Bel Geddes began as a stage actress at the age of 18. In 1952, she received the prestigious Woman of the Year Award by Hasty Pudding Theatricals USA, America's oldest theater company. Her most notable stage performances were originating the role of Maggie in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway in 1956, and the title role in the long-running Jean Kerr comedy Mary, Mary in 1961, both of which earned her Tony Award nominations.Her film career began opposite Henry Fonda with 1947's The Long Night. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for I Remember Mama (1948). However, ill health and a House Unamerican Activities Committee investigation essentially ended her film career for some time. Her career restarted when Alfred Hitchcock cast her in four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (including "Lamb to the Slaughter," [from a story by Roald Dahl] the seminal episode when she plays a housewife who kills her husband by bludgeoning him with a leg of lamb, then feeds the instrument of death to the investigating cops), as well as an important role in the movie Vertigo (1958) as James Stewart's ex-girlfriend.
Main title caption from Dallas.Bel Geddes retired from film in 1966 to care for her then ailing husband, who died of cancer in 1972. By 1978, with her savings nearly depleted, Barbara signed on as the first cast member, family matriarch Miss Ellie Ewing on CBS's new prime time soap opera, Dallas, a role that would bring her international recognition among modern-day audiences. She played on the series from 1978 to 1990 and remains the only night-time soap opera actress to win an Emmy award (in 1980) for best lead actress in a drama series. When she underwent heart surgery in March 1984, Donna Reed replaced her for the 1984-1985 season. One storyline in 'Dallas' dealt with Miss Ellie battling breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy, an experience Bel Geddes had undergone in real life in the early 70s.In 1993, Barbara was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame (located in the Gershwin Theatre in New York), joining her father, legendary stage and industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes.She was the author of two children's books, I Like to Be Me (1963) and So Do I (1972), as well as the creator of a popular line of greeting cards.Barbara died August 8, 2005*****
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