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Barbara Carrera

Barbara Carrera brought the poise of a fashion model and a cool, commanding presence to a screen career that stretched across film, television and miniseries. Born in Bluefields, Nicaragua, on December 31, 1945, she moved to New York at 15 and began modeling with the Eileen Ford agency at 17. It was then that Barbara Kingsbury adopted her mother’s maiden name, Carrera. Her modeling work took her to the pages and covers of Vogue, Paris Match and Harper’s Bazaar before acting became a larger part of her career. Carrera made her first film appearance as herself in Jerry Schatzberg’s Puzzle of a Downfall Child in 1970. Her role in The Master Gunfighter brought a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1976, and she went on to appear in films including The Island of Dr. Moreau, Embryo, Condorman and Lone Wolf McQuade. Her best-known film performance came as Fatima Blush, the poised and dangerous villainess of the James Bond adventure Never Say Never Again. The role earned Carrera a 1984 Golden Globe nomination for supporting actress and made particularly sharp use of her ability to combine glamour with menace. She later worked opposite Laurence Olivier in Wild Geese II and appeared with Bette Davis in Wicked Stepmother, Davis’s final film role. Television gave Carrera room to work on a broader scale. She appeared in the historical miniseries Centennial and Masada, played Angelica Nero in Dallas, and starred as Emma Eliza Cole in Emma: Queen of the South Seas. In 2000, she joined fellow Bond performers Maude Adams and Kristina Wayborn for an episode of That ’70s Show. She has not appeared in film or television since Paradise in 2004. Carrera’s creative work also extends to painting. Her art has been shown in galleries in Beverly Hills and London, as well as at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum in 2002. In 1997, she was appointed Nicaragua’s Ambassador-at-Large.