I doubt that Dennis adepts need an introduction to Barbara Steele, but here’s one anyway.
http://www.barbarasteele.com/
The most beautiful star of the greatest horror masterpiece of Italian film, Black Sunday: Barbara Steele was born on December 19, 1938 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England. Barbara is loved by her fans for her talent, intelligence, erotic sexuality, and a mysterious beauty that is unique; her face epitomizes either sweet innocence, or malign evil (she is wonderful to watch either way). At first, Barbara studied to become a painter. In 1957, she joined an acting repertory company. Her feature acting debut was in the British comedy Bachelor of Hearts (1958).
At age 21, this strikingly lovely lady, with the hauntingly beautiful face, large eyes, sensuous lips and long, dark hair got her breakout role by starring in Black Sunday, the quintessential Italian film about witchcraft (it was the directorial debut for cinematographer Mario Bava; with his background it was exquisitely photographed and atmospheric). We got to see Barbara, but did not hear her; her voice was dubbed by another actress for international audiences. After its American success, AIP brought Barbara to America, to star in Roger Corman's The Pit and the Pendulum (1961); (though the film was shot entirely in English, again Barbara's own voice was not used).
By now, Barbara was typecast by American audiences as a horror star. In 1962, she answered an open-casting call and won a role in Federico Fellini's 8 1/2; she only had a small but memorable role. Reportedly Fellini wanted to use her more in the film, but she was contracted to leave Rome to start work on her next horror movie, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962). Being a slow and meticulous director, Fellini's 8 1/2 was not released until 1963. (Later, when Barbara was cast in lesser roles in lesser movies, she would tell the directors: "I've worked with some of the best directors in the world. I've worked with Fellini!") More horror movies followed, such as The Spectre (1963), Castle of Blood (1964), The Long Hair of Death (1964), and others; this success led to her being typecast in the horror genre, where she more often than not appeared in Italian movies with a dubbed voice. The nadir was appearing in The Crimson Cult (1968), which was mainly eye candy, with scantily-clad women in a cult.
Unfortunately, Barbara got sick of being typecast in horror movies. One of the screen's greatest horror stars, she said in an interview: "I never want to climb out of another freakin' coffin again!" This was sad news for her legion of horror fans; it was also a false-step for Barbara as far as a career move. Back in America, she met screenwriter James Poe; they got married, and remained together for many years. James Poe wrote an excellent role for Barbara in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969). The role ended up going to Susannah York, and Barbara wouldn't act in movies again for 5 years. Barbara returned to movies in Caged Heat (1974); she was miscast: a few years before, Barbara would have been one of the beautiful inmates, not the wheelchair-bound warden.
In 1977, she appeared in a film by Roger Corman, based on the true story of a mentally ill woman, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. Unfortunately, her scenes wound up on the cutting room floor. Again, trying anything but horror, Barbara appeared in Pretty Baby (1978), but she was in the background the whole time, and her talents wasted. Barbara would appear in 2 more unmemorable movies. She and James Poe got divorced, (he died a few years later). Barbara did Silent Scream (1980). Maybe because her ex-husband was now dead, or because her acting career was going nowhere, Barbara retired from acting for a decade.
However, she had a lot of success as a producer. She was an associate producer for the TV mini-series The Winds of War (1983), and produced War and Remembrance (1989), for which she got an Emmy award. Her horror fans were delighted when Barbara showed up again, this time on TV in Dark Shadows (1991), a revival of the beloved 1960s supernatural soap. The still-lovely Barbara acts occasionally, her latest film was The Capitol Conspiracy (1999). Even past 60, Barbara is still beautiful and her fans love her.
