Jewish Actress Barbara Barrie Dies at 95

Jewish-American actress Barbara Barrie died at her home in Manhattan on Wednesday, October 28, at the age of 95. Her daughter, Jane Harnick, confirmed her death and said she had terminal cancer. Barrie's career included film, Broadway and television, with nominations for Academy, Tony and Emmy awards. Her performance as the mother of the central character in the 1979 film Breaking Away earned her an Academy Award nomination. She had earlier won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for One Potato, Two Potato in 1964. On Broadway, she played Sarah in the original 1970 production of Company, a role that brought her a Tony nomination. Television audiences knew Barrie as Elizabeth, the wife of the title character in Barney Miller. Her television work also included Suddenly Susan and the adaptation of Breaking Away, for which she received an Emmy nomination. Guest appearances in Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit brought further Emmy nominations. Born Barbara Berman in Chicago in 1931, she grew up in Texas, studied at the University of Texas and moved to New York. She made her Broadway debut in The Wooden Dish in 1955. She married actor, director and producer Jay Harnick in 1964; their children are Jane and Aaron.