Born Barbara Herzstein on February 5, 1948 in Hollywood, California.
An attractive brunette of the American screen, as a teenager, Hershey was a regular in “The Monroes” TV series (196667).
In films since the late 1960s, she registered strongly as star prospect with a fresh lead in “Last Summer” (1969). In 1973, after accidentally killing a seagull, she changed her name to Barbara Seagull; but she reverted to Hershey in 1975.
After meandering through mediocre opportunities, her career blossomed in the 80s. She played a pivotal role in Woody Allen's “Hannah and Her Sisters”(1986). In 1987 she won the best actress prize at Cannes for “Shy People,” and shared the same award the following year for “A World Apart.”
Hershey received her first Academy Award nomination as a supporting actress for her strong performance in Jane Campion's “The Portrait of a Lady” (1996), for which she also won awards from the L.A. Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics.
The independent freespirited actress had a stormy sixyear (196975) relationship with David Carradine, with whom she has a son, Free.
Oscar Alert
In 1996, Hershey competed for the Supporting Actress Oscar with Joan Allen in “The Crucible,” Lauren Bacall in “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” Juliette Binoche who won in “The English Patient,” and Marianne Jean-Baptiste in “Secrets & Lies.”