Gloria Rose "Barbara" Turner (July 14, 1936 – April 5, 2016) was an American screenwriter and actress. The actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh Jennifer Jason Leigh (born Jennifer Leigh Morrow; February 5, 1962) is an American actress. She began her career on television during the 1970s before making her film breakthrough in the teen film ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982). She re ...

is her daughter.

Early life

Gloria Rose Turner was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York to Pearl Pauline (née Zises) and Alexander Turner. Her father was an Austrian Jewish immigrant, and her mother was born in New York, to Austrian Jewish parents. Turner attended the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, where she studied acting. After a year of college, Turner moved back to New York, studying at Erwin Piscator's Dramatic Workshop and then with acting coach

Paul Mann Paul Mann (December 2, 1913 – September 24, 1985) was a Canadian film and theatre actor, as well as founder of the Paul Mann Actor's Workshop. His brother was the actor Larry D. Mann. Biography Mann was influential in developing the concept o ...

, where she met fellow actor Vic Morrow.

Career

Turner moved to Los Angeles after Morrow was cast in the 1955 film ''

Blackboard Jungle ''Blackboard Jungle'' is a 1955 American social drama film about an English teacher in an interracial inner-city school, based on the 1954 novel ''The Blackboard Jungle'' by Evan Hunter and adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Brook ...

.'' During the 1950s and 1960s, Turner acted in many film and television productions, some of which included ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'', '' Mike Hammer'', ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

'' and '' The Breaking Point.'' Turner said that she began writing to fund her work as an actor. She and Morrow wrote a TV movie called ''Willie Loved Everybody''; they adapted it into a musical that they tried pitching with

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...

, but were not successful in selling the concept. The two separated and divorced in 1964. During the early 1960s, Turner met and became friends with director

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer, producer. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and sat ...

, first meeting while working on an episode of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' and then on his 1964 '' Kraft Suspense Theatre'' episode "Once Upon a Savage Night", which was expanded and broadcast as the TV movie '' Nightmare in Chicago''. During filming, Turner met her second husband, producer and director

Reza Badiyi Reza Sayed Badiyi (also known as Reza Badiei; Persian: رضا بدیعی; April 17, 1930 – August 20, 2011) was an Iranian-born American film and television director. His credits also include developing the title sequence montages for ' ...

, who encouraged her to write an adaptation of a Mira Michal short story from ''The New Yorker'' called "At Lake Laguna", which she brought to Altman to possibly make, but that fell apart right before production was scheduled to begin. Altman thought of Turner when he read John Haase's book ''Me and the Arch Kook Petulia''. Turner wrote the original adaptation, which became the film '' Petulia''. Turner, Vic Morrow and Reza Badiyi were close friends and collaborators with the director Robert Altman, who later directed Leigh in ''

Short Cuts ''Short Cuts'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film, directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver. The film is set in Los Angeles, in contr ...

'' (1993) and ''

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

'' (1996). Morrow directed his and Turner's 1965 screen adaptation of the

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; ; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels '' The Th ...

play '' Deathwatch''. In 1973, she wrote the screenplay for the TV movie ''The Affair'', starring

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood (née Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress. She began acting at age four and co-starred at age eight in ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (1947). As a teenager, she was nominated for an Academy Award f ...

and

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

. Her teleplay for the TV movie ''

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

'' (1981) was based on her daughter Carrie's experiences in the 1970s as a teen runaway, played by family friend

Mare Winningham Mary Megan Winningham, known professionally as Mare Winningham ( ; born May 16, 1959), is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe ...

. In 1983, Turner co-wrote an adaption of the

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

novel '' Cujo'' under the name Lauren Currier. Turner wrote an unproduced screenplay about two friends of

Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. Parker ros ...

named Gerald and Sara Murphy. This work led to her daughter, Leigh, being cast in the 1994 film '' Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle.'' In 1995, she teamed up with daughter

to write and produce the screenplay for ''

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

'', a film depicting the troubled relationship between two singing sisters played by Leigh and Mare Winningham, who both won praise for their performances. The idea reportedly came from Leigh, who was on location shooting the 1991 film '' Rush'', and pitched the idea of two sisters who have varying degrees of skill as singer-songwriters. Turner created the script from that idea. It was financed by the French film production company

Ciby 2000 Ciby 2000 (also written as CiBy 2000 and CIBY 2000) is a French film production and distribution company founded in 1990 by Francis Bouygues. It was best known for producing art house and independent films in France and in other countries. The ...

