Barbara Stanwyck

Stanwyck changed her name from Ruby Stevens when she appeared in the Broadway play, "The Noose" in 1926. The inspiration was said to come from a theatrical poster which announced "Jane Stanwyck in 'Barbara Frietchie'".

Biography

In "The Lady Eve" Stanwyck played con artist who seduces the wealthy but unsophisticated Henry Fonda. After a misunderstanding causes them to split, she impersonates a wealthy English aristocrat to get back at him. The comedy's absurd premise remains grounded in reality, thanks to Stanwyck, who demands the audience's sympathy despite her scheming. The tiny, quirky-looking, and aggressive Stanwyck was more than a match for the tall, pretty and passive Fonda, and despite not earning an Academy Award nomination, Stanwyck's work in "The Lady Eve" ranks as perhaps her greatest comedic performance of them all."Meet John Doe" paired Stanwyck with yet another ridiculously tall, good looking leading man in Gary Cooper. They could not have been more different. Cooper was 6'3," came from Montana, and spoke - when he spoke at all - in the quiet, flat tones of the upper Plains. Stanwyck was 5'3," came from Brooklyn, and never lost the clipped cadences of her native New York. Director Frank Capra took full advantage of his stars' contrasts by letting their natural personalities and differences play out on screen. Stanwyck, in the role of a reporter who must scramble to save her reputation after printing a fake letter by an imagined "John Doe," again won audience sympathy through the engaging forces of her personality and intelligence."Ball of Fire" featured Stanwyck and Cooper again, but this time in a lighter comedy than the socially pointed "Meet John Doe." Stanwyck was in her familiar element, playing another girl from the wrong side of the tracks; this time, a wisecracking nightclub singer on the lam from the mob. Cooper did a variation on the Henry Fonda role in "The Lady Eve," lending his charm to the role of a naive professor researching American slang. Sparks fly between Stanwyck and Cooper, with each teaching the other a thing or two about their disparate worlds before falling in love. Under Howard Hawks' crisp direction, the screwball premise crackled with pitch perfect comedy and romance, leaving Stanwyck with yet another hit on her hands. She also earned her second Academy Award nomination for her work in the film.To this point, Stanwyck had proved she could play comedy, drama - even melodrama. But with "Double Indemnity" (1944), she upped the ante, proving in a platinum wig and seductive satin heels that she could play Fred MacMurray - play him for a sap, that is. One of the greatest film noir thrillers of all time, "Double Indemnity" was directed and adapted by Billy Wilder with Raymond Chandler from the James M. Cain novel. A wicked waltz danced by a scheming femme fatale and crooked insurance salesman, Stanwyck seduces MacMurray before convincing him to kill her husband to collect on his life insurance. Multiple double-crosses follow, as the couple's plan begins to unravel. Stanwyck's performance - packed with treachery, seduction and venom - earned her a third Academy Award nomination. And yet again, she was overlooked, losing out to Ingrid Bergman for "Gaslight" (1944)."Double Indemnity" represented the high-water mark of Stanwyck's cinema career. She continued acting in movies for another dozen years but none of the movies approached the searing brilliance of her earlier films. "Sorry, Wrong Number" (1948) was a fine thriller and garnered Stanwyck her final Academy Award nomination, but it did not leave an indelible mark on film culture as "Double Indemnity" did. As she aged and the movie roles became less interesting, Stanwyck turned her inestimable talents to television. "The Barbara Stanwyck Show" (NBC, 1960) lasted only one season but earned its star an Emmy Award. Stanwyck's marriage to Robert Taylor had ended in divorce in 1951, but she kept the ranch and horses they had shared. This kept her in prime riding shape to handle a host of guest appearances on Western shows like "Wagon Train" (NBC, 1957-1962; ABC, 1962-65). Finally, with the Western series "The Big Valley" (ABC, 1965-69), Stanwyck landed a long-running prime time hit that kept her busy and made her a fortune. She also won another Emmy Award for the role, playing the matriarch of a large family in central California.The aging Stanwyck's final professional triumphs were all on TV, including another Emmy Award for her work in the phenomenally successful miniseries "The Thorn Birds" (ABC, 1983) in which she played Mary Carson, the hard-as-nails owner of a ranch in Australia's outback who lusts after her local priest (Richard Chamberlain). In fact, her porch scene with a naked and decades-younger Chamberlain became the final classic in her canon of memorable onscreen moments. Mustering up the youthful lust she feels for Chamberlain, but cursing out the old body she is trapped inside, it was an Emmy-worthy scene. After "The Thorn Birds," she lent her class and grace to the primetime soap operas "Dynasty" (ABC, 1981-89) and its spin-off "The Colbys" (ABC, 1985-87), but after a lifetime of hard work she was growing tired of the grind.A robbery at Stanwyck's home precipitated her withdrawing from public view, although she continued to be active with charity work. Both on and off screen, she had seemed a fierce, invulnerable presence, able to conquer any man or circumstance. In real life, her heavy smoking habit and relentless working schedule finally caught up with her. She died from congestive heart failure and emphysema on Jan. 20, 1990, leaving behind an impressive body of work and a unique personality indelibly captured for all time on the silver screen.r in the elite of Hollywood's actresses - on par with Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Carole Lombard. Although based on a novel, the film seemed crafted to play to Stanwyck's strengths. In the title role of a working-class woman who marries and has a child with a well-born but destitute man, Stanwyck once again revisited her underdog persona. But the movie's power sprung from the self-sacrifice that Stella makes for her beloved daughter after the marriage breaks up. Choosing to give up her child so that she can lead a better life among the wealthy and privileged, Stanwyck's powerful performance earned her an Academy Award nomination - no doubt helped by the classic scene of her standing outside her daughter's window, crying as she watches her join her new family.For the first of several times, Stanwyck lost out on the Oscar but kept winning great parts. A tireless worker, she churned out movies at a steady pace. "The Mad Miss Manton" (1938) allowed her to switch gears and play a wacky debutante rather than her usual plucky pauper. It also teamed her with Henry Fonda, who would soon co-star with Stanwyck in the classic screwball comedy "The Lady Eve." "Golden Boy" (1939) featured Stanwyck playing a cunning boxing promoter's wife who supports the career of a young fighter, played by newcomer William Holden. In reality, Stanwyck grew especially close to the young actor, helping to promote his career. She fought hard on Holden's behalf when the studio wanted to replace him, and the movie's subsequent success turned Holden into a star. It also earned him the nickname "Golden Boy," which Stanwyck would refer to him thereafter, until his untimely death in 1981. For his part, Holden was so grateful to the actress for fighting for him that he reportedly sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of filming.Stanwyck slowed down her busy career long enough to marry the impossibly handsome actor Robert Taylor in 1939. Cynics whispered that it was an arranged marriage to quell rumors that both of them were gay. She treated these rumors with her characteristic fortitude, plowing headfirst into some of the most creatively brilliant work of her life. The year 1941 may have been a bad year for America as the country staggered into World War II, but it was a great year for Stanwyck. She starred in four movies - three of which became instant classics, including "The Lady Eve," "Meet John Doe" (1941), and "Ball of Fire" (1941).la

