Barbara Carrera Explained

Barbara Carrera
Birth Name:Barbara Kingsbury
Birth Place:Bluefields, Nicaragua
Spouse:
    Occupation:Actress, model
    Years Active:1970–2004

    Barbara Carrera (born Barbara Kingsbury) is an American actress, model and painter. She starred in the films The Master Gunfighter (1975); Embryo (1976); The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977); Condorman (1981); I, the Jury (1982) and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983). She is perhaps best remembered for her performance as SPECTRE assassin Fatima Blush in Never Say Never Again (1983), for which Carrera was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Carrera is also known for playing Clay Basket in the big-budget miniseries Centennial (1978–79), and as Angelica Nero on the ninth season of CBS prime time soap opera Dallas (1985–86).

    Early life

    Barbara Kingsbury was born in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Some sources give her birth year as 1947 or 1951, but most list 1945. She prefers to say 1953. Her mother, Florencia Carrera, was Nicaraguan, and her father, Louis Kingsbury, was an American who worked for the US embassy in Nicaragua.

    Sometime after the age of ten, Carrera moved to the United States to live with her father. She moved to New York at the age of 15.

    Career

    Kingsbury began a career as a model at the Eileen Ford agency at the age of 17, at which point she changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Carrera. Her first film role was as a fashion model in Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970), which fared poorly at the box office. In 1972, she appeared on the screen in a publicity role for Chiquita bananas. Carrera has appeared on the pages and covers of such magazines as Vogue, Paris Match, Harper's Bazaar, and twice posed for Playboy (July 1977 and March 1982).

    In 1976, Carrera earned her first Golden Globe nomination ("New Star of the Year - Actress") for her role in The Master Gunfighter. She later played in such films as The Island of Dr. Moreau, Lone Wolf McQuade, Condorman, Point of Impact, Tryst and Embryo. For her portrayal of the villainess Fatima Blush in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, she earned a 1984 Golden Globe nomination for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture".[1] She worked opposite Laurence Olivier in Wild Geese II the following year.

    On television, Carrera played a part in the soap opera Dallas as Angelica Nero, and more prominently, in the historical miniseries Centennial in 1978 and Masada (opposite Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss) in 1981. These roles brought her to the mainstream attention of American audiences. She also starred as Emma Forsayth in the miniseries in 1988. Carrera appeared with fellow "Bond Girls" Maude Adams and Kristina Wayborn in That '70s Show episode "The First Time" (s2,e16, 2000) as bridesmaids for another former Bond Girl, Tanya Roberts, in the role of Midge Pinciotti. Since Paradise (2004), Carrera has not appeared in films or television.

    In 1989, Carrera starred with Bette Davis in Wicked Stepmother, Davis's final film role. During filming, Davis fell ill and the script was rewritten for Carrera."Instead, he rewrote the script to minimize Davis' role as the wicked witch who marries into an unsuspecting family, becoming the children's stepmother. In the original script, Davis was going to turn a cat into the beautiful Barbara Carrera. In the new version, Davis herself turns into Carrera, who assumes Davis' lines for the bulk of the film."[2]

    In 1997, Carrera was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Nicaragua by then-president Arnoldo Alemán.

    Carrera is also a painter and her work has been showcased in the Makk Galleries, with Americo Makk, in Beverly Hills, California since the 1980s, and the Roy Miles Gallery in London, England. In May 2002, her works were exhibited at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum and have typically been sold for up to $8,000.

    Personal life

    Carrera has been married and divorced three times, her spouses being:

    Between marriages, Carrera dated Robert De Niro, Robert Evans, Alexander Godunov, Philip Niarchos, Richard Gere and Ryan O'Neal.[5] [6] [7] After her third marriage, she was involved with Henry Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland, who later died of a drug overdose in 1995.[8]

    Carrera has no children.

    Filmography

    Film

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    1970Puzzle of a Downfall Child T.J. Brady
    1975The Master Gunfighter EulaNominated — Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress
    1976Embryo Victoria Spencer
    1977The Island of Dr. Moreau Maria
    1980When Time Ran Out Iolani
    1981Condorman Natalia Rambova
    1982I, the Jury Dr. Charlotte Bennett
    1983Lone Wolf McQuade Lola Richardson
    1983Never Say Never Again Fatima BlushNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
    1985Wild Geese II Kathy Lukas
    1987Love at Stake Faith Stewart
    1987The Underachievers Katherine
    1989Loverboy Alex Barnett
    1989Wicked Stepmother Priscilla
    1993Point of ImpactEva Largo
    1994Tryst Julia
    1994Night of the Archer Victoria de Fleury
    1995Russian Roulette: Moscow 95 Caroline White
    1996Love Is All There IsMaria Malacici
    1998Waking Up HortonIsadora
    1999Alec to the RescueMadam Wong
    2000Coo Coo Café Lola
    2002Panic Bernadette
    2004ParadiseKatherine
    2005TwentyMariaShort film

    Television

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    1978-1979Centennial Clay BasketMiniseries
    1981Masada ShevaMiniseries
    1982Matt HoustonSerena GambacciEpisode: "X-22"
    1984Sins of the Past Terry HalloranTelevision film
    1985-1986Dallas Angelica NeroSpecial Guest Star, 25 episodes
    1987Mike Hammer Claire MorganEpisode: "Lady Killer"
    1988 Emma CoeMiniseries
    1990Murder in Paradise Emma DantonTelevision film
    1992Lakota Moon Still WaterTelevision film
    1994Fortune Hunter President Isabella DuarteEpisode: "Countdown"
    1995Sawbones Rita BaldwinTelevision film
    1996The Rockford Files

    Godfather Knows Best

    Elizabetta FamaTelevision film
    1998JAG Marcella ParettiEpisode: "Going After Francesca"
    1999Lakota MoonStill WaterTelevision film
    2000That '70s Show BarbaraEpisode: "The First Time"
    2004Judging Amy Francesca MessinaEpisodes: "Baggage Claim" and "My Little Runaway"

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Barbara Carrera. www.goldenglobes.com.
    2. Web site: Bette Davis Smoking over 'Stepmother' . . January 3, 1989 .
    3. Date of marriage and divorce accessed in the California Divorce Index on ancestry.com on March 14, 2013
    4. Marriage record accessed on ancestry.com on March 14, 2013
    5. News: Murry Frymer. A woman of mystery, except for her goals. The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 15, 1981.
    6. Book: De Niro: A Life. 9780307716804. Levy. Shawn. October 28, 2014. Crown .
    7. Web site: From the Jet Set to Your TV Set, Dallas' Barbara Carrera Knows Her Role - Lady of Mystery. Michelle. Green. November 18, 1985. people.com.
    8. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/the-duke-of-northumberland-1.653279 The Duke of Northumberland | Herald Scotland