Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic screen presence and versatility. She was a favorite of directors, including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang, and Frank Capra, and made 85 films in 38 years before turning to television.
Orphaned at the age of four and partially raised in foster homes, she always worked. One of her directors, Jacques Tourneur, said of her, "She only lives for two things, and both of them are work." She made her debut on stage in the chorus as a Ziegfeld girl in 1923, at age 16, and within a few years was acting in plays. Her first lead role, which was in the hit Burlesque (1927), established her as a Broadway star.
In 1929, she began acting in talking pictures. Frank Capra chose her for his romantic drama Ladies of Leisure (1930). This led to additional leading roles which raised her profile, such as Night Nurse (1931), Baby Face (1933), and the controversial The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933). In 1937, she played the title role in Stella Dallas for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination for best actress. In 1939, she starred in Union Pacific, which won the first Palme d'Or awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 1941, she starred in two screwball comedies: Ball of Fire with Gary Cooper, and The Lady Eve with Henry Fonda. She received her second Academy Award nomination for Ball of Fire, and in the decades since its release The Lady Eve has come to be regarded as a comedic classic, with Stanwyck's performance called one of the best in American comedy. Other successful films during this era of her career are Meet John Doe (1940) and You Belong to Me (1941), reteaming her with Cooper and Fonda, respectively.
By 1944, Stanwyck had become the highest-paid actress in the United States. She starred with Fred MacMurray in the seminal film noir Double Indemnity (1944), playing the wife who persuades an insurance salesman to kill her husband, for which she received her third Oscar nomination. In 1945, she starred as a homemaker columnist in the hit romantic comedy Christmas in Connecticut. The next year, she portrayed the title tragic femme fatale in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. She garnered her fourth Oscar nomination for her performance as an invalid wife in the noir-thriller Sorry, Wrong Number (1948).
Stanwyck’s film career declined by the start of the 1950s; despite having a fair number of leading and major supporting roles in that decade, the most successful being Executive Suite (1954), the films were not as well received as those earlier in her career. She transitioned to television by the 1960s, where she won three Emmy Awards – for The Barbara Stanwyck Show (1961), the western series The Big Valley (1966), and the miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983). She received an Honorary Oscar in 1982, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1986 and several other honorary lifetime awards. She was ranked as the 11th greatest female star of classic American cinema by the American Film Institute.
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Some of their strengths
Barbara Stanwyck has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Loyal, Imaginative, Creative, Compassionate, Organized, Kind, and Passionate.
Intuitive and Imaginative
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Barbara Stanwyck is someone who is a highly intuitive, creative and imaginative person who is very loyal, caring and compassionate to others. A person who defines themself by their friends and what groups they belong to.
Passionate and Intense
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Barbara Stanwyck well know them as someone who can be passionate, proud, and intense, like the sun or a blazing fire.
Independent and Organized
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Barbara Stanwyck as someone who is independent, organized, inventive, and generous.
A person who is curious and a loves learning, who seems to always know what to say, who has an optimism that can overcome any difficult situation, and who seems to be able to master almost any skill.
Justice-seeking and Insightful
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Barbara Stanwyck is someone who tends to be intolerant of unfairness in life, and who has an uncanny ability to reveal the truth in any situation.
They are also someone who is altruistic, tolerant, and sophisticated, and who tends to be a perfectionist who is always working to try and make everything and everyone better.
Traditional and Patient
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Barbara Stanwyck tends to be someone who is a patient person that is very emotional, has a very sharp memory, has an ability to understand people, and who tends to be traditional and frugal.
Some of Barbara Stanwyck's challenges
While Barbara Stanwyck has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Barbara Stanwyck can be Emotional, Sensitive, Standoffish, Difficult, Perfectionist, Domineering, and Impatient.
Emotional and Standoffish
One of Barbara Stanwyck's key challenges is that they are someone who can be emotional and standoffish.
Domineering and Impatient
Barbara Stanwyck is someone who can be demanding, egotistical, and controlling, can have a lack of judgment regarding personal finances, be argumentative and stubborn, and who can have a tendency to be withdrawn and spend time in self-imposed isolation.
Sensitive and Money-oriented
Finally, Barbara Stanwyck also can have mood swings, be overly sensititive, and be a bit rigid and materialistic.