Barbara Steele biography provided by Klaus D. Haisch
(The Ghost , 1963)
(The Long Hair of Death)
(Barbara discusses her career in Italian horror films – sorry no subtitles)
I interview her HERE
*
p.s. Hey. The Halloween celebrations here get a personal stamp today as Mr. E. directs your attention to revered and legendary horror (and other) actress Barbara Steele. Please enjoy your generous kicks and kick back some commentary to your host, if you don't mind. Cool. Thanks a whole bunch, David! ** David Ehrenstein, Speaking of powerful stuff ... Thank you in person, sir! ** gucciCODYprada, Hey! Cool, wow, that's a serious tour. You're totally a writer supreme if you're writing on your iPhone. Even I, word junkie, can't imagine doing that. Oh, yes, I'm so behind on emails. I'll check that about the post and let you know if changes are needed immediately, sorry. I am reading your novel, yes (!), and loving it but not making the kind of quick progress I wish 'cos I have to finish writing a theater piece that I'm way, way behind on, so reading and writing -- my novel is painfully off-limits at the moment -- are being bitten into pieces. But yes! Awesome, I'll write to you pronto. Big love, me. ** Damien Ark, Hi. Oh, thanks, man. I've heard a little of Andy Stott and thought it was pretty great so that's total compliment. Maybe I should try him as writing soundtracker. Have a good one. ** Nick, Hi, man. Good, happy, obviously, that prose is luring you back inside. Nice Halloween marking and celebrating going on on your blog too. Sweet. ** Jeffrey Coleman, Hi, Jeff. I didn't realize Gisele's video was going public yesterday but then, bang, my newsfeed was packed with links to it. Glad you liked it. I'll tell Gisele, and thank you! Everyone, Mr. Jeffrey Coleman was the first to point out that my dear friend and collaborator Gisele Vienne's music video for the Scott Walker/Sunn0))) single/track 'Brando' is now officially out and wholly watchable. It stars Anja Röttgerkamp and young Léon Rubbens, co-performers of G.'s and my last theater piece 'The Pyre' -- and Leon is also one of the stars of the feature film that Zac and I are currently writing for Gisele to direct, btw -- and the legendary Catherine Robbe-Grillet. Anyway, you can watch it here. ** Sypha, Hi, James. James the reluctant pop star! Wow, excited! I never stress out re: those fall between writing project periods, and you always end up working feverishly on something new, so try to enjoy the muse's nap, I guess. ** _Black_Acrylic, William Power power! ** Marilyn Roxie, Hi. Interesting, cool. You went to junior college? Me too. Yeah, people used to say about my jr. college -- and I imagine everyone says it about every jr. college -- that it was like high school with ash trays. Oh, but I guess they don't say that anymore given smoking's hatred from on high these days. I have no idea how film photography works, but I like the words and terms you used, and that sounds exciting. I would imagine that whenever a new book of mine comes out I'll go to SF to read. I don't know if I'll do any events before then. Maybe if Zac's and my movie or one of theater pieces play there or something. It would be great to meet you too. Well, hopefully there'll be some way for you visit Paris one of these days. It doesn't sound like anything could be better than what you describe. Love! love, me. ** Kier, Hi, K! Really glad you liked Gisele's video. I haven't seen a Halloween house here yet, but I thought I might actually try to search one out if there is one this weekend. Oh, shit, I'm sorry about your terrible, anxiety-riddled day. Anxiety is so irrational, isn't it? God, I hate it. My yesterday was pretty good. I did meet up with Jonathan and his gal pal, who's an amazing artist as well, at FIAC. As art fairs go, it was pretty all right. It was in the Grand Palais, so it was spacious, and, if the art sucked, you could always look up at the amazing ceiling. There were some cool things here and there bunched up amidst the famous artist souvenirs in the sales room-like cubicles on the ground floor, which was kind of the blue chip gallery area. The first floor upstairs was better 'cos it was smaller galleries showing newer, younger artists. I really liked the work of this young Danish artist Nina Beier, for one. There were some really good things in general here and there, and there were some galleries from LA in attendance so I got to say hi to some gallerist people I know and like and whom I haven't seen in ages. Then we walked to Palais de Tokyo where the show there was strangely