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Barbara Steele
1937-
Updated 3/22/2007 with more photos.
biography
Born in England in December 1937 (some sources cite her date of birth as December 1938 and her place of birth as Ireland), Barbara Steele's striking, exotic visage helped make her an international horror film star in the 1960s. As a child Steele was interested in a career as an artist, but as she matured she decided to give acting a try. Landing a small part in the British comedy Bachelor of Hearts (1958; with Hardy Krüger and Sylvia Syms). A few other roles followed, yet Steele found fame in the Italian-made horror classic Black Sunday (1960; with John Richardson), directed by Mario Bava. Black Sunday helped somewhat to typecast her as a horror actress. More horror films followed, including Pit and the Pendulum (1961; with Vincent Price and Luana Anders), The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1964; with Robert Flemyng), and The Crimson Cult (1970; with Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee). Aside from horror films, Steele has appeared in such diverse films as Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963; with Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale), The Maniacs (1964; with Margaret Lee), Caged Heat (1974; with Juanita Brown), and Pretty Baby (1978; with Keith Carradine and Brooke Shields).
Cheesecake shots of beautiful Barbara Steele
In 1969, Steele married successful screenwriter James Poe, who wrote the screenplays of such films as Summer and Smoke (1961; with Laurence Harvey and Pamela Tiffin), Lilies of the Field (1963; with Sidney Poitier), and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969; with Jane Fonda and Michael Sarrazin). Following her marriage, Steele bowed out of acting for several years. During her hiatus, she gave birth to her son, Jonathan, in 1971.
the films of barbara steele
Black Sunday (1960)
From Mario Bava's horror masterpiece, Black Sunday, in which Steele plays a dual role. LEFT: With Ivo Garrani and John Richardson. CENTER: Steele is terrified of the iron mask. RIGHT: Steele as Princess Asa
Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
From Roger Corman's Poe-inspired horror flick Pit and the Pendulum with Vincent Price
The Ghost (1963)
From the Italian-made horror film The Ghost. LEFT: With Peter Baldwin. RIGHT: Steele as Margaret Hichcock
Castle of Blood (1964)
LEFT: With Margarete Robsahm in the effective Italian horror film Castle of Blood. RIGHT: With Georges Rivière
The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1964)
With Robert Flemyng in the Italian horror flick The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock
The Maniacs (1964)
From the Italian comedy The Maniacs
Nightmare Castle (1965)
Paul Mulller catches wife Barbara Steele and her lover Rik Battaglia in the act and tortures them in the effective horror thriller Nightmare Castle
I Spy (1965-1968 NBC TV Series)
Steele as she appeared in a November 1966 episode of the NBC TV series I Spy titled Bridge of Spies
The She-Beast (1966)
Newlyweds Ian Ogilvy and Barbara Steele have an accident in the horror release The She-Beast
The Crimson Cult (1968)
Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee headlined the horror flick The Crimson Cult, released in the US by AIP
Pretty Baby (1978)
Barbara Steele played a supporting role in Paramount's then-scandalous release Pretty Baby. Also pictured are Brooke Shields and Keith Carradine
Silent Scream (1980)
Steele's last theatrically released horror film to date, Silent Scream is both fun and surprising
barbara steele today
Returning to the screen in the mid 1970s, Steele appeared in several horror films, including Shivers (1975; with Paul Hampton) and Silent Scream (1980; with Cameron Mitchell and Yvonne De Carlo). Following the release of the latter film, she once again left her acting career behind in favor of producing television shows and miniseries. Today, Barbara Steele occasionally tackles a film role and is an associate producer of Bravo's hit series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
Dark Shadows: The Revival [DVD](1991) DVD
Return to Collinwood in this revived (no pun intended) TV Gothic horror series starring Ben Cross as vampire Barnabas Collins, back from a 200-year catnap to reclaim his heritage and cast his spell over the mansion's residents. The great cast also includes Joanna Going as Victoria Winters, Jean Simmons as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Roy Thinnes as Roger Collins, and Barbara Steele as Dr. Hoffman. All 12 episodes are featured in a three-disc set. 9 3/4 hrs. total. Soundtrack: English.
Black Sunday(1960) VHS
The vampire fantasy from Mario Bava (his solo directorial debut) that made a horror goddess out of Barbara Steele. Condemned in the 1600s as a witch and gruesomely executed, Steele returns from the grave to massacre her family's survivors, including her look-alike descendant. With John Richardson, Ivo Garrani. AKA: "The Demon's Mask." 84 min.
The Horrible Dr. Hichcock [DVD](1962) DVD
Bizarre Gothic horror about a necrophiliac doctor who accidentally kills his wife during a ``funeral game,'' then remarries to bring her back from the grave with his new wife's blood. Robert Flemyng, Barbara Steele star. 76 min. Soundtrack: English (dubbed).
