Barbara Babcock (born February 27, 1937) is an American actress. She began her career on television in mid-1950s with guest-starring appearances in more than 60 television series through her career. She made several appearances on Star Trek: The Original Series, Mannix and Murder, She Wrote and had a recurring role in the CBS prime time soap opera, Dallas from 1978 to 1982.
In 1981, Babcock received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Grace Gardner in the NBC police drama series, Hill Street Blues (1981–87). She later starred in a number of short-lived television series, most notably The Law & Harry McGraw (1987–88). From 1993 to 1998, Babcock starred as Dorothy Jennings in the CBS Western series, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, for which she was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1995. Babcock also appeared in films Day of the Evil Gun (1968), Heaven with a Gun (1969), Chosen Survivors (1974), The Black Marble (1980), The Lords of Discipline (1983), Far and Away (1992) and Space Cowboys (2000).
Early life
Born in Fort Riley, Kansas, She learned to speak Japanese before English.
Babcock studied at University of Lausanne in Switzerland and in Italy at the University of Milan. where she was a classmate of Ali MacGraw.
Career
thumb|Babcock with [[Avery Schreiber (right) and Jack Burns in Love, American Style (1973)]]
Babcock made her television debut appearing in an episode of anthology series The United States Steel Hour in 1956. The following years she made many guest-starring appearances on television, notable in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis as a cousin to the rich boy nemesis of the title character. She appeared in 17 episodes of the series from 1981 to 1987. Babcock starred in the TV movies Quarterback Princess (1983), Attack on Fear (1984) and News at Eleven (1986). She appeared in the short-lived CBS drama series The Four Seasons in 1984, based on the 1981 film. During 1980s, Babcock also guest-starred on Cheers, Hotel, Remington Steele, and starred in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents — receiving the 1987 CableACE Award for Outstanding Actress in a Dramatic Series. She made five appearances on Murder, She Wrote from 1985 to 1993, and also appeared on The Golden Girls, Empty Nest, China Beach, Wings, and Sisters. She played the mother of Nicole Kidman's character in the 1992 Western film Far and Away.
From 1993 to 1998, Babcock played the role of Dorothy Jennings in the CBS Western series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1993. (However, the Emmy Awards website lists the nomination for 1995.) She reprised her role in the 1998 made-for-television movie Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Movie. In 1999 she played the leading role in A Vow to Cherish opposite Ken Howard. In 2000, Babcock made her final big screen appearance in the science fiction film Space Cowboys with Clint Eastwood and James Garner. She also made guest appearances on The Pretender, Chicago Hope, Frasier, and Judging Amy. From 2001 to 2002, she played the role of the mother of Dana Delany's character in the Fox drama series, Pasadena. In 2002, she appeared in a made-for-television comedy Home Alone 4.
Personal life
In 2004, Babcock was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She resides in Carmel, California.
In 1982, Babcock and actress Susan Bjurman received for a combination solid stick scalp cleanser and hair shampoo-conditioner gel that they developed.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
|-
| 1968
| Day of the Evil Gun
| Angie Warfield
|-
| 1969
| Heaven with a Gun
| Mrs. Andrews
|-
| 1971
| The Last Child
| Shelley Drumm
|-
| 1973
| Bang the Drum Slowly
| Team Owner
|-
| 1974
| Chosen Survivors
| Dr. Lenore Chrisman
|-
| 1977
| Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A.
| Rachel Sullivan
|-
| 1978
| Operating Room
| Jean Lawrence
|-
| 1979
| Survival of Dana
| Lorna Sims
|-
| 1980
| The Black Marble
| Madeline Whitfield
|-
| 1981
| Back Roads
| Rickey's Mom
|-
| 1982
| Memories Never Die
| Louise Lowry
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1983
| Quarterback Princess
| Judy Maida
|-
| The Lords of Discipline
| Abigail St. Croix
|-
| 1984
| Attack on Fear
| Jane Dutton
|-
| 1985
| That Was Then... This Is Now
| Mrs. Douglas
|-
| 1986
| News at Eleven
| Joanna Steckler
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1989
| Happy Together
| Ruth Carpenter
|-
| Heart of Dixie
| Coralee Claibourne
|-
| 1990
| A Family for Joe
| Miss Quinn Collins
|-
| 1992
| Far and Away
| Nora Christie
|-
| 1993
| Fugitive Nights: Danger in the Desert
| Rhonda Devon
|-
| 1996
| A Mother's Instinct
| Mrs. Mitchell
|-
| 1997
| Childhood Sweetheart?
