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Adrienne
Barbeau
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Birthname: Adrienne Jo Barbeau
Born: June 11, 1945 in Sacramento, California, USA
Died: STILL ALIVE
Cause of Death: ?
Spouse #1: John Carpenter
(January 1, 1979-1984) (divorced) 1 child, son Cody
Spouse #2: Billy Van Zandt (December 31, 1992-?) 2 children, twins
Walker & William (born 1997)
Height: 5' 3.5"
Measurements: 34DD
Biography
Filmography
Photos
Biography: Her real name was so cool she
didn't have to change it for Hollywood! Adrienne Barbeau was born
to a father of French ancestry and a mother of Armenian ancestry.
She attended Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California.
From 1964 to 1967 she worked as a go-go dancer at a Mafia-run
nightclub. She quit when the owner turned it into a bikini
bar. Her Broadway debut was in 1968 when she met another
up-and-comer, young Bette Midler, in "Fiddler on the Roof". From
1972 to 1978, she starred on the TV sitcom "Maude" as Carol Traynor,
divorced daughter of Maude. That was her first real big break in
show business. Everything major she did after 1972 stemmed from
her success with "Maude". Also in 1972, she won a Tony Award and
Theater Guild Award for her part as bad-girl Rizzo in the original
Broadway production of "Grease". In 1978, a poster was released
of Adrienne wearing a tight purple corset and it became a
best-seller. This was such a definitive photo that it became the
cover of her autobiography.
On January 1, 1979, Adrienne married famed
horror/sci-fi director John Carpenter. She starred in Carpenter's
landmark feature films "The Fog" (1980) and "Escape From New York"
(1981) with parts that were written expressly for her. Also in
1981, she starred in "The Cannonball Run" and played the character that
won the race. Adrienne didn't think too much of her part in that
film, claiming that "all the talent I needed was in my
breastbone". Nevertheless, it became another highly-revered
appearance for her. 1982 was an even better year for Barbeau's
film career, as it gave what perhaps became her most famous role in
"Swamp Thing". In this film, she stars as Alice Cable, the
heroine and love interest for the heroic scientist-turned-muck
monster. The poster for this film became quite popular, with
Adrienne being held in Swamp Thing's arms. It's been often
imitated and sometimes parodied, including the 1989 sequel "The Return
of Swamp Thing" in which she didn't star, and was replaced by Heather
Locklear as an entirely different character. Many fans of the
film claim Adrienne Barbeau is the best part of the original "Swamp
Thing".
Due to her great looks, and especially her sizable
bust, Barbeau hasn't been given the credit for acting ability she truly
deserves. Any woman can have "hoobies", but if they can have
"hoobies" and act, that's a real starlet. It's not a new
development; this story is as old as Hollywood itself.
Fortunately, this did not hold her back from having an extremely
successful career in film, television, Broadway, voiceover, and author
work.
In 1992, years after her major roles were done, she
surprised everyone again by becoming the official voice of Catwoman in
"Batman: The Animated Series" and continued voicing the sultry,
felonious feline through at least 2002 in various incarnations.
Although she has never had, and still doesn't have, any trouble finding
work (2008), this really did give her a boost in popularity as it made
her more accessible to younger audiences.
Filmography: In progress.
Photos:
Swamp Thing (1981)