Barbara Bosson, a talented actress who earned an Emmy Award nomination for her outstanding performance on Murder One in 1995, was born and raised in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, a small coal-mining town approximately 30 miles south of Pittsburgh.
As a teenager, she and her family relocated to Florida, where she attended Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport. Following her graduation, she was accepted into the prestigious Drama Department of Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh, now known as Carnegie Mellon University.
However, due to the high tuition fees, she decided to move to New York instead, where she supported herself through various jobs, including secretary, television production assistant, Playboy Bunny, and more. She also pursued her passion for acting by studying with renowned coaches Milton Katselas, Herbert Berghof, and Word Baker.
Six years later, while working as a secretary for ACT (the American Conservatory Theater),she reevaluated her prospects and decided to take a chance on her dream. She reached out to Earl Gister, the head of Carnegie Tech's Drama Department, and asked for an audition. Impressed by her talent, Gister agreed to place her in the school and assist her in finding scholarship money.
At the age of 26, she became Carnegie Tech's oldest freshman, where she met her future husband, Steven Bochco, and fellow Hill Street Blues stars Bruce Weitz and Charles Haid. During her summer break, she landed a job with the improvisational group "The Committee" in San Francisco, with Gister's blessing, and performed with them for three years.
Bosson is a five-time Emmy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series for her iconic portrayal of "Fay Furillo" in the Emmy Award-winning series Hill Street Blues. In her free time, she enjoys innovative cooking, raising her own herbs and vegetables, skiing, doing crossword puzzles, and dancing. Despite her struggles with dieting for 25 years, she remains an active and passionate individual.
Bosson and her husband, Steven Bochco, have two children and reside in Los Angeles.