| Rose Carlson
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| A Vow to Cherish
| Ellen Brighton
|-
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Movie
| Dorothy Jennings
|-
| 2000
| Space Cowboys
| Barbara Corvin
|-
| 2002
| Home Alone 4
| Molly
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1961
| NBC Sunday Showcase
| Annie Lee
| 1 episode
|-
| 1963
| The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
| Pamela Osborne
| 1 episode
|-
| 1963
| Combat!
| Bar Patron At The Savoy
| Uncredited
|-
| 1965
| The Munsters
| Miss Guthrie
| 1 episode
|-
| 1966–1967
| The Green Hornet
| Elaine Carey
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1967
| The Lucy Show
| English Teacher
| 1 episode
|-
| 1968
| Mission: Impossible
| Major Maria Felder
| 1 episode
|-
| 1967–1968
| Star Trek
| Mea 3 / Philana / Voice-Over Work
| "A Taste of Armageddon" and<br />S3:E10, "Plato's Stepchildren",<br />plus 5 other episodes
|-
| 1969
| Family Affair
| Pamela
| 1 episode
|-
| 1967–1970
| Hogan's Heroes
| Mama Bear / Maria Schmidt
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1971
| Night Gallery
| Flora Alden
| 1 episode
|-
| 1972
| The F.B.I.
| Mary Hale
| 1 episode
|-
| 1972
| Banyon
| Caroline Wheeler
| 1 episode
|-
| 1968–1973
| Mannix
| Ellen West
| 4 episodes
|-
|1973
| Cannon
|Ruth Gardner
|The Good Samaritan
|-
|1973
| Love, American Style
| Anna Scott
| 1 episode
|-
|
| Shaft
| Jane Cunningham
| 1 episode
|-
| 1975
| The Streets of San Francisco
| Judy Tyrell
| 1 episode
|-
| 1976
| Starsky & Hutch
| Ellen Forbes
| 1 episode
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1977
| McMillan & Wife
| Lydia Corman
| 1 episode
|-
| Quincy, M.E.
| Melissa Asten
| 1 episode
|-
| The Rockford Files
| Karen Hall
| 1 episode
|-
| 1978
| Logan's Run
| Marianne
| 1 episode
|-
| 1979
| Salem's Lot
| June Petrie
| Television miniseries
|-
| 1980
| Benson
| Lily Maxwell
| 1 episode
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| Taxi
| Karen
| 1 episode
|-
| Flo
| Louise Browning
| 1 episode
|-
| 1978–1982
| Dallas
| Liz Craig
| 16 episodes
|-
| 1983
| Cheers
| Lana Marshall
| 1 episode
|-
| 1984
| The Four Seasons
| Lorraine Elliot
| 13 episodes
|-
|1984
| Steambath
|Wanda Blakely
|Episode: "Madison Avenue Madness"
|-
| 1985
| Hotel
| Monica Shawcross
| 1 episode
|-
| 1986
| Mr. Sunshine
| Mrs. June Swinford
| 11 episodes
|-
| 1981–1982, 1984, 1986, 1987
| Hill Street Blues
| Grace Gardner
| 16 episodes<br />Primetime Emmy Award<br />for Outstanding Lead Actress<br />in a Drama Series (1981)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
| Cissie Enright
| 1 episode<br />CableACE Award for<br />Outstanding Actress in<br />a Dramatic Series (1988)
|-
| Remington Steele
| Marisa Peters
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1987–1988
| The Law & Harry McGraw
| Ellie Maginnis
| 16 episodes
|-
| 1989–1990
| Empty Nest
| Paula Conroy
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| The Golden Girls
| Charmaine Hollingsworth
| 1 episode
|-
| China Beach
| Lieutenant Colonel Libby Heiss
| 1 episode
|-
| 1991
| Wings
| Mae Hackett
| 1 episode
|-
| 1985–1993
| Murder, She Wrote
| Various roles
| 5 episodes
|-
| 1993–1998
| Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
| Dorothy Jennings
| 100 episodes<br />Nominated—<br />Primetime Emmy Award<br />for Outstanding Supporting Actress<br />in a Drama Series (1995)
|-
| 1998
| Chicago Hope
| Beverly Kronk
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2000
| The Pretender
| Edna Raines
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2001
| Frasier
| Penelope Janvier
| 1 episode
|-
| 2001–2002
| Pasadena
| Lillian Greeley
| 8 episodes
|-
| 2002–2004
| Judging Amy
| Diane McCarty
| 2 episodes
|}