This Day in Horror: Happy Birthday Barbara Steele
Born on this day in 1937: actress Barbara Steele
Steele got her big break in Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, playing an evil witch and her modern-day descendant. The British beauty did not speak Italian, and Bava reportedly found her difficult to work with. Steele admits she was difficult, forcing production to change her fangs and her wig multiple times. She didn’t like the body double production got for her, so, drunk and embarrassed, she did her nude scenes herself.
Despite the difficulties, she went on to star in a string of Italian horror movies, including The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock, The Ghost, The Long Hair of Death, Castle of Blood, Terror-Creatures From the Grave, An Angel for Satan, and Nightmare Castle.
Steele has also starred in genre films directed by Roger Corman (The Pit and the Pendulum), Joe Dante (Piranha), Jonathan Demme (Caged Heat) and David Cronenberg (Shivers).
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
