thing and appeared in a segment of the film
Creepshow.
By 1986, she was now a movie star, and she had a small but memorable role in the Rodney
Dangerfield comedy film Back To School.
This hilarious film must have rekindled her interest in working in comedy films.
In 1989, she had a lead role in the adventure-comedy film Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle
of Death.
She returned to her horror roots in 1990 when she starred in the now-classic film Two Evil
Eyes.
She continued acting in feature films in the 2000s.
Her notable films included The Convent, Across the Line, No Place Like Home, Ghost Rock,
Unholy, Fly Me to the Moon 3D, and Reach for Me.
She hasn’t slowed down since, and she’s been just as busy appearing in films.
Her notable film roles in the 2010s have been in Argo, Complacent, Divine Access, Beyond
the Edge, Jimmy’s Jungle, Chain of Death, Hoax, and Gates of Darkness.
The 2020s also look promising for her film career.
2020 saw two film releases for Adrienne Barbeau – the comedy-drama film The Eagle and the
Albatross which she starred in.
She also had a lead role in the drama film For the Love of Jessee.
In 2022, she showed that she was still in love with horror films when she played a supporting
role in the independent movie Hellblazers.
She’s also playing the lead role in an upcoming horror film called The Pitch-Fork – which
will hopefully see a release soon!
SHE’S STILL GOT IT TODAY
The fact that in the 2020s, Adrienne Barbeau is still just as busy as ever in both film
and television shows that she’s still got it today.
She’s established herself as one of the most versatile actresses of her generation
– having a particular aptitude toward horror and comedy.
She’s seen as a living legend in the horror genre and still gets offers to appear in horror
films and TV shows today!
But she’s also loved for her appearances in comedy films and TV shows and is still
lauded for her performance as Carol Traynor in Maude.
Adrienne Barbeau is still just as enchanting as ever and is still seen as a sex symbol.
Yet, unlike many other sex symbols, she’s also seen as a brilliant actress – which
is what she set to prove when she joined the TV and film industry.
She’s come a long way from her days as a go-go dancer at New York nightclubs!
She honed her craft on stage and then became a legend in both film and television – now
how many actresses can brag about such achievements?
Adrienne Barbeau was married to John Carpenter from 1979 to 1984 and had a son John ‘Cody’
Carpenter with them.
Following her divorce from John Carpenter, she married Billy Van Zandt in 1992 whom she
was married to until their divorce in 2018.
She has two sons, Walker and William from her second marriage.
She’s also had a brief career voicing characters for video games, including Descent 3, Batman
Arkham Asylum, God of War III, Mad Max, and Fallout 76 – to name a few!
She’s kept herself busy entertaining us for 6 decades and she’s not slowing down
anytime soon!
For that, all we can do is thank her!
Now, let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Adrienne Barbeau?
In fact, here’s what we’d like to know:
Do you think that people still remember her early work and appreciate her for her contribution
to film and television?
Or has she not received the credit that she’s due?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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