Barbara Rush, a stunning brunette, was born in Denver, Colorado in 1927. She began her journey in the entertainment industry by enrolling at the University of California, later working with the University Players and taking acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse. Her exceptional talent did not go unnoticed, and she was soon spotted by talent scouts. After a successful performance, Paramount Studios signed her in 1950, marking the beginning of her Hollywood career.
Before her rise to fame, Barbara met fellow actor Jeffrey Hunter, a handsome newcomer who would later become a popular heartthrob at Fox. The couple fell deeply in love and married in December 1950. They welcomed their son Christopher in 1952, and their beautiful and photogenic family became a staple of Hollywood's social scene.
At Paramount, Barbara appeared in a series of films, including When Worlds Collide (1951),Quebec (1951),and Flaming Feather (1952). She went on to co-star alongside some of Hollywood's most renowned leading men, including James Mason, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, Paul Newman, Richard Burton, and Kirk Douglas. In most of these films, she played the roles of brittle wives, conniving "other women," or socialite girlfriends.
Despite her success in the film industry, Barbara's career began to decline in the early 1960s. She married publicist Warren Cowan in 1959 and gave birth to a second child, Claudia Cowan, in 1964. As her film career slowed, Barbara turned to television, appearing in numerous guest roles on popular shows and co-starring in standard mini-movie dramas.
Barbara even had the opportunity to play a "guest villainess" on the Batman (1966) series, portraying the temptress Nora Clavicle. The stage also became a significant focus for her, earning the Sarah Siddons Award for her starring role in "Forty Carats." She made her Broadway debut in the one-woman showcase "A Woman of Independent Means," which also received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award during its tour. Other notable stage performances included "Private Lives," "Same Time, Next Year," "The Night of the Iguana," and "Steel Magnolias."
Throughout her career, Barbara continued to occasionally appear on screen, most recently in a recurring role on TV's 7th Heaven (1996). Her remarkable life came to a close on March 31, 2024, at the age of 97.