Filmography

Life Events

1926

Broadway debut in the chorus of "The Noose"; co-starred with actors Rex Cherryman and Wilfred Lucas

1926

First starring role on Broadway in "Burlesque"

1927

First film appearance was a minor part in "Broadway Nights" (silent film)

1929

Feature leading role debut in "The Locked Door"

1930

Under joint contract with Columbia and Warner Bros. inspired by success of feature "Ladies of Leisure"

1931

Appeared in a starring role in the feature "Illicit"

1935

Was one of the first stars to go independent when her Warner Bros. contract expired

1937

Won acclaim for her role in "Stella Dallas"; earned first Best Actress Academy Award nomination

1941

Co-starred with Gary Cooper in "Ball of Fire"; earned second Best Actress Academy Award nomination

1941

Most famous role was in "The Lady Eve," starring opposite Henry Fonda

1944

Starred in the noir feature, "Double Indemnity"; received third Academy Award nomination for Best Actress

1948

Played a spoiled, bedridden daughter of a millionaire in "Sorry, Wrong Number" earned fourth Best Actress Academy Award nomination

1954

Appeared opposite Ronald Reagan in the western "Cattle Queen of Montana"

1957

Cast in a recurring role on the NBC TV series, "Wagon Train"

1957

Last starring role in a feature for five years, "Forty Guns"

1960

Hosted her own show, "The Barbara Stanwyck Show" (NBC), earned the star her first Emmy Award

1962

Returned to features in "Walk on the Wild Side"

1964

Acted in her last feature film "The Night Walker"

1965

Cast as head of a frontier family in the Western series "The Big Valley" (ABC)

1983

Gave an Emmy Award-winning performance in the ABC mini-series, "The Thorn Birds"

1985

Reprised the role of Constance Colby Patterson on the first season of the spin-off series "The Colbys" (ABC)

1985

Made three guest appearances on the hit primetime soap opera "Dynasty" (ABC) as Constance Colby Patterson

Photo Collections

Christmas in Connecticut - Movie Posters

Here are a few American release movies posters from Christmas in Connecticut (1945), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan.