The Horrible Dr. Hichcock(1962) VHS
Bizarre Gothic horror about a necrophiliac doctor who accidentally kills his wife during a ``funeral game,'' then remarries to bring her back from the grave with his new wife's blood. Robert Flemyng, Barbara Steele star. 76 min. Dubbed in English. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
The Ghost [DVD](1963) DVD
A woman murders her husband with dreams of owning his fortune in jewels, but when his spectre returns from the grave it's clear he's out for revenge...or is he? Bizarre chiller with British scream queen Barbara Steele, Peter Baldwin. 96 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English (dubbed) mono. Plays All Regions.
The Ghost(1963) VHS
A woman murders her husband with dreams of owning his fortune in jewels, but when his spectre returns from the grave it's clear he's out for revenge...or is he? Bizarre chiller with British scream queen Barbara Steele, Peter Baldwin. 96 min. Dubbed in English.
8 1/2 [DVD](1963) DVD
Federico Fellini's masterpiece centers on Marcello Mastroianni, a filmmaker overwhelmed by personal and career problems, who checks into a health spa in hopes of reinvigorating himself. But memories of his recent past and his childhood, troublesome producers and agents, and his lust for women keep getting in the way of his rehabilitation. Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimee, Barbara Steele and Sandra Milo also star. 135 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Italian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; photo gallery.
8 1/2 (Special Edition) [DVD](1963) DVD
Federico Fellini's masterpiece centers on Marcello Mastroianni, a filmmaker overwhelmed by personal and career problems, who checks into a health spa in hopes of reinvigorating himself. But memories of his recent past and his childhood, troublesome producers and agents, and his lust for women keep getting in the way of his rehabilitation. Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimee, Barbara Steele and Sandra Milo also star. 135 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Italian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; theatrical trailer; "Fellini: A Director's Notebook"; documentary; interviews; photo gallery. Two-disc set.
Castle Of Blood (Castle Of Terror) [DVD](1964) DVD
Classic creeper from Antonio Margheriti ("Yor: The Hunter from the Future") detailing the horrific adventures of a British journalist who bets a visiting Edgar Allan Poe that he can stay in a haunted mansion overnight. Little does the journalist realize the terrors he's about to encounter. Barbara Steele, Georges Riviere star. AKA: "La Danza Macabra," "Long Night of Terror," "Tombs of Horror," "Tombs of Terror." 89 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (in restored French language footage); theatrical trailer; photo gallery.
Castle Of Terror (Castle Of Blood)(1964) VHS
Classic creeper from Antonio Margheriti ("Yor: The Hunter from the Future") detailing the horrific adventures of a British journalist who bets a visiting Edgar Allan Poe that he can stay in a haunted mansion overnight. Little does the journalist realize the terrors he's about to encounter. Barbara Steele, Georges Riviere star. AKA: "La Danza Macabra," "Long Night of Terror," "Tombs of Horror," "Tombs of Terror." 85 min.
The Long Hair Of Death [DVD](1964) DVD
Atmospheric shocker from director Anthony M. Dawson stars Barbara Steele as the daughter of a woman burned at the stake for witchcraft during the 16th century who returns from the dead seeking revenge. Moody scares and eroticism are featured; with Giorgio Ardisson, Halina Zalewska. 90 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English (dubbed). Dubbed in English.
Nightmare Castle [DVD](1965) DVD
Atmospheric European horror film about a doctor experimenting with the regeneration of human blood through electrical impulses. Barbara Steele stars in a dual role. 90 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; theatrical trailers; scene access.
Nightmare Castle(1965) VHS
Atmospheric European horror film about a doctor experimenting with the regeneration of human blood through electrical impulses. Barbara Steele stars in a dual role. 90 min.
The She-Beast [DVD](1966) DVD
The gorgeous Barbara Steele is the beast, a British tourist in Transylvania possessed by a witch. Ian Ogilvy and Mel Welles co-star in this spookfest, which also contains a bizarre anti-Communist sub-plot. 88 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; theatrical trailers; scene access. Plays All Regions.
The She-Beast(1966) VHS
The gorgeous Barbara Steele is the beast, a British tourist in Transylvania possessed by a witch. Ian Ogilvy and Mel Welles co-star in this spookfest, which also contains a bizarre anti-Communist sub-plot. 88 min.
Terror Creatures From The Grave [DVD](1966) DVD
Dying by his wife's hand, a master occultist summons up forces of revenge from beyond eternity. Victims of the Black Death leave their ages-old resting place to stalk murdering widow Barbara Steele and inflict her with bubonic plague. 85 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono. Plays All Regions.
