Barbara Tarbuck
Biography
Biography
Prolific actor Barbara Tarbuck was perhaps best well known for her portrayal of Jane Jacks on the long running soap opera "General Hospital" (ABC, 1963-). Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1942, Tarbuck began her career as a performer at the tender age of nine, when she joined the cast of the children's radio program "Storyland" on her local Detroit station WWJ. She would go on to earn her bachelor's in acting at Wayne State University and a master's in theater from the University of Michigan, before attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright Scholarship. She eventually moved to New York and launched her professional acting career, performing mostly in regional theater, though she would finally break through to Broadway as an understudy to three separate roles in a 1972 production of "The Crucible." TV work would soon follow, with Tarbuck racking up countless guest appearances on shows like "Lou Grant" (CBS, 1977-1982), "Newhart" (CBS, 1982-1990), "M*A*S*H" (CBS, 1972-1983), and "Police Squad!" (ABC, 1982). Tarbuck would continue to work in theater as well, appearing in the original Broadway cast of Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" in 1983. She would also take on increasingly prominent TV work, memorably portraying the recurring character of Dr. Randall on "Falcon Crest" (CBS, 1981-1990). She eventually joined the cast of "General Hospital" in 1996, sticking with the show for fourteen years. She then switched gears and took on the role of Mother Superior Claudia on the massively popular series "American Horror Story" (FX, 2011-) in 2010. Tarbuck would make her final appearance in the comedy "Come Simi" (2015) before she died in 2016. She was 74 years old.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1951
Performed on the radio series "Storyland," on her local Detroit station WWJ.
1972
Served as the understudy for Ann Putnam, Elizabeth Proctor, and Sarah Good in the Broadway production of "The Crucible."
1978
First screen acting credit as May on series "David Cassidy - Man Undercover"
1979
Played minor parts on several popular series including "The Waltons," "The Incredible Hulk," and "Charlie's Angels"
1979
Played several roles on TV series "Quincy M.E."
1979
Cast as Agnes on TV's "Dallas"
1983
Appeared as Mrs. Grady and later Thelma Samuels on TV series "Cagney & Lacey"
1986
Appeared as Senator Mills in "Short Circuit"
1986
Played Dr. Randall on "Falcon Crest"
1996
Had longest running role as Jane JAcks on TV soap "General Hospital"
2004
Had a small but memorable turn as Connie Vaughn in "Walking Tall"
2012
Played Mother Superior Claudia on "American Horror Story"
2013
Appeared in small roles in several popular cable dramas, including "Mad Men" and "Dexter"
2015
Made her final screen appearance in the comedy "Come Simi."
