Barbara Steele

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Barbara Steele
Barbara Steele publicity photo 1965.png
Steele in a 1965 publicity photo
Born (1937-12-29) 29 December 1937 (age 87)
Birkenhead, Cheshire, England
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Actress
  • producer
Years active1958–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1969;div. 1978)​
Children1

Barbara Steele (born 29 December 1937) [1] is an English actress and producer, known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. She has been referred to as the "Queen of All Scream Queens" [2] and "Britain's first lady of horror". [3] She played the dual role of Asa and Katia Vajda in Mario Bava's landmark film Black Sunday (1960), and starred in The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962), The Long Hair of Death (1964), and Castle of Blood (1964).

Contents

Additionally, Steele had supporting roles in Federico Fellini's 8½ (1963), David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975), Joe Dante's Piranha and Louis Malle's Pretty Baby (both 1978), and appeared on television in the 1991 TV series Dark Shadows . She won a Primetime Emmy Award for producing the American television miniseries War and Remembrance (1988–89). Steele appeared in several films in the 2010s, including a lead role in The Butterfly Room (2012) and supporting role in Ryan Gosling's Lost River (2014).

Early life

Steele was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire. [4] She studied art at the Chelsea Art School and in Paris at the Sorbonne. [4] Before her film career, Steele acted on stage and also worked as a model.

Career

Early work

Steele was signed to a contract by the Rank Organisation. She appeared in several minor film roles during the late 1950s, including in the BAFTA-winning Sapphire (where she appeared opposite future Black Sunday co-star John Richardson) and Upstairs and Downstairs .

In 1960, her contract was sold to 20th Century Fox. She guest starred on an episode of the ABC series, Adventures in Paradise, and was cast as the female lead opposite Elvis Presley in the Western film Flaming Star (1960). However, after one week of principal photography, Steele left the production and was replaced by Barbara Eden. Author Adam Victor writes in The Elvis Encyclopaedia that she was fired because studio executives thought her British accent was too pronounced. [5] However, Steele claimed she quit over a disagreement with director Don Siegel. [6] Regardless, a March 1960 Screen Actors Guild strike led Steele to abandon her Fox contract. [7]

Italians films and stardom

Steele travelled to Italy, with the hopes of working with director Federico Fellini. Soon after her arrival, she was cast in her breakout part, the dual roles of Asa and Katia Vajda in Mario Bava's Black Sunday. There are two accounts describing how Steele came to be cast in the film: one suggests that Bava, while perusing through head shots of British actors under contract at Fox, selected Steele from these photos. [7] Steele, however, recalled that Bava tracked her down after being captivated by photos of her in a Life magazine photoshoot. [8] Bava later commented that Steele "had the perfect face for my films". [7]

The success of Black Sunday launched Steele to overnight stardom and defined her status as a scream queen. She would star in a string of Italian horror films throughout the decade, including Riccardo Freda's The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962) and The Ghost (1963); Antonio Margheriti's The Long Hair of Death and Castle of Blood (both 1964), Terror-Creatures from the Grave and Nightmare Castle (both 1965).

She also starred in American director Roger Corman's adaptation of The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same title, The She Beast (1966) and the British film Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968).

Steele guest starred in television shows including the spy drama, Danger Man (aka Secret Agent) starring Patrick McGoohan in 1965. In 1961, she appeared as Phyllis in the "Beta Delta Gamma" episode of CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents . She also had an supporting role in Fellini's 8½ (1963), and in 1966 appeared in the second-season episode of NBC's I Spy , "Bridge of Spies".

Supporting parts and producer

Steele returned to the horror genre in the later 1970s, appearing in three horror films: David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975), Joe Dante's Piranha (1978), and The Silent Scream (1979). [9] She also played a lesbian prison warden in Jonathan Demme's directorial debut, the women-in-prison film Caged Heat (1974). She had a supporting role in Louis Malle's critically-acclaimed period drama Pretty Baby (1978).

Steele served as associate producer of the TV miniseries, The Winds of War (1983), and was a producer for its sequel, War and Remembrance (1988), for which she shared the 1989 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special with executive producer Dan Curtis.

Steele was cast as Julia Hoffman in the 1991 remake of the 1960s ABC television series Dark Shadows . In 2010, she was a guest star in the Dark Shadows audio drama, The Night Whispers .

In 2010, actor-writer Mark Gatiss interviewed Steele about her role in Black Sunday for his BBC documentary series A History of Horror . [10] [11] In 2012, Gatiss again interviewed Steele about her role in Shivers for his follow-up documentary, Horror Europa . In 2014, she appeared in Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, the drama-fantasy thriller film Lost River , [12] in which she portrayed the character Belladonna in a supporting role. [13]

In 2017, she was inducted into the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards' Hall of Fame.

