Barbara Hershey

Multi award-winning actress Barbara Hershey has showcased her talent in some of Hollywood’s most memorable films, television movies, mini-series and series. Hershey, winner of an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini-series or Special for A KILLING IN A SMALL TOWN (1990) also garnered unprecedented back-to-back Best Actress Awards at the Cannes Film Festival for her performances in Shy People (1987) and A World Apart (1988).

A native of Hollywood, Barbara Lynn Herzstein was born February 5, 1948. She was a student at Hollywood High School and made her acting debut in 1965 on the television series, GIDGET (1965-1966), following that appearance by working on another series entitled, THE MONROES (1966-67) in 1966. Hershey’s motion picture career began in 1968 when she starred in With Six You Get Eggroll (1968). Her feature film debut in that film led to roles in The Baby Maker (1970) and Boxcar Bertha (1972), quickly advancing her to starring roles.

The 1980’s catapulted Hershey’s film career to star status. She starred in The Stunt Man (1980) with Peter O’Toole; The Right Stuff (1983) with Ed Harris, Sam Shepard and Scott Glenn; The Natural (1984) with Robert Redford and Robert Duvall; Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) with Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Dianne Wiest and Michael Caine; Hoosiers (1986) with Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper; Tin Men (1987) with Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito; Shy People (1987) with Jill Clayburgh; The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) with Willem Dafoe and Harvey Keitel; Beaches (1988) with Bette Midler and John Heard; and A World Apart (1988) with Tim Roth.

An acclaimed method actress, she has starred in many of Hollywood’s most creative films in some very unique roles. Her appearance in the 1981 horror film, The Entity (1981) – where she played a woman repeatedly raped by an unseen supernatural force – impressed actor Michael Douglas so much that he later fought to have her cast as his estranged wife in Falling Down (1993).

Hershey returned to television in 1990 with her award-winning performance as Candy Morrison in A KILLING IN A SMALL TOWN (1990) with Brian Dennehy and Hal Holbrook. She continued her string of television successes with her portrayal of Clara Allen in the mini-series RETURN TO LONESOME DOVE (1993) with Jon Voight and Louis Gossett, Jr., as well as the role as Dr. Francesca Alberghetti in David E. Kelly’s CHICAGO HOPE (1999-2000).

During the same period, Hershey remained active in feature films. Nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance in The Portrait of a Lady (1996) alongside Nicole Kidman and John Malkovich, Hershey also starred in Merchant-Ivory’s A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998) and the award-winning Lantana (2001) from acclaimed Australian director Ray Lawrence.

In addition to her role as Anne Shirley in ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: A NEW BEGINNING (2008), Hershey can be seen in The Birds Can’t Fly (2007) and Love Comes Lately (2007). Both films recently premiered to critical acclaim at the San Sebastian and Toronto Film Festival, respectively.

Hershey resides in Los Angeles.

Anne Shirley