Stanwyck, Barbara (1907-1990)

US film actor. She had a commanding presence and was equally at home in comedy or melodrama. Her films include Stella Dallas (1937), The Lady Eve (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), and Executive Suite (1954).

Stanwyck made her first film appearance in 1927 after early experience in vaudeville and on the Broadway stage. She rapidly assumed star status and continued to be active in the cinema until 1965. She was well suited to the roles of independently minded women. She excelled as the confident trickster of The Lady Eve and as the temptress of Double Indemnity. In later years she appeared frequently on television, notably as the matriarchal star of The Big Valley. She never achieved the top rung of stardom, but in 1944 was said to be the highest paid woman in the USA.

She was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award in 1982 and the American Film Institute's life achievement award in 1987.