Barbara Jeanne Anderson is an American retired actress. She is best known for her role as police officer Eve Whitfield on the television series '' Ironside'' (1967–1971), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award.

Early life

Anderson was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. Her father, George Anderson, was a Navy enlisted man. She spent her early years in New York City, but during her teenage years, she resided in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, where her parents had moved. Anderson became interested in acting during her teens, when she did a

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

play. While she was a student at

Memphis State University } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

, Anderson won the title of Miss Memphis in 1963. Anderson was an actress with the Front Street Repertory Theatre, and debuted professionally in Memphis with the Southwestern University Players. Later, she acted with the Los Angeles Art Theatre.

Television

Anderson decided to move to Los Angeles. In 1966, one of her first TV appearances came in a first-season episode of '' Star Trek'', "

The Conscience of the King "The Conscience of the King" is the 13th episode of the first season of the American science-fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Barry Trivers and directed by Gerd Oswald, it was first aired on December 8, 1966. The episode tak ...

". She premiered her Eve Whitfield character in the March 1967 '' Ironside'' TV movie, and continued the role when the series debuted in September. That same week in September, she had a featured role in the first episode of the TV series '' Mannix''. Anderson was one of the four original cast members of ''Ironside'' and was the lead actress in the series for the first 105 episodes. Anderson played the role of one of two police officers chosen to assist Robert Ironside (

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas ''Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

), former chief of detectives for San Francisco, after he lost the use of his legs due to a shooting. Anderson continued in her role as Officer Whitfield for four seasons. For her role on the show, she won the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Begin ...

in 1968. Her later performances include the wife of a man who inherits a notoriously haunted house in the ''

Night Gallery ''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, ''The Twilight Zone ...

'' episode "Fright Night" and as a witness to a mob hit in the ''

Harry O ''Harry O'', sometimes spelled ''Harry-O'', is an American Detective fiction, private detective series that aired for two seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1974 to 1976. The series starred David Janssen, and Jerry Thorpe was exec ...

'' episode "Material Witness". She accepted a recurring role (seven episodes) in the final season of ''Mission Impossible''. In 1971, Anderson left ''Ironside'', and full-time TV acting, to spend more time with her husband. She did continue to work, though, accepting supporting roles in several TV movies, including the 1973 pilot film for ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is re ...

'', the cult horror TV classic '' Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'' (where she played

Kim Darby Kim Darby (born Deborah Zerby; July 8, 1947) is an American actress best known for her role as Mattie Ross in the film '' True Grit'' (1969). Early life and film career Darby was born Deborah Zerby in Los Angeles, the daughter of professional d ...

's best friend Joan Kahn), and 1977's ''You Lie So Deep, My Love'' (where she was reunited with former ''Ironside'' co-star

Don Galloway Donald Poe Galloway (July 27, 1937 – January 8, 2009) was an American stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Detective Sergeant Ed Brown in the long-running crime drama series '' Ironside'' (1967–1975). He reprised the ...

). She also accepted guest roles on popular TV shows of the period including ''The Love Boat'', ''Wonder Woman'', and ''Marcus Welby, M.D.''. In 1993, Anderson reunited with her former ''Ironside'' co-stars for the TV movie ''Return of Ironside'', reprising her role as Eve Whitfield, now the mother of a daughter. After this role, Anderson retired from acting permanently.

Personal life

In 1971, Anderson married actor Don Burnett and left the TV series '' Ironside'' to devote time to her marriage.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Barbara 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Memphis, Tennessee Actresses from New York City American beauty pageant winners American film actresses American television actresses Living people People from Brooklyn Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)