, and Turner's daughter, Morrow, served as a technical consultant. Turner spent three years doing research, using the Seattle music scene as a source for the material. In 2000, Turner's screenplay adaption of the book '' Jackson Pollock: An American Saga'' by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith for the

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household ...

biopic ''

Pollock Pollock or pollack (pronounced ) is the common name used for either of the two species of North Atlantic ocean, marine fish in the genus ''Pollachius''. ''Pollachius pollachius'' is referred to as "pollock" in North America, Ireland and the Unit ...

'', also written by Susan Emswiller, became a successful film. She then collaborated with actress Neve Campbell on a screenplay titled '' The Company'' (2003) about the inner workings of the

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...

, which was directed by Robert Altman. In an interview with Jan Lisa Huttner, Turner states that "the company is the star of this movie" rather than just Campbell. It is an ensemble piece. In June 2010, it was announced that Turner and Jerry Stahl had written a screenplay for an HBO film about Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Martha Gellhorn. The film ''

Hemingway & Gellhorn ''Hemingway & Gellhorn'' is a 2012 American biographical drama television film directed by Philip Kaufman and written by Jerry Stahl and Barbara Turner, about the lives of journalist Martha Gellhorn (Nicole Kidman) and her husband, writer Er ...

'' aired in 2012. At the time of her death, Turner had written the script to the not-yet-released

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards as the title character on '' Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also known for her role as Shirley Schmi ...

-produced film titled ''Knock Wood: Charlie McCarthy Project,'' a movie based on Bergen's 1983 memoir of the same name. The story, produced by James Francis Trezza and Pam Widener (who Turner worked with on ''Pollack''), unfolds from the perspective of Charlie McCarthy,

Edgar Bergen Edgar John Bergen (né Berggren; February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, vaudevillian and radio performer. He was best known for his characters Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Bergen ...

's famous and hugely popular wooden puppet. Other long-time adaptations that were not produced but had been active in Hollywood were scripts based on

Jane Smiley Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991). Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a subu ...

’s book ''Barn Blind'',

Michael Frayn Michael Frayn, FRSL (; born 8 September 1933) is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce ''Noises Off'' and the dramas ''Copenhagen (play), Copenhagen'' and ''Democracy (play), Democracy''. Frayn's novel ...

's '' Headlong'', and

Jill Paton Walsh Gillian Honorine Mary Herbert, Baroness Hemingford, (née Bliss; 29 April 1937 – 18 October 2020), known professionally as Jill Paton Walsh, was an English novelist and children's writer. She may be known best for her Booker Prize-nominated ...

's '' Knowledge of Angels''. Additional screenplays based on original work included ''Beautiful View,'' ''Once Again for Zelda'', and ''Under Heaven''.

Personal life

Turner was married to actor and frequent collaborator Vic Morrow. The actress

is their daughter, as well as a 2nd daughter named Carrie Morrow. Turner and Morrow separated when Leigh was two years old. From 1968 to 1985, Turner was married to Iranian-American television director

, with whom she had a daughter, actress Mina Badie, also known as Mina Badiyi Chassler. Barbara Turner died on April 5, 2016, in Los Angeles, aged 79, from undisclosed causes.

