
Barbara Steele
Biography
Barbara Steele (born 29 December 1937) is an English actress and producer, known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. She has been referred to as the "Queen of All Scream Queens" and "Britain's first lady of horror". She played the dual role of Asa and Katia Vajda in Mario Bava's landmark film Black Sunday (1960), and starred in The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962), The Long Hair of Death (1964), and Castle of Blood (1964).
Additionally, Steele had supporting roles in Federico Fellini's 8½ (1963), David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975), Joe Dante's Piranha and Louis Malle's Pretty Baby (both 1978), and appeared on television in the 1991 TV series Dark Shadows. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for producing the American television miniseries War and Remembrance (1988–89). Steele appeared in several films in the 2010s, including a lead role in The Butterfly Room (2012) and supporting role in Ryan Gosling's Lost River (2014). Description above from the Wikipedia article Barbara Steele, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Gallery




Known For
Acting History
2025
Theatre of Horrors: The Sordid Story of Paris' Grand Guignol as (Voice)
2023Ulalume - A Ballad as Narrator: opening credits (voice)
2021Fellinopolis as Self - Actress (archive footage)
2019Boia, maschere e segreti: l’horror italiano degli anni sessanta as Self
2019Master of Dark Shadows as Self
2017Castlevania as Miranda (voice)
2016Minutes Past Midnight as The Apparition of the Mill (segment 'The Mill At Calder's End')
2016The Phantom as The Widow
2015Lost River as Belladonna
2015The Mill at Calder's End as The Apparition of the Mill
2014The Shutterbug Man as Narrator
2014Parasite Memories: The Making of 'Shivers' as Self
2014Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau as Self (archive footage)
2014Behind the Swinging Blade as Self
2013House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before! as Self
2012The Butterfly Room as Ann
2010A History of Horror as Self
2009Celebrity Ghost Stories as Self
2009Barbara Steele in Conversation as Self
2008The Boneyard Collection as Vanessa Peabody (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
2006Mario Bava Speaks as Self
2004Mario Bava: Operazione paura as Self
2003Italian Kings Of B as Self
2000The American Nightmare as Self
1998The Capitol Conspiracy as Agent Oakley
1997Hollywood Rated 'R' as Self
1994Deep Above as Mrs. Wagner
1991Fear in the Dark as Self
1991Dark Shadows as Dr. Julia Hoffman / Countess Natalie du Pres
1988War and Remembrance as Elsa MacMahon (Singapore Christmas Party)
1981Be Pretty and Shut Up! as Self
1979Silent Scream as Victoria Engels
1978The Key Is in the Door as Cathy
1978Piranha as Dr. Mengers
1978Pretty Baby as Josephine
1978The Space-Watch Murders
1975Shivers as Betts
1974Caged Heat as Supt. McQueen
1970Night Gallery as The Widow Craighill
1970Ciao, Federico! as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1970Stop the World... I Want to Get Off! as Danielle
1969Honeymoon with a Stranger as Carla
1968Curse of the Crimson Altar as Lavinia Morley
1967Barbara and Her Furs as Self
1966Young Törless as Bozena
1966An Angel for Satan as Harriet Montebruno / Belinda
1966Revenge of The Blood Beast as Veronica
1966For Love and Gold as Teodora
1965Money
1965Once Upon a Tractor as Lady Clerk
1965Nightmare Castle as Muriel Arrowsmith / Jenny Arrowsmith
1965Terror-Creatures from the Grave as Cleo Hauff
1965Dim Dam Dom as Self
1964The Long Hair of Death as Helen Karnstein / Mary Karnstein
1964Easy Love as Contessa Bardi-Stucchi (segment "Divorzio italo-americano")
1964The Monocle's Sour Laugh as Valérie Gasparelli
1964White Voices as Guilia
1964Three for a Robbery as Barbara Sims
1964Les baisers as Thelma (Episode 3: 'Baiser du soir')
1964The Maniacs as Barbara (segment "l'hobby") / Brugnoli's Wife (segment "la cambiale")
1964Castle of Blood as Elisabeth Blackwood
1963A Sentimental Attempt as Silvia
1963The Ghost as Margaret Hichcock
1963The Hours of Love as Leila
19638½ as Gloria Morin
1962The Iron Captain as Floriana
1962The Horrible Dr. Hichcock as Cynthia Hichcock
1961The Pit and the Pendulum as Elizabeth Barnard Medina
1960Black Sunday as Princess Asa Vajda / Katia Vajda
1960Your Money or Your Wife as Juliet Frost
1959Upstairs and Downstairs as Mary
1959Sapphire as Student
1959Adventures in Paradise as Dolores
1959The Heart of a Man as Girl
1959The 39 Steps as Extra
1959Look at Life: Saving Face as Self
1958Bachelor of Hearts as Fiona
1958Houseboat as Minor Role (uncredited)
1955Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Phyllis
—Mary Woronov: Cult Queen as Self