In 2020, she had a guest role on the animated series Castlevania , voicing the character Miranda.

Personal life

Steele was married to American screenwriter James Poe. [1] They were married in 1969 and divorced in 1978.[ citation needed ] Over the same period her focus changed from European (primarily Italian) films to North American ones. They have a son, Jonathan.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRefs.
1958 Houseboat uncredited minor roleAmerican
Bachelor of Hearts FionaBritish [14]
1959 The 39 Steps uncredited extraBritish
Sapphire StudentBritish [15]
The Heart of a Man Girl (scenes deleted)British
Upstairs and Downstairs MaryBritish[ citation needed ]
1960 Your Money or Your Wife Juliet FrostBritish [16]
Black Sunday Asa Vajda / Katia VajdaItalian [17]
1961 The Pit and the Pendulum Elizabeth Barnard MedinaAmerican [18]
1962 The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (L'orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock)CynthiaItalian [19] [19]
Il capitano di ferroFlorianaItalian [20] [21]
1963 8½ Gloria MorinItalian [22]
The Hours of Love (Le ore dell'amore)LeilaItalian [23]
The Ghost (Lo spettro)Margaret HichcockItalian [24]
A Sentimental Attempt (Un tentativo sentimentale)SilviaItalian[ citation needed ]
1964 Castle of Blood (Danza macabra)Elisabeth BlackwoodItalian-French [25]
I maniaci Barbara / Signora BrugnoliItalian[ citation needed ]
Les baisersThelmaFrench. Anthology film: segment 3, "Baiser du Soir"[ citation needed ]
White Voices (Le voci bianche)GiuliaItalian [26]
Tre per una rapinaBarbara Sims (Germany: Anna)Italian
The Monocle Laughs (Le monocle rit jaune)ValérieFrench-Italian
Amore facileContessa Bardi-StucchiItalian. Segment "Divorzio italo-americano"
The Long Hair of Death (I lunghi capelli della morte)Helen Karnstein / Mary KarnsteinItalian [27]
1965 Terror-Creatures from the Grave (5 tombe per un medium)Cleo HauffItalian [28]
Nightmare Castle (also known as The Faceless Monster; Amanti d’Oltretomba)Muriel and JennyItalian [29]
Once Upon a TractorLady ClerkItalian. Short film [30] [31]
I soldi Italian[ citation needed ]
1966 Young Törless BozenaGerman [32]
L'armata Brancaleone TeodoraItalian [33] [34]
The She Beast (also known as Revenge of the Blood Beast; Il lago di Satana)VeronicaBritish-Italian [35] [36]
An Angel for Satan (Un angelo per Satana)Harriet Montebruno / BelindaItalian [37]
1967Barbara et ses fourruresFrench. Short film (9 mins)
1968 Curse of the Crimson Altar Lavinia MorleyBritish [38]
La amante estelarItalian. Short film (37 mins)
HandicapSpanish. Short film
1969 Honeymoon with a Stranger CarlaAmerican. made-for-TV film (74 mins).
1970Fermate il mondo... voglio scendere!DanielleItalian
1974 Caged Heat Superintendent McQueenAmerican [39]
1975 Shivers BettsCanadian [40]
1977 I Never Promised You a Rose Garden uncredited, in fantasy sequenceAmerican
1978 Pretty Baby JosephineAmerican [41]
The Space-Watch MurdersAmerican. made-for-TV film (74 mins).
Piranha Dr. MengersAmerican [42]
La clé sur la porteCathyFrench
1979 Silent Scream Victoria EngelsAmerican [43] [44]
1995Tief obenMrs. WagnerGerman
1998 The Prophet , also known as The Capitol ConspiracyAgent OakleyAmerican
2008The Boneyard CollectionVanessa PeabodyAmerican. Anthology film: segment "Her Morbid Desires"
2012 The Butterfly Room AnnAmerican-Italian [45] [46]
2014 Lost River GrandmotherAmerican [47] [48]
The Shutterbug ManNarratorAmerican. Short animation (5 mins) [49]
2015The Mill at Calder's EndThe Apparition of the MillAmerican. Short film (14 mins)
2016Le FantômeThe WidowAmerican. Advertisement (short film, 8 minutes long) [50] [51] [52]
Minutes Past Midnight The Apparition of the MillAmerican. Anthology film: segment "The Mill at Calder's End"[ citation needed ]
2023Ulalume - A BalladNarrator, opening creditsAmerican

