Barbara Steele

Biography

Barbara Steele is an English actress and producer who was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, and became a defining face of Italian gothic horror. After early minor film roles, including the BAFTA-winning Sapphire (1959), she won her breakout part playing both Asa and Katia Vajda in Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960). That success made her a scream queen, and she went on to star in The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Nightmare Castle (1965), The She Beast (1966), and Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968). She also appeared in supporting parts in 8½ (1963) by Federico Fellini, Shivers (1975) by David Cronenberg, and both Piranha and Pretty Baby (1978), directed by Joe Dante and Louis Malle respectively. Steele produced the miniseries War and Remembrance, sharing a 1989 Emmy Award, and later appeared in The Butterfly Room (2012) and Ryan Gosling's Lost River (2014).

88years old

Turns 89 on December 29in 78 days

Born December 29, 1937Birkenhead
Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19

Movie Career

Films: 16
Career span: 57 years1959 to 2016

Genres

Horror69%, 11 films
Thriller31%, 5 films
Mystery25%, 4 films
Drama19%, 3 films
Sci-Fi19%, 3 films

First and latest

Did you know?!

A role that slipped away
Steele was given the female lead in the Western film Flaming Star (1960), playing opposite Elvis Presley. After one week of principal photography, she left the production and Barbara Eden took her place.
Behind the award
Steele was a producer for War and Remembrance, the 1988 sequel to The Winds of War, and shared the 1989 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special with executive producer Dan Curtis.
Big break
Steele landed her breakout dual roles of Asa and Katia Vajda in Mario Bava's Black Sunday soon after arriving in Italy, where she had gone hoping to work with Federico Fellini.

Barbara Steele movies on Netflix

Minutes Past Midnight2016IMDb rating 4.9as The Apparition of the Mill (segment 'The Mill At Calder's End')
Lost River2014IMDb rating 5.7as Grandma
The Butterfly Room2012IMDb rating 5.4as Ann
The Capitol Conspiracy1998IMDb rating 4.0as Agent Oakley
Silent Scream1979IMDb rating 5.7as Victoria Engels
Piranha1978IMDb rating 5.9as Dr. Mengers
Pretty Baby1978IMDb rating 6.5as Josephine
Shivers1975IMDb rating 6.3as Betts
Curse of the Crimson Altar1968IMDb rating 5.5as Lavinia Morley
For Love and Gold1966IMDb rating 7.7as Teodora
The She Beast1966IMDb rating 4.7as Veronica
Nightmare Castle1965IMDb rating 5.8as Muriel Arrowsmith(Barbara Steel)…
The Long Hair of Death1964IMDb rating 6.2as Helen Karnstein…
The Pit and the Pendulum1961IMDb rating 7.0as Elizabeth Barnard Medina
Black Sunday1960IMDb rating 7.1as Princess Asa Vajda
Sapphire1959IMDb rating 7.2as Student

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Black Sunday1960 Horroras Princess Asa Vajda
IMDb rating 7.120K votes
The Pit and the Pendulum1961 Drama, Horror, Mysteryas Elizabeth Barnard Medina
IMDb rating 7.019K votes
Piranha1978as Dr. Mengers
IMDb rating 5.928K votes
Shivers1975as Betts
IMDb rating 6.327K votes
Nightmare Castle1965as Muriel Arrowsmith(Barbara Steel)…
IMDb rating 5.83.1K votes
Lost River2014as Grandma
IMDb rating 5.720K votes
The Butterfly Room2012as Ann
IMDb rating 5.42.7K votes
The Long Hair of Death1964as Helen Karnstein…
IMDb rating 6.22.2K votes

Worked with

Barbara Steele shares two films with Rupert Davies, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Rupert Davies

Christopher Lee

Susan Sarandon

Vincent Price

Boris Karloff

Dick Miller

Joe DanteDirector, 1 film

David CronenbergDirector, 1 film

Mario BavaDirector, 1 film

Films together

Rupert Davies2 films together, 1959 to 1968
Rupert Davies's page
- Curse of the Crimson Altar1968IMDb rating 5.5Steele as Lavinia MorleyDavies as The Vicar
- Sapphire1959IMDb rating 7.2Steele as StudentDavies as Ferris
Christopher Lee1 film together, 1968
Christopher Lee's page
- Curse of the Crimson Altar1968IMDb rating 5.5Steele as Lavinia MorleyLee as Morley
Susan Sarandon1 film together, 1978
Susan Sarandon's page
- Pretty Baby1978IMDb rating 6.5Steele as JosephineSarandon as Hattie
Vincent Price1 film together, 1961
Vincent Price's page
- The Pit and the Pendulum1961IMDb rating 7.0Steele as Elizabeth Barnard MedinaPrice as Nicholas Medina
Boris Karloff1 film together, 1968
Boris Karloff's page
- Curse of the Crimson Altar1968IMDb rating 5.5Steele as Lavinia MorleyKarloff as Professor John Marsh
Dick Miller1 film together, 1978
Dick Miller's page
- Piranha1978IMDb rating 5.9Steele as Dr. MengersMiller as Buck Gardner
Joe DanteDirector, 1 film, 1978
All films by Joe Dante
- Piranha1978IMDb rating 5.9Steele as Dr. Mengers
David CronenbergDirector, 1 film, 1975
All films by David Cronenberg
- Shivers1975IMDb rating 6.3Steele as Betts
Mario BavaDirector, 1 film, 1960
All films by Mario Bava
- Black Sunday1960IMDb rating 7.1Steele as Princess Asa Vajda

Box office

What Barbara Steele's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

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Combined worldwide box office

$32.0 million

7 of the 16 films have a worldwide figure.

7Worldwide figure
2Never in cinemas
7Figure not found

Top grosser

Piranha1978Dr. Mengers$16.0 million

Highest grossing

The seven biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Piranha1978as Dr. Mengers
$16M50.1% of the total
2
Pretty Baby1978as Josephine
$12M36.3% of the total
3
The Pit and the Pendulum1961as Elizabeth Barnard Medina
$2.0M6.3% of the total
4
For Love and Gold1966as Teodora
$1.3M4.1% of the total
5
Shivers1975as Betts
$1.0M3.1% of the total
6
Lost River2014as Grandma
$45K0.1% of the total
7
The Butterfly Room2012as Ann
$1K0.0% of the total