Loden, Barbara (1932–1980)

US stage and screen actor, writer, and director. She appeared in a several film and television dramas, then turned to writing and directing her own films, including The Frontier Experience and Wanda (1970); the latter gained considerable acclaim for its anticipation of feminist themes. She also directed off-Broadway plays and before her premature death she starred in and codirected Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean. Loden was born in Marion, North Carolina. Commencing her Broadway career in 1957, she enjoyed her greatest success playing the Marilyn Monroe-inspired role in Arthur Miller's After the Fall (1964); she married its director, Elia Kazan, in 1967.