Barbara Harris
Birthday:
Birthplace:
Evanston, Illinois, USA
Goodman graduate Barbara Harris was among the earliest members of Chicago's Second City improvisational troupe. Harris' "everybody's best friend" demeanor, her good looks and offbeat sense of humor assured her steady work both off and on Broadway. In 1967 she won a Tony Award for her work in the whimsical Broadway musical The Apple Tree. Harris made her film debut as the heart-on-sleeve social worker Sandra (which happened to be her real first name) in 1965's A Thousand Clowns. She then re-created her Broadway role in the hot-and-cold movie version of Arthur Kopit's Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad. In 1971, Harris was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Who is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (did she enjoy selecting films with long-winded titles?) Her subsequent film appearances were as infrequent as they were unpredictable. Only director Robert Altman would have had the inspired notion of casting the very urban Barbara as a country-western wannabe in Nashville (1975); and only Alfred Hitchcock would have come up with the brilliant idea of casting Barbara as a lovably crooked psychic in Family Plot (1976). Both were out-of-left-field casting choices, and both worked superbly -- a tribute not only to the directors' intuition but also to Barbara Harris' boundless versatility.
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
81% | Grosse Pointe Blank |
|
— | 1997 |
No Score Yet | Abraham |
|
— | 1994 |
No Score Yet | The Pamela Principle |
|
— | 1991 |
88% | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels |
|
— | 1988 |
31% | Casual Sex? |
|
— | 1988 |
60% | Nice Girls Don't Explode |
|
— | 1987 |
No Score Yet | Nightstick |
|
— | 1987 |
86% | Peggy Sue Got Married |
|
— | 1986 |
No Score Yet | Second Hand Hearts |
|
— | 1981 |
80% | The Seduction of Joe Tynan |
|
— | 1979 |
78% | The North Avenue Irregulars |
|
— | 1979 |
No Score Yet | Movie Movie |
|
— | 1978 |
70% | Freaky Friday |
|
— | 1976 |
92% | Family Plot |
|
— | 1976 |
91% | Nashville |
|
— | 1975 |
No Score Yet | The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery |
|
— | 1975 |
No Score Yet | Mixed Company |
|
— | 1974 |
No Score Yet | The War Between Men and Women |
|
— | 1972 |
40% | Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? |
|
— | 1971 |
70% | Plaza Suite |
|
— | 1971 |
No Score Yet | Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad |
|
— | 1967 |
71% | A Thousand Clowns |
|
— | 1965 |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet |
Party of Five
1994-2000
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955-1962
|
|
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Quotes from Barbara Harris' Characters
Terry Kozlenko: | "Forgive me for taking your time, Mr. Wilson, all I can say is no man with a normal sex drive could draw a woman like that." |
Terry Kozlenko: | Forgive me for taking your time, Mr. Wilson, all I can say is no man with a normal sex drive could draw a woman like that. |
Peter Wilson: | "Sore loser!!" |
Peter Wilson: | Sore loser! |
Evelyn Kelcher: | Peggy Sue..you know what a penis is? STAY AWAY FROM IT!!!!!!! |
Evelyn Kelcher: | Peggy Sue, you know what a penis is? STAY AWAY FROM IT! |