Barbara Bel Geddes, born on Halloween Day in 1922 in New York City, was the daughter of renowned theatrical and industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes, who staged over 200 plays. Growing up amidst the theatre, Bel Geddes began acting on stage at the age of 18 and soon transitioned to Broadway. She made her film debut in 1947's The Long Night and was quickly labeled a star, gracing the cover of Life magazine in 1948. Her third motion picture, I Remember Mama, earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
Bel Geddes continued to thrive in the film industry, starring in notable movies such as Panic in the Streets, directed by Elia Kazan, Alfred Hitchcock's classic mystery-thriller Vertigo, and The Five Pennies, opposite Danny Kaye. Despite achieving immediate success in films, Bel Geddes remained committed to her first love, theatre, and continued to tread the boards on Broadway. In 1952, she received the prestigious Woman of the Year Award from Hasty Pudding Theatricals USA, America's oldest theater company.
Bel Geddes received Tony Award nominations for her performances in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Mary, Mary, and made several television appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and other programs in the mid-1950s. However, it was her role as Miss Ellie Ewing Farlow on the long-running TV series Dallas that brought her greatest television success, earning her an Emmy Award for best actress in 1980 and nominations in the same category in 1979 and 1981.
Bel Geddes left Dallas for health reasons during the 1984-85 season, with Donna Reed taking over the role of Miss Ellie. She returned for the 1985-86 season and continued on the show until 1990, when she effectively retired from acting. Bel Geddes did not appear in either of the two Dallas TV reunion movies. On August 8, 2005, she passed away following a long illness.
