Barbara Lee Niven (née Bucholz; born 26 February 1953) is an American actress, writer, and producer, best known for her performances in

Hallmark A hallmark is an official Mark (sign), mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''Wikti ...

and Lifetime movies, and for television roles in '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'', '' Cedar Cove'', and ''

Chesapeake Shores ''Chesapeake Shores'' is a romantic television series, based on the novel series of the same name by Sherryl Woods, produced by Chesapeake Shores Productions Inc in association with Borderline Distribution. The series had a two-hour premiere on ...

''. Niven had the leading role in the independent film ''

A Perfect Ending ''A Perfect Ending'' is a film written and directed by Nicole Conn.Help Support a New Lesbian Film

'' (2012). She is also a motivational speaker, media trainer and animal rights activist, and a National Ambassador for

American Humane The American Humane Society (previously American Humane), is an American animal welfare organization founded in 1877 that works to rescue, care for, and protect animals by taking action wherever and whenever they are in need. It was previously ...

Early life and education

Barbara Lee Bucholz was born in 1953 in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, to parents George and Edie Bucholz. She has two sisters, Shelley and Kim, and attended

David Douglas High School David Douglas High School (DDHS) is a public high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the David Douglas School District. DDHS is the largest high school in the state of Oregon. Its attendance boundary includes eastern Port ...

. She has stated that she knew when she was five that she wanted to be an actress. She grew up hunting and fishing and was a senior in high school before she got involved in acting. After high school, she attended college for six months, worked as export coordinator for a foundry, a general contractor, sold commercial real estate, and modelled. She married at twenty-one and had a business with her husband. Niven became a mother at twenty-six. After a divorce, and with no child support, she found a place to live with roommates to help with expenses. Her ten-year high school reunion committee mailed a questionnaire, with the final inquiry being, "have you achieved everything in your life that you thought you would by now?" The realization that she had not started acting made Niven declare to herself that she was "going to be an actor" and "going to be in show business somehow." Acknowledging a penchant for being on camera and knowing that she enjoyed writing, she decided to look for a job in news reporting.

Career

Getting started

Niven went to see the news director at

KGW KGW (channel 8) is a television station in Portland, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Jefferson Street in southwestern Portland, and its transmitter is located in the city's ...

in Portland and asked to make sample stories for him to critique. She promised to ‘pay it forward’ if she had a successful career. He agreed and provided a typical script. She was later hired as an intern, and her story about the

White House Easter Egg Roll Egg rolling, or an Easter egg roll, is a traditional game played with eggs at Easter. Different nations have different versions of the game, usually played with hard-boiled, decorated eggs. History In Christianity, for the celebration of East ...

made the network news. She spent hours reading from the theater section of ''

Powell's Books Powell's Books is a chain of bookstores, based in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. Their flagship store, dubbed Powell's City of Books, claims to be the largest independent bookstore, independent new and used bookstore in the world. In addit ...

'' and memorized a

monologue In theatre, a monologue (also known as monolog in North American English) (in , from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts ...

from

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

's '' Chapter Two''. In the early 1980s, there was a nationwide search to replace the character

Tina Lord Tina Lord Roberts is a fictional character from the American daytime soap opera ''One Life to Live'', originally and last played by Andrea Evans. The character is the daughter of original series patriarch Victor Lord, and sister to long-running ...

on ''

''. One audition was held in Seattle. Niven drove in freezing rain from Portland, taped the monologue, and drove back home without telling anyone what she had done. She was one of several people chosen to go to New York for a screen test. In New York she was told by Mari Lyn Henry, then ABC

casting director In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra to land the role of a character in a script, screenp ...

, that she did not have star quality and her voice would only lead to victims' roles. She went back to Portland determined to work on her voice and her craft. She got a retired radio man to be her voice coach. She was cast in

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

’s 1986 ''

Promise A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...

'', which filmed in Oregon. She received her SAG card on this movie. When her daughter was ten, she packed their belongings into a truck and trailer and moved to Los Angeles.