Baby Face - Scene Stills

Here are a few scene stills from the pre-code Warner Bros. film Baby Face (1933), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Remember the Night - Lobby Cards

Here are several lobby cards from Remember the Night (1940). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

The Purchase Price - Movie Poster

My Reputation - Lobby Cards

B. F.'s Daughter - Costume Sketches

Here are a few original costume sketches created by designer Irene, for the MGM film B. F.'s Daughter (1948), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Breakfast for Two - Scene Stills

Here are a few scene stills from RKO's Breakfast for Two (1937), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Forbidden - Movie Posters

Ten Cents a Dance - Lobby Cards

Forbidden - Lobby Cards

Ladies of Leisure - Lobby Card

Forbidden - Behind-the-Scenes Photos

There's Always Tomorrow - Movie Posters

The Bitter Tea of General Yen - Lobby Cards

The Bitter Tea of General Yen - Scene Stills

The Bitter Tea of General Yen - Movie Posters

Remember the Night - Movie Posters

Here are a few original-release movie posters from Paramount's Remember the Night (1940), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, written by Preston Sturges, and directed by Mitchell Leisen.

Remember the Night - Publicity Stills

Here are a few Publicity Stills from Paramount's Remember the Night (1940), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

Remember the Night - Scene Stills

Here are a few Scene Stills from Paramount's Remember the Night (1940), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.

Remember the Night - Behind-the-Scenes Stills

Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of Paramount's Remember the Night (1940), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, and directed by Mitchell Leisen.

Ladies They Talk About - Lobby Cards

Here are several Lobby Cards from Ladies They Talk About (1933). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Executive Suite - Group Publicity Stills

Here is a series of publicity stills taken of the all-star cast of Executive Suite (1954). Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.

The Mad Miss Manton - Scene Stills

Here are a few scene stills from The Mad Miss Manton (1938), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Double Indemnity - Lobby Card

Here is a Lobby Card from Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Baby Face - Lobby Cards

Here are several Lobby Cards from Baby Face (1933). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Sorry, Wrong Number - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Sorry, Wrong Number (1948), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster. One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Shopworn - Lobby Cards

Here are a few Lobby Cards from Columbia Pictures' Shopworn (1932), starring Barbara Stanwyck. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Shopworn - Publicity Stills

Here are a few publicity stills from Columbia Pictures' Shopworn (1932), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

The Miracle Woman - Behind-the-Scenes Photo

Here is a photo taken behind-the-scenes during production of Columbia's The Miracle Woman (1931), starring Barbara Stanwyck and David Manners and directed by Frank Capra.

The Miracle Woman - Publicity Stills

Here are a few stills taken to help publicize Columbia's The Miracle Woman (1931), starring Barbara Stanwyck and David Manners and directed by Frank Capra.

The Miracle Woman - Lobby Cards

Here are a few lobby cards from Columbia's The Miracle Woman (1931), starring Barbara Stanwyck and David Manners and directed by Frank Capra. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

Meet John Doe - Movie Poster

Here is the American One-Sheet Movie Poster for Frank Capra's Meet John Doe (1941), starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Ten Cents a Dance - Movie Posters

Here are a few original-release movie posters for Columbia Pictures' Ten Cents a Dance (1931), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Ten Cents a Dance - Publicity Stills

Here are a few publicity stills from Columbia Pictures' Ten Cents a Dance (1931), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Ball of Fire - Movie Poster

Here is the American half-sheet movie poster for Ball of Fire (1942), starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. Half-sheets measured 22x28 inches.

Quo Vadis - Behind-the-Scenes Publicity Photos

Here are several photos taken of Robert Taylor and his then-wife Barbara Stanwyck touring Italy while Taylor was on location shooting Quo Vadis (1951) for MGM.

The Man with a Cloak - Lobby Cards

Here are several Lobby Cards from MGM's The Man with a Cloak (1951), starring Joseph Cotten, Barbara Stanwyck, and Leslie Caron. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.

East Side, West Side - Movie Poster

Here is an original half-sheet movie poster for MGM's East Side, West Side (1949), starring Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Ava Gardner, and Van Heflin.

The Bride Walks Out - Scene Stills

Here are a few scene stills from RKO's The Bride Walks Out (1936), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Young.

