---
name: "Barbara Hershey"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/barbara-hershey"
fi1m_id: "barbara-hershey"
imdb_id: "nm0001347"
tmdb_id: 10767
wikidata_id: "Q229042"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 February 1948"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 77
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-05T00:28:11.684653+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Barbara Hershey

## Identity

Barbara Hershey

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/barbara-hershey
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** barbara-hershey
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001347
- **TMDB ID:** 10767
- **Wikidata ID:** Q229042
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hershey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q229042, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001347/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10767

Actor. Born 5 February 1948 in Hollywood, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 February 1948, Hollywood, California, USA
- **Active:** 1983–2011
- **Also known as:** Barbara Lynn Herzstein
- **Frequently works with:** [Robert Duvall](https://film.one/person/robert-duvall.md)
- **Golden Globes:** 1 Golden Globe (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 77, as actor, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 80 (4), 1990s 70 (2), 2000s 78 (1), 2010s 76 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 77 to 70 across 7 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 6 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 9 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Thriller 3, Crime 2, Horror 2, Sport 2, Comedy 1
- **Screen time:** 19 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $644m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hershey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q229042, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001347/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10767

## Streaming the US now

- **Pluto TV:** [*Hannah and Her Sisters*](https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters.md) (88)
- **Apple TV:** [*Lantana*](https://film.one/film/lantana.md) (78)
- **AMC+:** [*Insidious*](https://film.one/film/insidious.md) (70)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*The Natural*](https://film.one/film/the-natural.md) (67)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Barbara Hershey

> Barbara Hershey gives supporting characters intelligence, unease and feelings they would rather keep to themselves. We value her grounded acting across drama and horror, though the obsessive mothers should not become the whole account of her work.

Barbara Hershey is good at playing women who keep their feelings to themselves. In *Falling Down* (1993), she plays Beth, the estranged wife in Joel Schumacher’s Michael Douglas thriller. We find the account of resentment turning violent gripping and darkly funny, though Ebbe Roe Smith’s attempts to explain society are less convincing. Against that conspicuous central performance, we value the ordinary credibility Hershey brings to a supporting part. The film is worth the discomfort, but Douglas need not be the only reason to watch it.

Her early starring role in Martin Scorsese’s *Boxcar Bertha* (1972) preceded a renewed prominence beginning with *The Right Stuff* (1983). The substantial supporting work of the 1980s remains a good place to begin, particularly Lee in Woody Allen’s *Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986). We warmed to Lee because Hershey makes a woman having an affair emotionally complicated without reducing her to a caricature. Her preparation for Ruth in *Shy People* (1987), including dialect work and personal connections to the character, shows how deliberately she builds that credibility.

Scorsese cast her again as Mary Magdalene in *The Last Temptation of Christ* (1988), while Jane Campion gave her Madame Serena Merle in *The Portrait of a Lady* (1996). Campion’s film makes good use of her subtlety, keeping a period character credible rather than remote. We need to believe in the person under the costume, and Hershey gives us enough to do so.

That same grounded quality makes Erica Sayers, the obsessive mother in *Black Swan* (2010), a persuasive horror presence. The danger is in treating maternal intensity as the whole of what Hershey can do; it would miss the intelligence and emotional complication of the earlier ensemble work. Her later credits include the *Insidious* series and *Strange Darling* (2024), but horror is only part of the story. For a fuller sense of her, put *Hannah and Her Sisters* beside *Black Swan*.

## Biography

Barbara Hershey is an American actress, also credited as Barbara Lynn Herzstein. She began acting in 1965 at the age of 17.

She is known for her roles in *Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986), *Falling Down* (1993) as Beth, *The Last Temptation of Christ* (1988), and *Black Swan* (2010). Hershey won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her leading performance in the television film *A Killing in a Small Town* (1990). She received two Best Actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival, for *Shy People* (1987) and *A World Apart* (1988). She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for *The Portrait of a Lady* (1996).

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, themoviedb.org.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *Insidious* (2011), Fi1m 70, as Lorraine Lambert — [page](https://film.one/film/insidious.md)
- *Black Swan* (2010), Fi1m 82, as Erica Sayers / The Queen — [page](https://film.one/film/black-swan.md)
- *Lantana* (2001), Fi1m 78, as Valerie Somers — [page](https://film.one/film/lantana.md)
- *The Portrait of a Lady* (1996), Fi1m 68, as Madame Serena Merle — [page](https://film.one/film/the-portrait-of-a-lady.md)
- *Falling Down* (1993), Fi1m 71, as Beth — [page](https://film.one/film/falling-down.md)
- *Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986), Fi1m 88, as Lee — [page](https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters.md)
- *Hoosiers* (1986), Fi1m 79, as Myra Fleener — [page](https://film.one/film/hoosiers.md)
- *The Natural* (1984), Fi1m 67, as Harriet Bird — [page](https://film.one/film/the-natural.md)
- *The Right Stuff* (1983), Fi1m 86, as Glennis Yeager — [page](https://film.one/film/the-right-stuff.md)

