Barbara Stanwyck

Barbara Stanwyck (born Ruby Catherine Stevens ) is an American actress born the July 16th 1907 with Brooklyn, New York (the United States), died the January 20th 1990 with Santa Monica (California). From a difficult childhood, Barbara Stanwyck drew a force and a will out of the commun run. She starts with the cinema as of the beginnings of speaking and is propelled by the director Frank Capra who gives him roles worthy of his talent of actress. She reaches tops by incarnating the stereotypes of the heroin of black film. She excels in the most varied cinematographic kinds: the melodrama, the Western, the police Film, the Black film, the Comedy, the social Film. It was nominated 4 times at the Oscar and received in 1982 a Oscar of honor.

Biography

An iron will

Barbara Stanwyck is born in a family low in 1907. Orphan very young person, at the two years age his/her mother dies and his/her father gives up the hearth. Barbara, junior by five children, is raised by her older sister and families of reception. She begins dice adolescence to work in particular as operator. Of a tough nature and especially with a will to succeed, it tries its chance in the medium of the spectacle. She sings and dances as of the fifteen years age in cabarets and varieties, before obtaining an engagement with Broadway like chorus girl in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1922. It is at that time that it chooses to change name.

She appears then regularly on the scenes of Broadway, where she ends up obtaining first roles, in particular with the Hudson Theater in “The Noose” and in “Burlesque” where she obtains a large success. August 26th, 1928, she marries the actor Frank Fay, comic actor, which she will divorce in 1937. Parallel to its theatrical career, it launches out to the cinema in a Silent film, Broadway nights (1927), thanks to the support of her husband. The film is a failure as well as the following.

An immediate glory

It is the meeting with Frank Capra which gives him its first chance, the realizer off imposes against the opinion of the studios Barbara Stanwyck in 1930 in Ladies leisure . Capra is conquered by the personality of the actress, it will help it to soften its image a little too abrupt and will open to him new horizons with Hollywood. They will connect with The Miracle woman in 1931 whose subject is inspired by the life of Aimee Semple McPherson, celebrates prédicatrice which by exploiting the credulity of people in their faith, builds a fortune in the middle of the the Twenties with the the United States. But it is the third film with him, Amour defended (Forbidden, 1932) , which reveals it with the general public. The realizer will make 2 more films with Barbara Stanwyck: the Great wall (The Tea Bitter off General Yen, 1933) and, later, the Man in the street (Meet John Doe, 1941) . Frank Capra makes him sign a contract with the studios Warner Bros. Barbara passes then to the Columbia then to RKO.

Projected with the firmament of the stars, it is classified among largest of the moment: Greta Garbo, Marlène Dietrich and Joan Crawford.

She incarnates the women combative and independent in America in crisis of the beginning of the Thirties in films as various as Illicit (1931) of Lionel Barrymore, Toujours in my heart (Ever In My Heart, 1933) and Franc play (Gambling Lady, 1934) , both signed archie Mayo, Ladies They Talk About (1933) of Howard Bretherton, Liliane ( Baby Face ) (1933) of Alfred E. Green, secret Mariage (The Secret Attaches, 1935) William Dieterle or the Lady in red (The Woman in Red, 1935) of Robert Florey. She makes a composition noticed especially in Liliane (1933), according to a history of the producer Darryl F. Zanuck, where she uses as of the her charms to find itself at the top of the social scale without worrying to break careers or to cause suicides. The scenario, far too sulfurous, had problems with the censure. Jack Warner, director of the Warner Bros, carried out some sweetenings and imposed an end in conformity with the morals of the time.

William Wellman will also offer beautiful roles dice to him beginning of the year 30 in the white Angel (Night Nurse, 1931) , My large (So Big, 1932) , The Purchase Price (1932), then later in the Inspirer (The Great Man' S Lady, 1942) and the Throttle valve (Lady off burlesque, 1943) .

In addition to Capra and Wellman it turns with large realizers: John Ford for Revolt in Dublin (1936), Cecil B. of Thousand in Pacific Express train (1939) an anthem dedicated to the pioneers of the railroad of the United States, Rouben Mamoulian in the Slave with the gold hands (1939) it meets a very young still hesitant beginner there William Holden which it will defend while threatening to leave turning at the moment when one threatens to return it. Holden declared well later that it owed him its career. It is still remarkable in upsetting melodrama King Vidor thanks to which it obtains its first nomination with the Oscars for its role in Stella Dallas (1937), where it incarnates a character of woman raising alone her child.

Meanwhile its relations with her husband were degraded, the helping failure, Frank Fay started to drinking. They will adopt a boy, Dion Anthony, but will end up divorcing in 1935. One says that their relation inspired film of William Wellman, a star was born.

It meets, in 1936, on the plate of the Fever of the tropics one of the young most tempting first of Hollywood, Robert Taylor. A connection is established which will concretize three later by a marriage in 1939 organized by the studios Subway-Goldwyn-Mayer, current practice of the time. But wearied inaccuracies of her husband, the actress will end up divorcing on February 21st, 1951.