These Wilder Years - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for These Wilder Years (1956). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Executive Suite - Movie Poster

Here is the American one-sheet movie poster for Executive Suite (1954). One-sheets measured 27x41 inches, and were the poster style most commonly used in theaters.

Videos

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) -- (Movie Clip) Flapjacks Columnist Elizabeth (Barbara Stanwyck), posing as a real hostess, gets cooking lessons from Felix (S.Z. Sakall), receives the wrong baby, dodges Yardley (Sydney Greenstreet) and almost gets married in Christmas In Connecticut, 1945.

Ball Of Fire (1942) -- (Movie Clip) Shove In Your Clutch Sugarpuss (Barbara Stanwyck) briefed backstage by thugs Pastrami (Dan Duryea) and Asthma (Ralph Peters), all of them mistaking Professor Potts (Gary Cooper) for a lawman, in Howard Hawks' Ball Of Fire, 1942, from an original screenplay by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett.

Ball Of Fire (1942) -- (Movie Clip) Just Another Apple Stripper Sugarpuss (Barbara Stanwyck) surprises grammar Professor Potts (Gary Cooper), ready to begin her interview right away, his colleagues, modeled on the Seven Dwarves, supporting the idea, in Howard Hawks' Ball Of Fire, 1942.

B.F.'s Daughter (1948) -- (Movie Clip) Your Pretty Little Head Park Avenue, 1932, breakfasting with his wife (Spring Byington), industrialist B.F. Fulton (Charles Coburn) fumes over a radio commentator’s criticism as daughter Polly (Barbara Stanwyck) appears, sniffing a chance to help her fiancé (Richard Hart), opening MGM’s B.F.’s Daughter, 1948.

Strange Love Of Martha Ivers, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) All Life Is A Gamble Walter (Kirk Douglas) receives unexpected old pal rogue Sam (Van Heflin), when his wife Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) arrives, buttons being pushed immediately, in Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers, 1946.

Strange Love Of Martha Ivers, The (1946) -- (Movie Clip) A Realistic Man Kirk Douglas (as Walter, in his opening scene), referring to scandalous history and losing his will, his chilly wife Martha (Barbara Stanwyck) not having any of it, in Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers, 1946.

Ever In My Heart (1933) -- (Movie Clip) Two Little German Puppies Fairly newly married Mary (Barbara Stanwyck) and her German immigrant professor husband Hugo (Otto Kruger) settle on a dachshund then welcome a baby, sometime around 1910, in director Archie Mayo's semi-political melodrama Ever In My Heart, 1933.

Ever In My Heart (1933) -- (Movie Clip) United We Stand Proud wife Mary (Barbara Stanwyck) and buddy Jeff (Ralph Bellamy) remarking as all celebrate the citizenship of German immigrant Hugo (Otto Kruger), his boss Hoffman (Frank Reicher) especially pleased, everything okay so far, in Ever In My Heart, 1933, directed by Archie Mayo.

Union Pacific (1939) -- (Movie Clip) Pay Or No Pay Just a suggestion of the scale producer-director C.B. De Mille's has in mind, trouble shooter Jeff (Joel McCrea) discussing railroad progress with foreman Dusky (William Haade), mail girl Mollie (Barbara Stanwyck) working the crowd, in Union Pacific, 1939.

Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1933) -- (Movie Clip) Ready For The Slaughter Second scene for Barbara Stanwyck as Megan, arrived in strife-torn China to marry her missionary fiancè (Gavin Gordon, who appears shortly), with Clara Blandick her (probably racist) host, wondering aloud about an encounter with the title character, whose name she didn’t get, Frank Capra directing, in Columbia’s The Bitter Tea Of General Yen, 1933.

Bitter Tea Of General Yen, The (1933) -- (Movie Clip) It Will Do You Good Innocent American Megan (Barbara Stanwyck), having been separated from her missionary fiancè in a riot t in revolutionary China, awakens to meet Mah-Li (Toshia Mori) for the first time and General Yen (Nils Asther), her somewhat scary rescuer, for the second, in Frank Capra's The Bitter Tea Of General Yen, 1933.

Bitter Tea Of General Yen, The (1933) -- (Movie Clip) The Third Invitation American missionary bride and semi-willing captive Megan (Barbara Stanwyck) is startled from a nap (actually an erotic dream in which he himself appeared_ by General Yen (Nils Asther) but once more rebuffs his advances in Frank Capra's The Bitter Tea Of General Yen, 1933.

Purchase Price, The (1932) -- (Original Trailer) A night-club singer (Barbara Stanwyck) on the lam becomes a Wyoming farmer's mail-order bride in The Purchase Price (1932).

