Babz Chula (born as Barbara Ellen Zuckerman; March 22, 1947 – May 7, 2010) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

-born Canadian actress and musician.

Early life, education and career

Barbara Ellen Zuckerman was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

but spent her early childhood in the working-class neighbourhood of

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It has a popular large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, St Albans, and Cambria Heights to the ea ...

County, New York City. Her widowed mother, Abby Zuckerman, a booking agent for

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

, moved her with two young children, first to Hawaii and then to California, to pursue work in the entertainment field after Chula's father, Larry Zuckerman, an auto mechanic and stock-car racer, was killed in a car race.Babz Chula biography
Northernstars.ca. Accessed March 28, 2020. Growing up in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where her mother eventually remarried, young Barbara won a scholarship to the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

and returned to New York after graduation to perform as a folk singer. In 1971, she and her first husband, Phillip Ciulla, relocated to

Slocan Valley The Slocan Valley is a valley in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. Geographical boundaries The Slocan Valley is about long, but its width is undefined. The Valhalla Range provides the steep western boundary and the Sloc ...

in British Columbia before moving to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, where she resumed her acting and singing career as Babz Chula, under the respelled phonetic pronunciation of Ciulla.''Vancouver Sun'', May 25, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2020. Her first major supporting role was in

Sandy Wilson Alexander Galbraith "Sandy" Wilson (19 May 1924 – 27 August 2014) was an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical '' The Boy Friend'' (1953). Biography Wilson was born in Sale, Cheshire, England, and was educated at Harrow ...

's award-winning film '' My American Cousin''.

Personal life and death

Chula was married to Larry Lynn. After her death on May 7, 2010, at the age of 63, Lynn was ordained a Catholic priest.Into the Deep – Friday Night Faith Series
rcav.org, September 20, 2019. Accessed March 28, 2020 The 2013 National Film Board of Canada documentary Chi (2013 film) Chi (2013 film) follows Chula to Kerala, India in 2010, where she travels in an effort to treat her 6-year battle with cancer. Directed by Anne Wheeler, the documentary follows Chula's battle with cancer until the end, detailing Chula and her family members' struggle to come to terms with her death, while celebrating her life and accomplishments.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3244660/

Selected filmography

Selected minor films

* 2002: ''Croon'' as Liz * 2000: ''Becoming Dick'' as Waitress * 2000: ''Wednesday Woman'' as Andrea Glissner * 1999: ''Sweetwater'' as Rita * 1997: ''Jitters'' as Mrs. Hoffman * 1997: ''

Intensity Intensity may refer to: In colloquial use * Strength (disambiguation) *Amplitude * Level (disambiguation) * Magnitude (disambiguation) In physical sciences Physics *Intensity (physics), power per unit area (W/m2) *Field strength of electric, m ...

'' as Mrs. John Q. (Citizen) * 1997: ''Seduction in a Small Town'' as Jesse Pence * 1997: ''Echo'' as Caseworker * 1996: ''

For Hope ''For Hope'' is a 1996 American made-for-television drama film starring Dana Delany and directed by Bob Saget. Based on Saget's sister Gay, the movie showed the experience of a young woman fatally afflicted with the disease scleroderma. Other c ...

'' as Doctor * 1994: '' Roommates'' as Norma * 1994: ''My Name is Kate'' as Nora * 1993: ''Without a Kiss Goodbye'' as Unknown * 1993: ''

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble ''Double, Double, Toil and Trouble'' is a 1993 American Halloween made-for-television children's film. It stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as two adventurous little girls who discover that their Great Aunt Sophia has been trapped and cursed by ...

'' as Madame Lulu * 1993: ''

When a Stranger Calls Back ''When a Stranger Calls Back'' is a 1993 American made-for-television psychological horror film and a sequel to the 1979 classic '' When a Stranger Calls'' which reunites stars Carol Kane and Charles Durning (reprising their roles as Jill Johns ...

'' as Agent * 1986: '' Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry'' as Frieda

Selected television appearances

* 1991: ''The Commish'' – 6 episodes * 1993–1996: ''Madison'' – 8 episodes * 1998: ''Police Academy'' – 1 episode * 2000–2003: ''Cold Squad'' – 1 episode * 1999–2001 ''These Arms of Mine'' – 5 episodes * 2002: ''Bliss'' – 1 episode * 2002: ''John Doe'' – 1 episode * 2004: ''The L Word'' – 1 episode * 2004: ''The Days'' – 3 episodes * 2007: ''Final 24'' – 1 episode

Voice work

* '' Captain N: The Game Master'' * ''

Madeline ''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature fi ...

'' * ''

Captain Zed and the Zee Zone ''Captain Zed and the Zee Zone'' is an animated television series that aired on CITV in the United Kingdom from 1991-1993. The series was commissioned by Scottish Television and produced by Tony Collingwood Productions Limited in association ...

'' * ''Legend of the Hawaiian Slammers'' * ''

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), A ...

'' * ''

Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars ''Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars!'' (also known as ''Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Menace'' in Canada and ''Bucky O'Hare'' in the United Kingdom) is an animated series created by Sunbow Productions, Abrams/Gentile Entertainment, Continuity Comics and ...

'' * ''

Yvon of the Yukon ''Yvon of the Yukon'' is a Canadian animated television series produced by Studio B Productions (now "WildBrain") and Corus Entertainment in association with Alliance Atlantis Communications for seasons 1–2. It was produced with the participa ...

'' * ''

Camp Candy ''Camp Candy'' is an animated television series produced by DIC Animation City, Saban Entertainment and Worldvision Enterprises, in association with Frostbacks Productions, with comedian John Candy providing the voice for an animated version of ...

'' * ''Toon of the Month'' * ''Little Witch'' * ''

Action Man Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe. Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of ...

'' * ''Christopher the Christmas Tree'' * ''

Littlest Pet Shop Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series was produced in 1995 by Sunbow ...

'' * ''Funky Fables'' * '' Super Trolls''

Recognition

* 2009: Leo Award Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama * 2008: Sam Payne Award * 2006: Leo Award for Individual Outstanding Achievement * 2002: Best supporting Actress New York Independent Film Festival (Bitten) * 2001: Gemini Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series * 1999/2002: Leo Awards Nomination "Best Performance by a Female/Picture" * 1996: Leo Award Winner "Best Actress" * 1996: Woman of the Year by Woman in Film and Video * 1995–1996: Jessie Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role * 1992–1993: Jessie Award Outstanding Ensemble Cast

References

External links

* *
Women in Film Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chula, Babz 1946 births 2010 deaths Actresses from Vancouver American expatriate actresses in Canada American film actresses American impressionists (entertainers) American television actresses American voice actresses Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Best Actress in a Drama Series Canadian Screen Award winners Actresses from Queens, New York Comedians from Queens, New York Comedians from Vancouver 21st-century American women American expatriate musicians in Canada