Priscilla Barnes

Priscilla Barnes

actress, producer

Priscilla Barnes was born on Dec 07, 1954 in USA. Priscilla Barnes's big-screen debut came with Tintorera: Killer Shark directed by René Cardona Jr. in 1977. Priscilla Barnes is known for Jane the Virgin directed by Melanie Mayron, Gina Rodriguez stars as Jane Villanueva and Andrea Navedo as Xiomara Villanueva. The most recent award Priscilla Barnes achieved is Hollywood Horrorfest. The upcoming new movie Priscilla Barnes plays is Jonny's Sweet Revenge which will be released on May 23, 2017.

Though probably not to her liking, actress Priscilla Barnes is best known for her bittersweet replacement of TV goddess Suzanne Somers during the tension-riddled times of the popular ABC slapstick comedy series, Vivre à trois (1976) -- bittersweet in that although the lovely, stringy-framed blonde did become a TV name as a result, she had to endure the anguish of stepping into the shoes of an enormously popular star whose diva act had her unceremoniously dumped from the show when contractual negotiations went awry. It was not the happiest of times for Priscilla yet she managed to pull the whole thing off as nurse "Terri Alden", the pretty roommate and (along with co-star Joyce DeWitt), the other female foil to John Ritter's outrageous shenanigans.Priscilla chose to be her own person and allowed her character a bit more substance and intelligence than Somers' jiggly ding-a-ling "Chrissy Snow". If nothing else, the new girl on the block added a much-needed stability to an already emotionally wrought set and was accepted by the show's fans for a final three seasons. She and DeWitt developed a fast friendship, which lasted long after the show's demise. Interestingly, Priscilla had been previously turned down for the vapid "Cindy Snow" character (played by Jenilee Harrison) because she was perceived as "too old" for the role.Priscilla was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, the daughter of an Air Force commander. An average student in school, the leggy beauty with the prominent cheekbones and intriguing slash of a mouth originally planned to become a dancer and joined a preteen group called the "The Vivacious Vixens", but a severe accident while performing on the Hollywood Bowl stage (she broke her leg and fractured her jaw) ended such dreams.During her formative years, she earned some attention as a beauty pageant contender ("Miss Hollywood", "Miss San Bernardino", "Miss California" (runner-up)) while paying her dues waitressing. A chance acquaintance with Peter Falk, who saw promise in the girl who countered her fresh-faced beauty with a self-deprecating wit, led to a bit part on one of his Columbo (1971) episodes, Columbo: État d'esprit (1975), in 1976, and the start of her professional career. The parts she nabbed typically accentuated her physical assets. A former Penthouse Pet for March 1976 (using the alias "Joann Witty"), Priscilla paid her dues via a series of unmemorable projects, including the films Texas Detour (1978), Delta Fox (1979) and L'amour libre au collège (1978) plus the short-lived TV series, The American Girls (1978), in which she played a smart-styled, traveling reporter. Handed a somewhat better supporting role in the Gene Wilder sequence of the four-part film, Les séducteurs (1980), she gathered more experience on such shows as Cannon (1971), Starsky et Hutch (1975), L'incroyable Hulk (1977), Deux cent dollars plus les frais (1974), Kojak (1973), Taxi (1978) and La croisière s'amuse (1977), before becoming a vital part of Vivre à trois (1976)'s 1981 cast.Barnes continued with the popular show in spite of her frustrations with producers and her dread of being typecast in innocuous comedy. Since then, she has maintained in a Hollywood that doesn't cater to women of "maturing" age, especially former TV stars. On TV, she added a feisty glamour to the series Le juge de la nuit (1991), Viper (1994), Arabesque (1984) and other La croisière s'amuse (1977) episodes. More often, however, she has shown up in a low-budget film. She has certainly taken on more than her fair share of horror projects, including Stepfather III (1992), and Witch Academy (1995) in which some of her characters have met grisly ends. One film highlight was her featured role, not as a Bondian girl but as the bride of a CIA agent (David Hedison), who is shot to death on her wedding day, in the Timothy Dalton "007" film, Permis de tuer (1989). She also enjoyed a role as a quirky fortune teller in Les glandeurs (1995).Active on the theater scene over the years with credits such as "Born Yesterday", "Vanities", "Bus Stop" and "A Streetcar Named Desire" under her belt, she recently played Hillary Clinton in the 2007 black comedy, "Hillary Agonistes", in New York.Maintaining an active career into the millennium, independent film credits including several horror yarns including The Backlot Murders (2002), Unseen Evil 2 (2004) co-starring Lorenzo Lamas, The Devil's Rejects (2005), Trailer Park of Terror (2008), Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007) and Three (2006); as well as the actioneer Final Payback (2001); the sci-fi drama Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs. Tsunami (2013); the eerie mystery Helen Alone (2014) and the comedy crimer Jonny's Sweet Revenge (2015). She has been married to actor Ted Monte since 2003.

  • Birthday

    Dec 07, 1954
  • Place of Birth

    Fort Dix, New Jersey, USA

Known For

Awards

2 wins & 0 nominations

Hollywood Horrorfest
2018
Best Supporting Actress
Winner - Festival Award
JAMIE (2018)
Hoboken International Film Festival
2011
Best Supporting Actress
Winner - Festival Award

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies
TV Shows