Barbara Carrera

Last updated

Barbara Carrera
Born
Barbara Kingsbury

c.1945–51 [note 1]
Bluefields, Nicaragua
Occupation(s)Actress, model
Years active1970–2004
Spouses
Otto Kurt Freiherr von Hoffman
(m. 1966;div. 1972)
Uva Harden
(m. 1972;div. 1976)
Nicholas Mark Mavroleon
(m. 1983,divorced)
Website barbaracarreraart.com

Barbara Carrera [4] (born Barbara Kingsbury) is an American actress, model and painter. She starred in the films The Master Gunfighter (1975), Embryo (1976), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), Condorman (1981), I, the Jury (1982) and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), and is perhaps best remembered for her performance as SPECTRE assassin Fatima Blush in Never Say Never Again (1983); for which Carrera was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Carrera is also known for playing Clay Basket in the big-budget miniseries Centennial (1978–79), and as Angelica Nero on the ninth season of CBS prime time soap opera Dallas (1985–86).

Contents

Early life

Barbara Kingsbury was born in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Some sources give her birth year as 1947 or 1951, [1] but most list 1945. [2] [3] She prefers to say 1953. [ citation needed ] Her mother, Florencia Carrera, was Nicaraguan, and her father, Louis Kingsbury, was an American who worked for the American embassy in Nicaragua. [5] [6] [7]

Sometime after the age of ten, Carrera moved to the United States to live with her father. She moved to New York at the age of 15. [8]

Career

Kingsbury began a career as a model at the Eileen Ford agency at the age of 17, [3] at which point she changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Carrera. [4] Her first film role was as a fashion model in Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970), which fared poorly at the box office. In 1972, she appeared on the screen in a publicity role for Chiquita bananas. [9] Carrera has appeared on the pages and covers of such magazines as Vogue , Paris Match , Harper's Bazaar , and twice posed for Playboy (July 1977[ failed verification ] and March 1982). [10] [ dead link ]

In 1976, Carrera earned her first Golden Globe nomination ("New Star of the Year - Actress") for her role in The Master Gunfighter . [11] [12] She later played in such films as The Island of Dr. Moreau , Lone Wolf McQuade , Condorman , Point of Impact, Tryst and Embryo . For her portrayal of the villainess Fatima Blush in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again , she earned a 1984 Golden Globe nomination for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture". [13] She worked opposite Laurence Olivier in Wild Geese II the following year.

On television, Carrera played a part in the soap opera Dallas as Angelica Nero, and more prominently, in the historical miniseries Centennial in 1978 and Masada (opposite Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss) in 1981. These roles brought her to the mainstream attention of American audiences. She also starred as Emma Forsayth in the miniseries Emma: Queen of the South Seas in 1988. Carrera appeared with fellow "Bond Girls" Maude Adams and Kristina Wayborn in That ‘70s Show episode "The First Time" (s2,e16, 2000) as bridesmaids for another former Bond Girl, Tanya Roberts, in the role of Midge Pinciotti. Since Paradise (2004), Carrera has not appeared in films or television.

In 1989, Carrera starred with Bette Davis in Wicked Stepmother , Davis's final film role. During filming, Davis fell ill and the script was rewritten for Carrera. "Instead, he rewrote the script to minimize Davis' role as the wicked witch who marries into an unsuspecting family, becoming the children's stepmother. In the original script, Davis was going to turn a cat into the beautiful Barbara Carrera. In the new version, Davis herself turns into Carrera, who assumes Davis' lines for the bulk of the film." [14]

In 1997, Carrera was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Nicaragua by then-president Arnoldo Alemán. [15]

Carrera is also a painter and her work has been showcased in the Makk Galleries, with Americo Makk, in Beverly Hills, California since the 1980s, and the Roy Miles Gallery in London, England. In May 2002, her works were exhibited at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum and have typically been sold for up to $8,000. [4]

Personal life

Carrera has been married and divorced three times, her spouses being:

Between marriages, Carrera dated Robert De Niro, Robert Evans, Alexander Godunov, Philip Niarchos, Richard Gere and Ryan O'Neal. [21] [22] [23] After her third marriage, she was involved with Henry Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland. [24]

Carrera has no children.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1970 Puzzle of a Downfall Child T.J. Brady
1975 The Master Gunfighter EulaNominated — Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress
1976 Embryo Victoria Spencer
1977 The Island of Dr. Moreau Maria
1980 When Time Ran Out Iolani
1981 Condorman Natalia Rambova
1982 I, the Jury Dr. Charlotte Bennett
1983 Lone Wolf McQuade Lola Richardson
1983 Never Say Never Again Fatima Blush Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1985 Wild Geese II Kathy Lukas
1987 Love at Stake Faith Stewart
1987 The Underachievers Katherine
1989 Loverboy Alex Barnett
1989 Wicked Stepmother Priscilla
1993 Point of Impact Eva Largo
1994TrystJulia
1994Night of the ArcherVictoria de Fleury
1995Russian Roulette: Moscow 95Caroline White
1996 Love Is All There Is Maria Malacici
1998Waking Up HortonIsadora
1999Alec to the RescueMadam Wong
2000Coo Coo CaféLola
2002PanicBernadette
2004ParadiseKatherine
2005TwentyMariaShort film

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1978-1979 Centennial Clay BasketMiniseries
1981 Masada ShevaMiniseries
1982 Matt Houston Serena GambacciEpisode: "X-22"
1984Sins of the PastTerry HalloranTelevision film
1985-1986 Dallas Angelica NeroSpecial Guest Star, 25 episodes
1987 Mike Hammer Claire MorganEpisode: "Lady Killer"
1988 Emma: Queen of the South Seas Emma Coe Miniseries
1990Murder in ParadiseEmma DantonTelevision film
1992Lakota MoonStill WaterTelevision film
1994 Fortune Hunter President Isabella DuarteEpisode: "Countdown"
1995 Sawbones Rita BaldwinTelevision film
1996 The Rockford Files: Godfather Knows BestElizabetta FamaTelevision film
1998 JAG Marcella ParettiEpisode: "Going After Francesca"
1999Lakota MoonStill WaterTelevision film
2000 That '70s Show BarbaraEpisode: "The First Time"
2004 Judging Amy Francesca MessinaEpisodes: "Baggage Claim" and "My Little Runaway"

Notes

  1. Sources give conflicting dates on Carrera's birth year. Some cite 1947 or 1951, [1] others claim 1945. [2] [3]

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References

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  5. Staff (May 8, 1977). "New Face: Beauty and the Beasts". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
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  13. "Barbara Carrera". www.goldenglobes.com.
  14. "Bette Davis Smoking over 'Stepmother'". Los Angeles Times . January 3, 1989.
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  16. Haden-Guest, Anthony (1998). The last party: Studio 54, disco, and the culture of the night. Harper Perennial. p. 26. ISBN   978-0-688-16098-2. They were married in 1973, and lasted for three years.
  17. Date of marriage and divorce accessed in the California Divorce Index on ancestry.com on March 14, 2013
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  19. Rhodes, Michael (March 17, 2009). "Manuel Basil (Bluey) Mavroleon 1927-2009". Peerage News. blogger.com. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  20. Marriage record accessed on ancestry.com on March 14, 2013
  21. Murry Frymer (August 15, 1981). "A woman of mystery, except for her goals". The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  22. Levy, Shawn (October 28, 2014). De Niro: A Life. ISBN   9780307716804.
  23. Green, Michelle (November 18, 1985). "From the Jet Set to Your TV Set, Dallas' Barbara Carrera Knows Her RoleLady of Mystery". people.com.
  24. The Duke of Northumberland | Herald Scotland