The Queen

At the beginning of the the Forties, it is one of the rare free stars independent of long-term engagement with the studios, it only manages its career. Come the years from glory, it is titrated in 1944 the actress best paid Hollywood, and interprets its best roles.

It approaches the decade with a cinematographic kind where it will excel: the Comedy. It shows a real comic talent in dazzling chiefs of work such a heart taken with the trap by a Master of the kind Preston Sturges where it incarnates adventurous without scruples which allures a timid billionaire incarnated by Henry Fonda and You belong to me where it finds same Henry Fonda, it plays an unrepentant robber with dimensions of Fred MacMurray in Remember the Night , Howard Hawks makes it play a pétulante singer of cabaret which upsets the life of professors to which belonged Gary Cooper in the brilliance Fireball . Its demolition and its imagination except par will be rewarded for this film by a nomination with the Oscars. Special mention for the Man in the street of its realizer fetish Frank Capra where it côtoie the drama and the sensitive comedy in way and will be heralding its future the most tormented roles.

The continuation of its catalog of films will be enriched by melodrama S, kind of films where it already proved reliable, as white Orchidée (The Other Love, 1947) André De Toth, high Ville, low city ( East Side West Side , 1949) of Mervyn LeRoy, Chaînes of the destiny (No Man off Her Own, 1950) of Mitchell Leisen, the Demon wakes up the night (Clash by Night, 1952) of Fritz Lang, the wild Breath (Blowing Wild, 1953) of Hugo Fregonese, the Tower of the ambitious (Executive Continuation, 1954) of Robert Wise, Desired All I (1953) and Demain is another day (1956), both of Douglas Sirk, the hot Street (Walk one The Wild Side, 1962) of Edward Dmytryk…

In another kind, that one primarily male, it will play the strong and dominating women in innumerable Western S, fact rare for an actress, as the Glory of the circus of George Stevens where it incarnates Annie Oakley, partner of Buffalo Bill in film of George Stevens in 1935, Pacific Express (Pacific Union, 1939) of Cecil B. DeMille, California promised land (California, 1946) of John Farrow, Furies (The Furies, 1950) of Anthony Mann where she faces her father (Walter Huston) landowner, the Queen of the meadow (Cattle Queen off Montana, 1954) of Allan Dwan, the Breath of violence (The Violent Men, 1955) of Rudolph Maté and Forty killers (forty guns, 1957) of Samuel Fuller. In this film, it reverses the laws of kind again by incarnating a despotic gang leader, whip with the hand equipped all in black out of dress with man. It makes at the beginning of film a fulgurating appearance, with the head of forty riders. At fifty years, it carries out itself certain cascades several times of which that where it is désarçonnée by its horse and trail on the ground on several meters.

But it is in the Black film that it will give best itself.

In 1944, Billy Wilder entrusts to him a very black role in Assurance on the death which will be determining for its career. Initially reticent by the blackness of the Billy Wilder character convinces it to accept while launching a challenge to him: “You are a mouse or an actress? ” . There transformed for the occasion into a vamp blonde, tempting and perverse, it incarnates one of its best characters. Chief of work of black film, the film is sublimated by the use of the light, a scenario and a realization without concession and of interpretations without faults of which that striking of Barbara Stanwyck. The film will be encensé by Alfred Hitchcock. Seven nominations with the Oscars will crown the film (whose that of best film, scenario, realization and actress) but it will not gain any of it.

She will still incarnate the “bad girl” in several films marking like the Woman with the spangled scarf , the Influence of the crime , the wild Breath and the victims in the Second Mrs Carroll , Raccrochez, it is an error , the deserted Beach , Témoin of this murder …

In 1948, for the fourth and last time, it fails the Oscars in spite of the quality of dark the Raccrochez, it is an error (Sorry, Wrong Number) of Anatole Litvak and its interpretation, near Burt Lancaster, of a sick woman who surprises a phone conversation between two killers (voters of the Oscars preferring to him Jane Wyman in its character of deaf-mute of the Johnny Belinda of Jean Negulesco).

The popular actress

Its cinematographic career declining in the middle of the Fifties, it appears with the cinema for the last time in That which did not exist (William Castle, 1964), with dimensions of Robert Taylor, his ex-husband.

She devotes herself thereafter to the small screen and remained extremely popular, taking part in the series The Barbara Stanwyck Theater (1960-61), the Large valley (1965-69), the Birds hide to die (1983) and Dynastie II - Colby (1985-86).

She died with Santa Monica, in California on January 21st, 1990.

Catalog of films

Rewards and Nominations

Rewards

  • 1982 : Oscar of honor : For its superlative creativity and its single contribution to the art of interpretation to the screen
  • 1984: Golden Globe : Better actress in a supporting role in a series, a minisery or a telefilm: For its role of Mary Carson the birds hide to die

Nominations

Anecdotes

It was named by the American Film Institute eleventh better actress of legend of the cinema.

External bonds

  • Card IMDB
  • ''' detailed and illustrated Biography of Barbara Stanwyck '''

Simple: Barbara Stanwyck

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