Selected filmography

Screenwriter

* 1966: '' Deathwatch'' (adaptation) * 1968: '' Petulia'' (adaptation) * 1973: '' The Affair'' (TV movie) * 1976: ''The Dark Side of Innocence'' (also known as ''The Hancocks'') (NBC pilot) * 1976: ''Widow'' (TV movie) * 1976: ''The Dark Side of Innocence'' (TV movie) * 1977: ''The War Between the Tates'' (TV movie) (adaptation) * 1981: ''

'' (TV movie) * 1983: ''Sessions'' (TV movie), also producer * 1983: '' Cujo'' (credited as Lauren Currier) * 1987: ''Eye on the Sparrow'' (TV movie), also producer * 1992: '' Somebody's Daughter'' (TV movie) * 1994: '' Out of Darkness'' (TV movie) * 1995: ''

'', also producer * 2000: ''

'' (adaptation) * 2003: '' The Company'' * 2012: ''

'' (HBO) (TV movie), also executive producer * Unknown: ''Knock Wood: Charlie McCarthy Project''

Actor

* 1955: '' Two-Gun Lady'' as Jenny Ivers * 1956: ''

Medic A medic is a person trained to provide medical care, encompassing a wide range of individuals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. The term can refer to fully qualified medical practitioners, such as physic ...

'' (TV series) as Joyce in "The Glorious Red Gallagher" * 1957: '' Monster from Green Hell'' as Lorna Lorentz * 1957: '' M Squad'' (TV series) as Alice Snyder in "Street of Fear" * 1957: '' Suspicion'' (TV series) as Emily in "Heartbeat" * 1957: '' Mike Hammer'' (TV series) as Madeline Pope in "Now Die in It" * 1958: '' Schlitz Playhouse'' (TV series) as Rose Genilli in "Heroes Never Group Up" * 1958: ''

'' (TV series) as Sandra in "Portrait of a Murderer" * 1958: '' The Frank Sinatra Show'' (TV series) as Shirley in "The Brownstone Incident" * 1958: '' Wink of an Eye'' as Judy Carlton * 1958: '' Mike Hammer'' (TV series) as Doris in "My Son and Heir" * 1960: '' The Lineup'' (TV series) as Eleanor Larsen in "Seven Sinners" * 1961: '' Operation Eichmann'' as Sara * 1961: ''Outlaws'' (TV series) as Mary Sawyer in "No Luck on Friday" * 1962: ''

'' (TV series) as Rose Hill in "I Hear America Singing" * 1963: ''

Alcoa Premiere ''Alcoa Premiere'' (also known as ''Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire'' ) is an American anthology drama series sponsored by the Alcoa Corporation that aired from October 10, 1961, to September 12, 1963, on ABC. The series was hosted by Fred ...

'' (TV series) as Emma in "Lollipop Louie" * 1963: '' Channing'' (TV series) as Renate Thielman in "A Hall Full of Strangers" * 1963: '' Breaking Point'' (TV series) as Dorothy Oringer in "A Pelican in the Wilderness" * 1964: '' Kraft Suspense Theatre'' (TV series) as Bernadette in "Once Upon a Savage Night" aka '' Nightmare in Chicago'' * 1965: ''

'' (TV series) as Fanny Birnbaum in "A Nightingale Named Nathan" * 1966: '' The Virginian'' as Louise Devers in "Harvest of Strangers" * 1967: ''La vuelta del Mexicano'' * 1969: ''The Desperate Mission'' (TV movie) as The Farmer's Wife * 1970: '' Soldier Blue'' as Mrs. Long (uncredited) * 1974: ''En busca de un muro'' * 2007: '' Margot at the Wedding''

Awards

* 1968: WGA Awards, Best Written American Drama, '' Petulia'' to Lawrence Marcus (nominee) * 1976:

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an American award for film and television writing, presented to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful manner. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of ...

, ''Widow'' (TV movie) (finalist) * 1978:

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

, Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special, '' The War Between the Tates'' (nominee) * 1987:

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organizatio ...

, ''Eye on the Sparrow'' * 1994:

, 90 Minute Category, '' Out of Darkness'' (nominee) * 2012:

, Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, ''

'' (nominee) * 2013: WGA Awards, Long Form – Original, ''

'' (nominee)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Barbara 1936 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American screenwriters Actresses from Brooklyn American film actresses American people of Austrian-Jewish descent American television actresses American women screenwriters Jewish American actresses Jewish American screenwriters University of Texas at Austin alumni Writers from Brooklyn Screenwriters from New York City 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American screenwriters 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers