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Beloved Actor Barbara Barrie Dies at 95

Her distinguished career included accolades for her work on stage, screen and TV

AARP

Published October 29, 2026

head shot of barbara barrie with a slight smile

Barbara Barrie, who forged a long career as an actor, has died. She was 95.

Stephen Danelian/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

Barbara Barrie, who was nominated for an Oscar, a Tony and three Emmy Awards during her long career, has died. She was 95.

According to the New York Times, Barrie died on Wednesday at her home in New York City. Her daughter, Jane Harnick, told the newspaper that her mother’s death was medically assisted. Barrie had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, according to the Times.

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Barrie began her acting career on the New York stage in the 1950s. In 1971, she was nominated for a Tony Award for best featured actress in a musical for her performance in Stephen Sondheim’s groundbreaking production of Company. She continued performing on Broadway through 2017, when she starred in Significant Other.

Her film roles included 1979’s Breaking Away, which earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She also starred in the popular 1980 comedy Private Benjamin opposite Goldie Hawn.

For her work on television, she received three Emmy nominations — in 1981 for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series in Breaking Away (a reprise of her Oscar-nominated film role); in 1992 for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series in Law & Order; and in 2003 for outstanding guest actress in a drama series in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However, her best-known role was Elizabeth Miller, the wife of Capt. Barney Miller (Hal Linden) on the hit ABC police comedy Barney Miller, which ran from 1975 to 1982.

Barrie was born Barbara Ann Berman in Chicago on May 23, 1931. When she was 9, her family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas in 1952 with a degree in drama, she moved to New York City, where she eventually launched her acting career, according to the New York Times.

Barrie married Jay Harnick, the founder of TheaterWorksUSA, a nonprofit touring children’s theater company, in 1964. He died in 2007. She is survived by her children with Harnick, Jane and Aaron, and three grandchildren.