## Complete filmography (112)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Krung Thep* (2026), as The Woman
- *Woodstockers* (2026), as Rebecca
- *Strange Darling* (2024), as Genevieve
- *Beacon 23* (2023), series, as Sophie
- *9 Bullets* (2022), as Lacey
- *The Manor* (2021), as Judith
- *Paradise Lost* (2020), series, as Byrd Forsythe
- *Insidious: The Last Key* (2018), as Lorraine Lambert
- *The 9th Life of Louis Drax* (2016), as Violet Drax
- *Damien* (2016), series, as Ann Rutledge
- *Childless* (2015), as Natalie
- *Sister* (2014), as Connie
- *Once Upon a Time in Wonderland* (2013), series, as Cora Mills
- *Insidious: Chapter 2* (2013), as Lorraine Lambert
- *Left to Die* (2012), as Sandra Chase
- *Once Upon a Time* (2011), series, as Cora / Queen of Hearts — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/tv/once-upon-a-time.md)
- *Answers to Nothing* (2011), as Marilyn
- *Insidious* (2011), as Lorraine Lambert — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/insidious.md)
- *Black Swan* (2010), as Erica Sayers / The Queen — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/black-swan.md)
- *Albert Schweitzer - Anatomie eines Heiligen* (2010), as Helene Schweitzer
- *Albert Schweitzer* (2009), as Helene Schweitzer
- *Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning* (2008), as Older Anne Shirley
- *The Bird Can't Fly* (2008), as Melody
- *Uncross the Stars* (2008), as Hilda
- *Love Comes Lately* (2007), as Rosalie
- *Riding the Bullet* (2004), as Jean Parker
- *The Mountain* (2004), series, as Gennie Carver
- *11:14* (2004), as Norma
- *Paradise* (2004), as Elizabeth Paradise
- *Experiments in Terror* (2003), Actor
- *The Stranger Beside Me* (2003), as Ann Rule
- *Hunger Point* (2003), as Marsha Hunter
- *Daniel Deronda* (2002), series, as Contessa Maria Alcharisi
- *Lantana* (2001), as Valerie Somers — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/lantana.md)
- *The Sinister Saga of Making The Stunt Man* (2000), Actor
- *Drowning on Dry Land* (1999), as Kate
- *Outer Space* (1999), as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- *Passion* (1999), as Rose Grainger
- *Breakfast of Champions* (1999), as Celia Hoover
- *A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries* (1998), as Marcella Willis
- *Frogs for Snakes* (1998), as Eva Santana
- *The Staircase* (1998), as Mother Madalyn
- *The Portrait of a Lady* (1996), as Madame Serena Merle — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/the-portrait-of-a-lady.md)
- *The Pallbearer* (1996), as Ruth Abernathy
- *Last of the Dogmen* (1995), as Prof. Lillian Diane Sloan
- *Chicago Hope* (1994), series, as Francesca Alberghetti
- *Abraham* (1993), as Sara
- *Abraham* (1993), series, as Sarah
- *Return to Lonesome Dove* (1993), series, as Clara Allen
- *The X-Files* (1993), series, as Erika Price — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-x-files.md)
- *A Dangerous Woman* (1993), as Frances
- *Splitting Heirs* (1993), as Duchess Lucinda
- *Swing Kids* (1993), as Frau Müller
- *Falling Down* (1993), as Beth — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/film/falling-down.md)
- *The Public Eye* (1992), as Kay Levitz
- *Stay the Night* (1992), as Jimmie Sue Finger
- *Defenseless* (1991), as Thelma 'T.K.' Knudsen Katwuller
- *Paris Trout* (1991), as Hanna Trout
- *Tune in Tomorrow...* (1990), as Aunt Julia
- *A Killing in a Small Town* (1990), as Candy Morrison
- *Agatha Christie's Poirot* (1989), series, as Caroline Hubbard — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/agatha-christies-poirot.md)
- *Beaches* (1988), as Hillary Whitney Essex
- *A World Apart* (1988), as Diana Roth
- *The Last Temptation of Christ* (1988), as Mary Magdalene
- *Shy People* (1987), as Ruth
- *Tin Men* (1987), as Nora Tilley
- *Passion Flower* (1987), as Julia Gaitland
- *Hoosiers* (1986), as Myra Fleener — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/hoosiers.md)
- *Hannah and Her Sisters* (1986), as Lee — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/hannah-and-her-sisters.md)
- *Anne of Green Gables* (1985), series, as Older Anne Shirley
- *The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1985), series, as Jessie Dean
- *My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Legend of Errol Flynn* (1985), as Lili Damita
- *The Natural* (1984), as Harriet Bird — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/the-natural.md)
- *The Right Stuff* (1983), as Glennis Yeager — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-right-stuff.md)
- *The Nightingale* (1983), as The Maid