good for PdT, or about half of it was. And it's such an incredible space. Being there is always exhilarating. Then we had a coffee and hung out before parting ways. It was cool. And I found out about all these events and performances related to FIAC happening that I didn't know about. Like tonight Alejandro Jodorowsky is conducting a seance in the Natural History Museum, which seems potentially mind-blowing. And other stuff. It was fun. Then, uh, ... oh, I found out that four of my books ('MLT', 'God Jr.', 'Ugly Man', and 'The Sluts') are going to be published in Germany, which is very cool 'cos I haven't been published in Germany since 'Period'. That was exciting. And otherwise I think I just worked and stuff. But, yeah, it was a cool day. I really hope your bad yesterday was a fluke and that today is going to rule, but please tell me either way. ** Sickly, Hey. Yeah, right? I totally agree! ** Steevee, They don't show 'Honey Boo Boo' over here, if that's what you mean. It's possible that that news could end up being a squib in the news here, but it would be framed as more evidence of how wacked-out America is. I've never been much of a fan of Roth, no. I liked a couple of the early novels okay at the time but never very passionately. ** Schlix, Hi. Yeah, the buzz on Gisele's video is crazy. The video is kind of a spin-off 'real world setting' version of 'The Pyre'. Same performers, same basic theme but a little more explicit and less abstract. Do I know Iancu Dumitrescu? I feel like I do, but I'm blanking out for some reason. Huh, I'll check. ** Nemo, Hi, Joey. Blogger loves to randomly eat comments, especially long ones. I'll go find out what ECT is. Sounds awful. I'll friend you when Blogger lets me friend people again. Wow, you're working on that thing on my work? Thanks! You should tell Marvin what you want to see and tell him you have my permission, and then he'll write to me to make sure you do. That's how it works best over there. Ideas about an editor? Uh, hm, no one springs to mind. I'm pretty out of touch with the writing/publishing thing in NYC. I read Sade when I was 15 so way, way before I wrote 'Frisk'. Or do you mean did it read it again while writing 'Frisk'? I don't know. I wrote 'Frisk' in NYC, and I don't think I had the book there, so probably not? After Iceland, I should be here working on editing the film for a bit, and then I'll be off again at the end of the year or thereabouts for a while, I think. Very glad to hear things are good with the great and lovely Jarrod. Love to you too, man. ** Keaton, Hi, Jesus, okay, I'm going to stop expressing my astonishment because repetition famously creates numbness after a while. Beautiful Everyone, ... and it's that point in the p.s. when you click this and go see Keaton's newfound and moody Halloween construction 'Shadows'. I hope you guys are keeping up with Keaton's unfolding. You're poorer if you aren't. ** Misanthrope, Oh, it's a coffee contest between quickie places, gotcha. So 7-11 has some overriding rule on how the coffee is prepared at every single 7-11 in the US or something? That seems strange and unenforceable. Maybe it's the brand of coffee they use. Do you know what it is? No, no DC-bashing thing. They did use the French thing, and, in fact, they even put it online if you want to read it now. It's called 'Gisèle Vienne: Disturbance in Representation' and it's by Bernard Vouilloux and it's here. Yikes about those no-eyes people. I got a little freaked out thinking about them and their lives. ** Cal Graves, Hi, Cal. Yeah, I totally agree about those youtube people. I would say that I spend way too much time watching them except that it's always inspiring and weirdly influential. That short story's effect on you! That's awesome. That doesn't happen every day. Nice, man, congrats, and I look forward to maybe get my eyes moist when I get to read it someday. Briefly, the theater piece stars 8 German ventriloquist/puppeteers who are super famous and respected in their field, and, in our piece, they've gathered together at a yearly ventriloquists convention, and they kind of entertain each other and fight and freak out and go into weird trances and talk about their medium and other stuff. That's a super tightened overview. It'll be easier to talk about when I finally get it written. Oh, wow, I don't know that movie 'Strings'. Huh. I'll tell Gisele about it in case she doesn't know. She's a mega-sponge about everything to do with puppetry. Thanks! ** Right. Spend time with Barbara Steele today, please. Thanks a lot. See you tomorrow.