Adrienne Barbeau was born on 11 June 1945.
Before I really knew who she was, she had the reputation of being a great beauty. I imagined her to be an American Sophia Loren. And in some ways, she is that. But it isn’t how I think of her. She is one of those actors who exude intelligence on the screen. She’s a wonderful actor, and I know she could play a bimbo but that would definitely be against type.
Of course, although I didn’t know it, I did know Barbeau before that. She was a regular cast member of Maude — a TV show I regularly watched. Barbeau played Maude’s daughter, Carol, who was a divorced mother of one. But I have no memory of her at all. Just Bea Arthur and Bill Macy.
I first noticed Adrienne Barbeau because of John Carpenter. The two of them were married through most of the early 1980s and that’s when she made the two films that most define her: The Fog and Escape From New York.
(Fun fact: Barbeau was the voice of the chess computer in The Thing — the one Kurt Russell drowns in whisky. She deserved it. Rook to Knight-6 wasn’t even check, much less checkmate. But Queen to Rook-5 was mate, except for a Queen sacrifice, which would put off mate for one move.)
There are two other films that I associate with Adrienne Barbeau. The first is the criminally under-seen Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death. Unfortunately, her part isn’t especially big or good. She also stars in Swamp Thing.
But to celebrate Adrienne Barbeau’s birthday, I think we need to watch The Fog. It is the way I will always think of her. And it too is an under-watched psychotronic delight!
Other 11 June Anniversaries
Filmmakers
- Dudley Manlove (1914-1996): Actor known for his role as the main space alien, Eros, in Plan 9 From Outer Space.
- John Bromfield (1922-2005): Mostly a western actor who starred in Revenge of the Creature and Curucu, Beast of the Amazon.
- Gene Wilder (1933-2016): Great actor and the creative genius behind Young Frankenstein.
- Peter Dinklage (1969-): Actor in Living in Oblivion, Knights of Badassdom, and (of course) Game of Thrones.
Films
- The Oblong Box (1969): Clever AIP killing spree film with Vincent Price and Christopher Lee.
- The Valley of Gwangi (1969): Cowboys vs dinosaurs!
- The Mephisto Waltz (1971): An old Satanist tries to transfer his soul to a younger man.
- ET the Extra Terrestrial (1982): Highly acclaimed fantasy film determined not to offend anyone ever.
- Humongous (1982): Creepy child slasher.
- Witchcraft IV: the Virgin Heart (1992): Defense lawyer warlock defends rock musicians who sold their souls.
- Jurassic Park (1993): Cloned dinosaurs used as a theme park.
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004): Riddick has to defend a planet from an invasion.
- The Stepford Wives (2004): Psychopathic men kill their wives and replace them with robots.
Image cropped from Adrienne Barbeau by 5of7 under CC BY-SA 2.0.