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1958 Dial 999 Toni MillerBritish. Season 1 Episode 6: "Missing Persons"
1960 Adventures in Paradise DoloresAmerican. Season 2 Episode 10: "Daughter of Illusion"
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents PhyllisAmerican. Season 7 Episode 6: "Betta Delta Gamma"
1965 Danger Man CleoBritish. Season 2 Episode 12: "The Man on the Beach"
1966 I Spy GianaAmerican. Season 2 Episode 9: "Bridge of Spies"
1972 Night Gallery The Widow CraighillAmerican. Season 2 Episode 21: "The Sins of the Fathers"
1983 The Winds of War Mrs. StollerAmerican. Miniseries, also associate producer
1988 War and Remembrance Elsa MacMahonAmerican. Miniseries, also producer
1991 Dark Shadows Dr. Julia Hoffman / Countess Natalie Du PresAmerican. Miniseries
1996Dark Shadows 30th Anniversary Tributen/aAmerican. Television special, as producer
2020 Castlevania Miranda (voice)American. Season 3 Episode 7: "Worse Things Than Betrayal"

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
1989 Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Miniseries War and Remembrance Won
2017 Fangoria Chainsaw Award Hall of Fame—Won

References

  1. 1 2 "Barbara Steele". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  2. ↑ Davis, Christopher (11 June 2018). "Queen of All Scream Queens: Barbara Steele". VAULT OF THOUGHTS. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  3. ↑ "Barbara Steele: the accidental scream queen". the Guardian. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  4. 1 2 Frank 1982, p. 175.
  5. ↑ Victor, Adam (2008) The Elvis Encyclopaedia. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN   978-1585675982. p. 167
  6. ↑ "Reluctant Scream Queen: A Conversation with Barbara Steele – Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict". popcultureaddict.com.
  7. 1 2 3 Lucas, Tim (2013). Mario Bava - All the Colors of the Dark (2nd ed.). Video Watchdog. ISBN   978-0-9633756-1-2.
  8. ↑ Conterio, Martyn (2015). Black Sunday. ISBN   978-1-906733-83-4.
  9. ↑ Hogan 1997, p. 309.
  10. ↑ Clarke, Donald. "Mark Gatiss's History of Horror". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  11. ↑ "A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss – Home Counties Horror Ep 2/3". BBC. 18 October 2010.
  12. ↑ "Lost River". BD. 18 February 2015.
  13. ↑ "Lost River". BD. 18 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Bachelor of Hearts". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  15. ↑ "Barbara Steele is an angel for Satan". BFI. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "Your Money or Your Wife". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  17. ↑ Curti 2015, p. 37.
  18. ↑ "The Pit and the Pendulum". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  19. 1 2 Curti 2015, p. 68.
  20. ↑ "Release". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "Cast". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  22. ↑ "8½". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  23. ↑ "The Hours of Love". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  24. ↑ Curti 2015, p. 88.
  25. ↑ Curti 2015, p. 109.
  26. ↑ "White Voices". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  27. ↑ Curti 2015, p. 124.
  28. ↑ Curti 2015, p. 149.
  29. ↑ Curti 2015, p. 143.
  30. ↑ "Release". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  31. ↑ "Cast". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  32. ↑ "Young Törless". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  33. ↑ "Release". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  34. ↑ "Cast". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  35. ↑ Halligan 2003, p. 49.
  36. ↑ "The She Beast". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  37. ↑ Curti 2015, p. 155.
  38. ↑ "The Crimson Cult". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  39. ↑ "Caged Heat!". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  40. ↑ "Parasite Murders". Collections Canada. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  41. ↑ "Pretty Baby". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  42. ↑ "Piranha]". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  43. ↑ "Silent Scream". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  44. ↑ "The Silent Scream". Tulare Advance-Register. Tulare, California. 15 November 1979. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ "Butterfly Room (The)". BIFFF Official Website. Brussels International Fantasy Film Festival. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012.
  46. ↑ Newman, Kim (12 December 2012). "The Butterfly Room". Screen Daily . Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  47. ↑ "Lost River". Cannes Film Festival . Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  48. ↑ "Inside Ryan Gosling's 'Lost River' Premiere in Cannes (Photos)". The Wrap. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  49. ↑ vhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnpsH3gBLjA
  50. ↑ "Award-Winning Actor Mads Mikkelsen Stars in New Short Film 'Le Fantome' For Fored Edge Campaign". Ford. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  51. ↑ https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/ad-day-mads-mikkelsen-riveting-bizarre-hitman-fords-8-minute-gangster-flick-174170/
  52. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlohG0fZdSk

Works cited

Further reading

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