Terror Creatures From The Grave(1966) VHS
Dying by his wife's hand, a master occultist summons up forces of revenge from beyond eternity. Victims of the Black Death leave their ages-old resting place to stalk murdering widow Barbara Steele and inflict her with bubonic plague. 85 min.
An Angel For Satan(1966) VHS
Scream queen Barbara Steele stars in this moody Italian shocker in which she plays a woman possessed by the spirit of a 200-year-old statue found on the bottom of the lake. Anthony Steffen, Claudio Gora co-star. In Italian; no subtitles.
Young Torless [DVD](1966) DVD
The debut feature of director Volker Schlondorff ("The Tin Drum") is a dramatic parable of Nazi German society set in a boys' school. A shy student wants to report a group of bullies who harass a classmate, but keeps silent under threats from the attackers. Mathieu Carriere, Marian Seidowsky and famed horror queen Barbara Steele star. 87 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: German Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; interview; photo gallery; theatrical trailer.
Caged Heat [DVD](1974) DVD
Jonathan Demme's first directorial effort (he also wrote the screenplay) follows two female prisoners who escape from their brutal captivity and then break back in to deliver their own kind of justice. With Russ Meyer fave Erica Gavin, Juanita Brown, Roberta Collins and Barbara Steele as the demented, wheelchair-bound warden; music by The Velvet Underground's John Cale. AKA: "Renegade Girls." 79 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interview; biographies; theatrical trailer.
Pretty Baby [DVD](1978) DVD
Louis Malle's stunning and controversial look at 1910's New Orleans' famed Storyville red light district, as seen through the eyes of photographer Keith Carradine, and at Carradine's obsession with 12-year-old Brooke Shields, the daughter of prostitute Susan Sarandon. With Frances Faye, Antonio Fargas, Barbara Steele. 109 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English.
barbara steele films available from amazon.com
filmography
The Capitol Conspiracy (1999) with Don 'The Dragon' Wilson
Deep Above (1994)
Dark Shadows (1990) with Ben Cross, Roy Thinnes, and Jean Simmons
Silent Scream (1980) with Cameron Mitchell, Avery Schreiber, and Yvonne De Carlo
The Key Is in the Door (1978)
Piranha (1978) with Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn, Dick Miller, Paul Bartel, and Richard Deacon
Pretty Baby (1978) with Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine, Susan Sarandon, Antonio Fargas, and Diana Scarwid
The Space-Watch Murders (1975) with Joan Caulfield, Russ Conway, Sam Groom, and Tisha Sterling
Shivers (1975) with Paul Hampton
Caged Heat (1974) with Juanita Brown, Roberta Collins, and Cheryl 'Rainbeaux' Smith
Honeymoon with a Stranger (1969) with Janet Leigh, Rossano Brazzi, Cesare Danova, and Eric Braeden
The Crimson Cult (1968) with Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, and Mark Eden
Fermate il mondo... voglio scendere (1968)
An Angel for Satan (1966)
For Love and Gold (1966) with Vittorio Gassman
The She-Beast (1966) with John Karlsen and Mel Welles
Young Torless (1966)
I Soldi (1965) with Sylva Koscina
Nightmare Castle (1965) with Paul Muller, Helga Liné, and Rik Battaglia
Five Graves for a Medium (1965) with Walter Brandi
The Long Hair of Death (1964)
The Monocle (1964)
Tre per una rapina (1964)
White Voices (1965) with Anouk Aimée and Rosalba Neri
Castle of Blood (1964) with Georges Rivière
The Maniacs (1964) with Margaret Lee and Franco and Ciccio
The Hours of Love (1963) with Ugo Tognazzi
The Ghost (1963) with Peter Baldwin
Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963) with Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, and Anouk Aimée
Revenge of the Mercenaries (1963)
The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962) with Robert Flemyng
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) with Vincent Price, John Kerr, and Luana Anders
Your Money or Your Wife (1960) with Peggy Cummins
Black Sunday (1960) with John Richardson; directed by Mario Bava
Upstairs and Downstairs (1959) with Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, and Claudia Cardinale
Sapphire (1959) with Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig, and Harry Baird
Bachelor of Hearts (1958) with Hardy Krüger and Sylvia Syms
TELEVISION SERIES
Dark Shadows, 1991 TV series. Steele portrayed Dr. Julia Hoffman
War and Remembrance, 1988 TV miniseries. Steele portrayed Elsa MacMahon and also served as producer
The Winds of War, 1983 TV miniseries. Steele portrayed Mrs. Stoller
barbara steele links
Silent Scream: The Unofficial Barbara Steele Film Site
This site chronicles the films and television work of Barbara Steele.
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This page premiered November 8, 2004.
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