- *The Entity* (1982), as Carla Moran
- *Faerie Tale Theatre* (1982), series, as The Maid
- *Working* (1982), as Call Girl
- *American Playhouse* (1982), series, as Call Girl, Lenore
- *Americana* (1981), as Jess's Daughter
- *Take This Job and Shove It* (1981), as Jane Margaret ("J.M.") Halstead
- *The Stunt Man* (1980), as Nina Franklin
- *Angel on My Shoulder* (1980), as Julie
- *From Here to Eternity* (1980), series, as Karen Holmes
- *A Man Called Intrepid* (1979), series, as Madelaine
- *Sunshine Christmas* (1977), as Cody Blanks
- *Just a Little Inconvenience* (1977), as Nikki Klausing
- *Flood!* (1977), as Mary Cutler
- *In the Glitter Palace* (1977), as Ellen Lange
- *The Last Hard Men* (1976), as Susan Burgade
- *Trial by Combat* (1976), as Marion Evans
- *Diamonds* (1975), as Sally
- *You and Me* (1975), as Waitress
- *The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder* (1974), as Zanni (as Barbara Seagull)
- *Angela – Love Comes Quietly* (1973), as Angela
- *Kung Fu* (1972), series, as Nan Chi
- *Boxcar Bertha* (1972), as Boxcar Bertha
- *Dealing: Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues* (1972), as Susan
- *The Pursuit of Happiness* (1971), as Jane Kauffman
- *The Baby Maker* (1970), as Tish Gray
- *The Liberation of L.B. Jones* (1970), as Nella Mundine
- *Last Summer* (1969), as Sandy
- *Heaven with a Gun* (1969), as Leloopa
- *With Six You Get Eggroll* (1968), as Stacy Iverson
- *The High Chaparral* (1967), series, as Moonfire
- *The Invaders* (1967), series, as Beth Ferguson
- *CBS Playhouse* (1966), series, as Claire Gray
- *The Monroes* (1966), series, as Kathy Monroe
- *Gidget* (1965), series, Actor
- *Run for Your Life* (1965), series, as Saro-Jane
- *Daniel Boone* (1964), series, as Dinah Hubbard
- *The Last Seder*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![Barbara Hershey](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-04b52e976b40.jpg) Barbara Hershey — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Barbara_Hershey_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg/1280px-Barbara_Hershey_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-a89eb25f711d.jpg) Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Barbara_Hershey_%2825833380350%29.jpg/1280px-Barbara_Hershey_%2825833380350%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-334efee7a8d3.jpg) Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Barbara_Hershey_%2826013599742%29.jpg/1280px-Barbara_Hershey_%2826013599742%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-f54b0bb62072.jpg) Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Barbara_Hershey_%2826039637651%29.jpg/1280px-Barbara_Hershey_%2826039637651%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Barbara Hershey](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-1da3024ea466.jpg) Barbara Hershey — Image via TMDB
- ![Barbara Hershey](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-67b1c05be820.jpg) Barbara Hershey — Image via TMDB
- ![Barbara Hershey](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-ad03db1fed02.jpg) Barbara Hershey — Image via TMDB
- ![Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-fb711e48dbe5.jpg) Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Barbara_Hershey_%2826080038796%29.jpg/1280px-Barbara_Hershey_%2826080038796%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-b3668f7d2fe2.jpg) Barbara Hershey speaking at the 2016 Wondercon, for "Damien", at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Barbara_Hershey_%2826106000485%29.jpg/1280px-Barbara_Hershey_%2826106000485%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Barbara Hershey](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-e0cffbbf2d21.jpg) Barbara Hershey — Image via TMDB
- ![Barbara Hershey](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-90fb92bbd1b1.jpg) Barbara Hershey — Image via TMDB
- ![Barbara Hershey](https://film.one/media/person/83105/gallery-c89deeb6c68f.jpg) Barbara Hershey — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1997: Best Supporting Actress (nominated), for *The Portrait of a Lady*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 1990: Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film (won), for *A Killing in a Small Town*

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 1990: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *A Killing in a Small Town*

### Cannes Film Festival — 2 won

- 1988: Best Actress (won), for *A World Apart*
- 1987: Best Actress (won), for *Shy People*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/barbara-hershey