Television and film

For twelve years, she attended the master classes of

Milton Katselas Milton George Katselas (December 22, 1933 – October 24, 2008) was an American-Greek director and producer of stage and film, as well as a Hollywood acting instructor and coach who trained under Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg at the acclaimed ...

at the

Beverly Hills Playhouse The Beverly Hills Playhouse is an acting school with theaters and training facilities in Beverly Hills, California, and also in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. It is one of the oldest acting schools and theatres in the Los Angeles ...

. Between 1986 and 1993 she was billed as Barbara Lee Alexander, and as Barbara Lee Niven for the film ''Lone Tiger'' (1994).^{see Filmography

A filmography is a list of films related by some criteria. For example, an actor's career filmography is the list of films they have appeared in; a director's comedy filmography is the list of comedy films directed by a particular Film director, ...} She is known for her roles on

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

s ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''Th ...

'' as Brenda Dickerson, and in ''

'' as

Liz Coleman Reynolds This is a list of notable characters from the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live'' that made their first appearance between 2000 and 2009. Kimberly Andrews Kimberly Andrews (born Aubrey Wentworth) is a fictional character on the American soap ...

. She served for three years on the National Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild. From 20 March – 8 September 1989, she was hostess and announcer, with host

Michael Burger Michael Burger (born June 10, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, game show host and television presenter. Game shows Burger was hired by Reg Grundy Productions to host a pilot for a show called ''Matchmates'' in 1985. The show, which was ...

, for the syndicated game show, '' Straight to the Heart''. In 2000, served as a celebrity blue-team contestant for ''St. Thomas'' on Search Party. Niven starred on the syndicated drama series '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'' (1998-2000). Niven also has appeared in guest roles on numerous television series, including '' ER'', ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

'', ''

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

'', ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'', ''

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadc ...

'', ''

Eli Stone ''Eli Stone'' is an American Legal drama, legal Musical film, musical comedy drama television series that was created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who also served as executive producers alongside Ken Olin who directed the pilot, with M ...

'', and '' Parks and Recreation''. Additionally, she had multiple roles on ''

Silk Stalkings ''Silk Stalkings'' is an American crime drama television series that premiered on CBS on November 7, 1991, as part of the network's late-night '' Crimetime After Primetime'' programming package. Broadcast for two seasons until CBS ended the '' ...

'', and a recurring role on '' Pacific Palisades''. She played

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

in the HBO film ''

The Rat Pack The Rat Pack was an informal group of singers that, in its second iteration, ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business friends, s ...

'' (1998) and has appeared in many films such as '' Under Lock and Key'' (1995), ''

Forest Warrior ''Forest Warrior'' is a 1996 American adventure film starring Chuck Norris and directed by Norris's brother Aaron Norris. The film was released on direct-to-video in the United States on November 5, 1996. Plot The film opens with a campfire st ...

'' (1996), ''

Foxfire Foxfire, also called fairy fire and chimpanzee fire, is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish-green glow is attributed to a luciferase, an oxidative enzyme, which emits light as it reacts with ...

'' (1996), ''

Breast Men ''Breast Men'' is a 1997 American semibiographical dark comedy-drama television film written by John Stockwell and directed by Lawrence O'Neil for HBO. Plot Dr. Kevin Saunders and Dr. William Larson pioneer the usage of silicone breast impl ...

'' (1997), ''The Drone Virus'' (2004), '' Chasing Ghosts'' (2005), ''

Redline The redline is the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine. The redline of an eng ...

'' (2007), and ''

Summer's Blood ''Summer's Moon'' (also known as ''Summer'' and ''Summer's Moon'') is a Canadian horror film directed by Lee Demarbre and starring Ashley Greene. It was released directly to DVD on November 10, 2009. Plot One night while staying at a hotel, a ...

