With her charm, beauty, talent and mysterious personality, Barbara Bach captured the hearts of millions. Hollywood remembered her as a James Bond girl. She is also famous in the modeling business as a face that adorned hundreds of fashion magazines. Read more about the celebrity’s path to success on queenski.com.
Early years and modeling
Barbara Goldbach (birth name) was born on August 27, 1947 in Queens to an Irish mother and an Austrian Jew who worked as a police officer. Barbara’s grandmother was Romanian. Such origin provided the girl with an unusually beautiful appearance. Since childhood, she was fond of performing arts. At the age of 16, Goldbach left school to become a model. Then, she chose the pseudonym Bach (an abbreviation of her last name) and starred for the cover of Seventeen magazine. Since then, the model has appeared in many famous catalogs and fashion publications.
Acting career
Barbara Bach began to conquer the film and television industry in Italy. In 1968, she played Nausicaa in the miniseries The Odyssey, a television adaptation of Homer’s poem. In 1971, the actress appeared in the role of Jenny in the film Black Belly of the Tarantula. Six years later, she played Russian secret agent Anya Amasova in the famous film The Spy Who Loved Me. It was the 10th film about the English super agent James Bond. In 1978, Bach starred in the military drama Force 10 from Navarone.
After a break, Barbara returned to acting in the 1990s. She continued to demonstrate her talent on both TV and cinema. Her dedication to her craft and love for acting never waned.
Barbara Bach’s talent and exceptional acting skills brought her international success. She has appeared in various films in different countries, demonstrating her ability to adapt to new cultures and languages. Throughout her career, she has received various awards and nominations, cementing her reputation as a respected and beloved actress.
Personal life
At the age of 18, Bach married Italian businessman Augusto Gregorini. They met in New York when Barbara was working as a model. Augusto had come from Italy for business tourism. Barbara followed him to Italy. In 1969, the couple had a daughter and a son was born 4 years later. They almost lost their second child when the umbilical cord wrapped around the boy’s neck during childbirth. Doctors diagnosed cerebral palsy. Subsequent surgery improved his health. In 1975, Barbara left her husband and returned to the United States. The couple officially divorced three years later.
The model’s second legal husband is Ringo Starr, whom she married in 1981. Barbara met Starr on the set of the film Caveman. He became famous as a British drummer, singer, composer, songwriter, producer, actor and, most importantly, a member of the Beatles.
Before meeting Ringo, Barbara had no plans to marry again. Both Starr and Bach were married and had children. However, they fell in love so much that they wanted to legalize their relationship. In 1980, they had a car accident. Starr tried to avoid a collision with a truck, which caused him to crash into two streetlights before the car overturned twice. The incident made the couple realize that they didn’t want to live without each other. This love story attracted the attention of journalists. Their love survived the test of time.
In 1988, Barbara and Ringo were treated for substance abuse in a rehabilitation clinic together. Since then, they have led a healthy lifestyle. They are vegetarians and support numerous organizations that help people with addiction. In 1991, Bach, together with model Pattie Boyd, founded the Self Help Addiction Recovery Program (SHARP).
5 facts
- One of Barbara’s talents is the ability to speak several languages fluently. In addition to English, she speaks Italian, which she learned while working on Italian films, as well as conversational French and Spanish.
- The actress is a well-known philanthropist. She has repeatedly helped charitable organizations, especially those dedicated to children’s rights and animal welfare.
- Barbara auditioned for the role in the film Charlie’s Angels (1976) but was not accepted. The filmmakers decided that the actress was too sophisticated both externally and internally and did not look like an American. In the film The Spy Who Loved Me, the actress spoke with a Russian accent. Most of her other roles were in Italian or French. Thus, the directors believed that she was European and refused to cast Bach in the roles of American women.
- Before meeting Ringo Starr, Barbara was not a big fan of the Beatles. At the age of 18, she attended a concert of the legendary band in New York, only to accompany her younger sister.
- Although the film The Spy Who Loved Me brought fame to Bach, the actress did not really like the dynamics of the relationship between James Bond and his women. She believed that this character used them for his own benefit.