Remember the Night -- (Original Trailer) Assistant D.A. Fred MacMurray takes shoplifter Barbara Stanwyck home for Christmas in Remember the Night (1940).

Ladies They Talk About - (Original Trailer) A lady bank robber (Barbara Stanwyck) becomes the cell block boss after she's sent to prison in this racy pre-code drama.

Gambling Lady - (Original Trailer) Barbara Stanwyck is Lady Lee, Gambling Lady (1934), in love with accused murderer Joel McCrea.

File on Thelma Jordon, The - (Original Trailer) Barbara Stanwyck seduces a District Attorney and pulls him into a web of theft and murder in The File on Thelma Jordon (1950).

Night Nurse - (Original Trailer) A nurse discovers that the children she's caring for are murder targets in the pre-code shocker Night Nurse (1931) starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Ever In My Heart - (Original Trailer) During World War I, a woman (Barbara Stanwyck) suspects her husband of being a German spy in Ever In My Heart (1933).

East Side, West Side - (Original Trailer) Chic New York couple Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason are torn apart by a seductive model in East Side, West Side (1950).

Annie Oakley - (Re-issue Trailer) The famed female sharpshooter (Barbara Stanwyck) learns that you can't get a man with a gun when she falls for a rival marksman. Directed by George Stevens.

Cry Wolf - (Original Trailer) Barbara Stanwyck comes to claim her late husband's estate and uncovers a mystery involving Errol Flynn in Cry Wolf (1947).

Secret Bride, The - (Original Trailer) A distinct attorney secretly marries the daughter of a man he's trying to convict in The Secret Bride (1935), starring Barbara Stanwyck.

His Brother's Wife - (Original Trailer) A man helps his brother skip town, then steals his girlfriend in His Brother's Wife (1936) starring real-life couple Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor.

Cher -- (Movie Promo) Friday Night Spotlight TCM's original promo for the inaugural Friday Night Spotlight programming, as singer, actress and superstar Cher joins Robert Osborne for "A Woman's World: The Defining Era Of Women On Film," beginning Friday, April 5th at 8pm ET.

Barbara Stanwyck -- (Movie Promo) by Laura Dern Actress Laura Dern offers this personal appreciation of TCM's December, 2012 Star Of The Month, Barbara Stanwyck.

Winona Ryder: Guest Programmer -- (Movie Promo) December 2011 Original promo for our December, 2011 Guest Programmer, Academy Award nominee and friend of TCM, Winona Ryder, appearing with Robert Osborne on Wednesday the 20th, starting at 8pm ET.

Asian Images in Film -- (TCM Promo) TCM Asian Images in Film Promo Asian Images in Film -- (TCM Promo) TCM Asian Images in Film Promo

Family

Catherine Stevens

Mother

Killed c. 1911 when a drunken stranger pushed her off a moving streetcar.

Byron Stevens

Father

Bricklayer. Left five children c. 1911 after wife's death.

Dion Anthony Fay

Son

Adopted.

Companions

Rex Cherryman

Companion

Actor. Died c. 1929.

Frank Fay

Husband

Comedian. Married on August 26, 1928; divorced in 1935.

Frank Capra

Companion

Director. Had relationship in early 1930s when they worked together on several films.

Robert Taylor

Husband

Actor. Married on May 14, 1939; divorced in 1951.

Bibliography

"Starring Miss Barbara Stanwyck"

Ella Smith, Crown (1974)

"Barbara Stanwyck"

Jerry Vermilye, Pyramid Books

Notes

In 1944 the IRS claimed that Stanwyck was the highest-paid woman in the USA, with an annual salary of $400,000

"I would have to say that I have never worked with an actress who was more cooperative, less temperamental and a better workman, to use my term of highest compliment, than Barbara Stanwyck." (Cecil B. DeMille, on directing Stanwyck -- PR TNT's special, "Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire" 1991)

"Career is too pompous a word. It was a job, and I have always felt privileged to be paid for doing what I love doing." (Barbara Stanwyck -- PR TNT's special, "Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire" 1991)

About

Biography

Filmography

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Bibliography

Notes

Biography

Filmography

Cast (Feature Film)

Misc. Crew (Feature Film)

Cast (Special)

Cast (Short)

Life Events

1926

1926

1927

1929

1930

1931

1935

1937

1941

1941

1944

1948

1954

1957

1957

1960

1962

1964

1965

1983

1985

1985

Photo Collections

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Promo

Family

Companions

Bibliography

Notes

TCM Emails