'' (2009). She had the leading role in ''

A Perfect Ending ''A Perfect Ending'' is a film written and directed by Nicole Conn.Help Support a New Lesbian Film

'' (2012) and co-starred with

Kat Dennings Katherine Victoria Litwack (born June 13, 1986), known professionally as Kat Dennings, is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Max Black in the CBS sitcom ''2 Broke Girls'' (2011–2017) and as Darcy Lewis in the Marvel ...

and

Ray Wise Raymond Herbert Wise (born August 29, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as Leland Palmer in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, Twin Peaks (season 3), 2017) and its prequel film ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992). He has appeared ...

in the horror comedy '' Suburban Gothic'' (2014). Niven has also appeared in over a dozen

Lifetime movies LMN, an initialism for the Lifetime Movie Network, also known as Lifetime Movies, is an American pay television television network, network launched on June 29, 1998 and owned by the Lifetime Entertainment Services subsidiary of A+E Global Media, ...

, including ''Stranger in My Bed'' (2005), ''The Perfect Neighbor'' (2005), ''Double Cross'' (2006), ''Murder in My House'' (2006), ''The Rival'' (2006), ''A Valentine Carol'' (2007), '' Black Widow'' (2008), ''Dead at 17'' (2008), ''Accused at 17'' (2009), ''Heat Wave'' (2009), ''My Mother's Secret'' (2012), ''Home Invasion'' (2012), ''The Wife He Met Online'' (2012), and

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

's '' Tiger Cruise'' (2004). She has multiple credits for

, starting with her first role in

's ''

'' (1986), with

James Garner James Scott Garner (né Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, which included ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Ch ...

and

James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. Known for fast-talking, intense roles on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including three Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for t ...

. Among other appearances, there are ''

A Carol Christmas ''A Carol Christmas'' is a TV movie starring Tori Spelling, Dinah Manoff, William Shatner, Jason Brooks and Gary Coleman. It premiered on the Hallmark Channel in 2003. The film is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol ...

'' (2003), ''

Wedding Daze ''Wedding Daze'' (originally titled ''The Pleasure of Your Company'') is a 2006 American romantic dark comedy film written and directed by Michael Ian Black and starring Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher alongside Joe Pantoliano, Joanna Gleason, Ed ...

'' (2004), ''Back to You and Me'' (2005), '' Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery'' (2006), '' McBride: Semper Fi'' (2007), and '' Moonlight & Mistletoe'' (2008). In 2013, Niven was cast in

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

's first original drama series '' Cedar Cove'', opposite

Andie MacDowell Rosalie Anderson MacDowell (born April 21, 1958) is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell is known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. She has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman for ...

and

Bruce Boxleitner Bruce William Boxleitner (born May 12, 1950) is an American actor and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series '' How the West Was Won'', '' Bring 'Em Back Alive'', ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King ...

. Niven is currently appearing in the series ''

'' with

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams Jr. (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2025) was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe ...

and

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd (born Rose Diane Ladner; November 29, 1935) is an American actress. She has appeared in over 200 films and television shows. She received three Academy Award nominations for her roles in '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' (1974), '' ...

. For

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Hallmark Mystery (formerly known as Hallmark Movie Channel (HMC) and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (HMM)) is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel was spun ...

, she has been cast in the ''

Murder, She Baked ''Murder, She Baked'' is an American/Canadian television film series based on the cozy mystery novels written by Joanne Fluke. The television films are centered around small-town baker Hannah Swensen, portrayed by Alison Sweeney, and Detective M ...

'' and ''

Crossword Mysteries A crossword (or crossword puzzle) is a word game consisting of a grid of black and white squares, into which solvers enter words or phrases ("entries") crossing each other horizontally ("across") and vertically ("down") according to a set of cl ...

'' movies.

Speaker and coach

Barbara Niven has made motivational speeches and said that if she could become an actor as a single mother at thirty, others can also fulfill their dreams. She has spoken to school classes, professional groups, and on television shows. The subjects have included: "Giving up Perfect to Claim Your Dreams", "Paralyzed to Powerful" (tips to save yourself from a stalker), "Eating Disorders & Pressures to be Perfect", and "The Pressure to be Thin in Hollywood". She has done media training for individuals and corporations. Niven has a studio and developed workshops to educate people to make a positive impression with speaking, presentation, and media video. Her instructions include: for presentations, consciously create a character with voice, use good lighting, and connect heart to heart; and when performing, build relationships, be a personal producer and the welcoming person in the room. She says, "the older one gets the more beautiful tools and instruments you have to add to your orchestra and your palette". She has described her writing process as do anything but write, clean the desk, then write from the heart and let the words flow.

