Actor / Director Profile

Born in Hollywood and raised in a small bungalow, Barbara Hershey (born Barbara Herzstein) had dreams of being an actress from her earliest memories.The multi-award-winning actress has been in some of Hollywood's most memorable films. She has been a winner of an Emmy and a Golden Globe for "A Killing in a Small Town". She won two consecutive Best Actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival, (which is unprecedented) for "Shy People" and "A World Apart". She won a Gemini Award for "Anne of Green Gabels" for PBS and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Vienna International Film Festival.Hershey was nominated for an Academy Award, "The Portait of a Lady."She's worked with some of the world's great directors, among them - Martin Scorsese, William Wyler, Woody Allen, Jane Campion and Darren Aronofsky.The versatile actress was first discovered by a talent agent while she was attending Hollywood High School. She began working in television, "The Monroes" and film, "With Six You Get Eggroll" with Doris Day. And with roles in "The Baby Maker" and "Boxcar Bertha", Hershey quickly advanced to starring roles.The 1980's catapulted Hershey's film career, when she starred in "The Stunt Man" with Peter O'Toole, "The Right Stuff", "The Natural" with Robert Redford, "Hannah and Her Sisters" with Woody Allen, "Hoosiers" with Gene Hackman, "Tin Men" , "Shy People", "The Last Temptation of Christ", "A World Apart" and "Beaches", with Bette Midler.Hershey returned to television in 1990 with her highly lauded performance in "A Killing in a Small Town", "Paris Trout", "Return to Lonesome Dove", the British mini-series, "Daniel Deronda" and the last season of "Chicago Hope".During the same period, Hershey remained active in features. She was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for "The Portrait of a Lady". She also starred in Merchant-Ivory's "A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries" and the award-winning Australian film, "Lantana".Recently, Hershey has recently performed in James Wan's cult-hit, "Insidious" and Darren Aronofsky's award-winning "Black Swan", playing Natalie Portman's insane mother.Hershey resides in Los Angeles.