Barbara Barrie, whose performances in Breaking Away, Barney Miller and Suddenly Susan made her a familiar face to generations of viewers, has died at 95.
Her daughter, Jane Harnick, confirmed to The New York Times that she died at her New York home on Wednesday, October 28.
According to the reported family account, Barbara chose a medically assisted death following a terminal cancer diagnosis.
© Getty ImagesAn Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominee, Barbara moved between Broadway, film and television throughout her long career. Many viewers knew her as Elizabeth, the wife of Hal Linden's title character in Barney Miller, or as Brooke Shields' grandmother in the NBC comedy Suddenly Susan.
Her screen roles often placed her at the heart of a family, whether she was offering encouragement, delivering a dry observation or trying to understand a child whose ambitions differed from her own.
© Disney General Entertainment ConBarbara Barrie's Oscar-nominated role in Breaking Away
One of Barbara's most memorable performances came in the 1979 coming-of-age film Breaking Away, in which she played the mother of an aspiring young cyclist.
Her portrayal earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 1980 Academy Awards. She later returned to the role for the television adaptation, receiving an Emmy nomination for that performance too.
The following year, she played Goldie Hawn's mother in Private Benjamin. Almost two decades later, she portrayed the mother of Edie Falco's character in Judy Berlin, earning an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
© Fairfax Media via Getty ImagesHer breakthrough had come much earlier, in the 1964 drama One Potato, Two Potato. Barbara played a divorced mother whose marriage to a Black man becomes the focus of a custody dispute, winning recognition at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance.
Barbara Barrie's Broadway career and family
The theater remained an important part of Barbara's working life. She originated the role of Sarah in Stephen Sondheim's Company, receiving a Tony nomination in 1971, and appeared in productions including California Suite and Significant Other.
Away from the stage, Barbara married theater director and producer Jay Harnick in 1964. They had two children, Jane and Aaron, and remained married until his death in 2007. Jay founded Theatreworks USA, the company dedicated to bringing live theater to young audiences.
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesBarbara also became an author, writing fiction for young readers and documenting her experience of colorectal cancer in Second Act: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures.
Reflecting on her profession in the PBS series How Art Changed Me, she recalled discovering the extraordinary connection between a performer and an audience. During a performance of Twelfth Night, she realized that even when she paused, the audience remained engaged.
"I just think it's connection between human beings," she said. "You're on the stage and they're in the audience and you're connecting."