Personal life

Niven has been married three times, to Ronald Garrison ( 1974, divorced), David Alexander ( 1985, divorced), and David Niven Jr. ( 19 June 1993, 1998). She has a daughter, Jessica, and three grandchildren. She obtained dual Canadian citizenship because her father was born there. Her favorite color is red, although she likes to wear black. She prefers sweats to fancy dresses. For thirty years, between fifteen and forty-five, she suffered from

bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induc ...

. Her older sister asked about it, and she got help after her daughter fainted at cheerleading practice. Others on the squad were also bulimic/anorexic. Niven promptly got them both help. She says, "secrets are what kept me sick." Once the secret was out, it no longer controlled her. Eating disorders is a topic about which she gives presentations that garner positive feedback. She supports human rights causes and programs that speak out against bullying. Niven appeared in ''She4ME'' ('She' for Marriage Equality), the 2014 five-minute public service video created in support. She has been a proponent of the 2012 seventeen-minute anti-bullying short '' Love is All You Need?'', and its purpose in asking viewers to see themselves as a minority. Niven is an animal rights activist and spokesperson. She has a four-legged family of dogs and cats at home, and fosters older pets. She has participated on an animal rescue team to save victims of a puppy mill, and is a National Ambassador for

Filmography

^a as Barbara Lee Alexander ⁿ as Barbara Lee Niven

Theatre

Video games

Books

Author

* Niven, Barbara (2011). ''111 Star Power Tips – Insider Secrets from a Hollywood Pro : For Videos, Audios, On-Camera Interviews, TV, Radio & Presentations''. Shadoeworks. .

Contributor

* Niven, Barbara (2006). "Barbara Niven

ctor In class-based, object-oriented programming, a constructor (abbreviation: ctor) is a special type of function called to create an object. It prepares the new object for use, often accepting arguments that the constructor uses to set required me ...

. In Stromberg, Gary; Merrill, Jane. ''Feeding the Fame : Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Eating Disorders''.

Hazelden The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is an addiction treatment and advocacy organization that was created in 2014 with the merger of the Minnesota-based Hazelden Foundation and the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in the United States ...

. pp. 96–107. . * Niven, Barbara (2009). "ACT AS IF!". In Kingsbury, Gail (ed.). ''How Did You Do That! Stories of Going for It''. Yinspire Media. pp. 99–104. . * Niven, Barbara (2011). "Shine Your Light", In Lim, Kimber (ed.). ''Get Your Woman On! Embracing Beauty, Grace & the Power of Women''. Yinspire Media. pp. 41–46. . * Niven, Barbara (2013). "A Perfect Ending...and a New Beginning", In Mayfield, Karen (ed.). ''Wake Up Women Be You : Spread Your Wings and Fly Emotionally''. Wake Up Women. pp. 32–39. . * Niven, Barbara (2015). "Success, Goosebumps & Your Next Evolution". In Allen, Debbie (ed.). ''Experts Wisdom : Life Changing Principles and Transformational Business Strategies from the Go-To Authorities''. Authentic Endeavors Publishing. pp. 203–218. . * Niven, Barbara (2016). "Taking a Leap of Faith, Dreams, Money, & Show Biz" In Giankas, Patricia (ed.). ''Great Credit Now : Set Your GPS for Positive Success''. Authentic Endeavors Publishing. pp. 105–116. .

References

Sources

* * * * * *

Additional reading

* Markel, Adam (2016). ''Pivot : The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life''.

Atria Books Atria may refer to: Science *Atrium (heart) (plural: atria), an anatomical structure of the heart *Atria (genus), a flatworm genus in the family Dendrocoelidae * Atria (star) or Alpha Trianguli Australis, a star in the constellation Triangulum Aus ...

. ee index .

External links

Official website
* * * * * *
Barbara Niven: Actor, Media Trainer, Motivational Speaker
- a resource page {{DEFAULTSORT:Niven, Barbara 1953 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Portland, Oregon American film actresses American soap opera actresses American television actresses American video game actresses David Douglas High School alumni Niven family