By Basant El-Faramawy
Oscar-nominated actor Barbara Barrie has died at the age of 95 at her Manhattan home, her daughter Jane Harnick confirmed. Barrie ended her life with medical assistance after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Career highlights
Barrie earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 1980 for her role as the mother of a teenage bicycle racing champion in the drama "Breaking Away." She originated the role of Sarah in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Company" and appeared in films such as "Private Benjamin" (1980) and "The Bell Jar" (1979). Her television work included the sitcom "Suddenly Susan" and guest roles on "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," earning Emmy nominations. She won the Best Actress prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival for "One Potato, Two Potato."
Illness and medical assistance
In 2014, Barrie announced she had been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung disease. Her daughter said she had been living with terminal cancer and chose medically assisted death.
Tributes
Actor Shaun Cassidy, who starred alongside Barrie in a short-lived television adaptation of "Breaking Away," paid tribute on Instagram, thanking her for "wisdom, kindness, guidance, humour, and boundless talent." Playbill described her as "a consummate character actor, known for her sharp wit and clever ability to deliver even the most dextrous of lines with natural grace."
Barrie is survived by her daughter Jane, son Aaron, and three granddaughters.
