Barbara Barrie, Oscar-nominated 'Breaking Away' actress, dies at 95

She passed away at her home in Manhattan by receiving medically assisted death after a terminal cancer diagnosis

Barbara Barrie, the Oscar-nominated actress best known for her role in Breaking Away, has died aged 95 after receiving medical assistance following a terminal cancer diagnosis.

She died at her home in Manhattan on Wednesday, 28 October, according to The New York Times, citing her daughter, Jane Harnick.

Barrie had an extensive career spanning film, television and theatre.

In 1964, she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance as Julie in One Potato, Two Potato, a film that explored an interracial relationship.

Her best-known screen role came in the 1979 coming-of-age drama Breaking Away, in which she portrayed Evelyn Stohler, the supportive mother of a teenage boy in Bloomington, Indiana.

Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Barrie reprised the role in the television adaptation of Breaking Away, earning an Emmy nomination in 1981.

Her theatre career included a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1971 for her performance as Sarah in Stephen Sondheim’s Company.

Her other notable credits included the television sitcom Barney Miller, in which she played Elizabeth Miller, and the 1980 comedy Private Benjamin, where she portrayed Goldie Hawn’s mother.

Barrie was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2014, a progressive condition that causes lung scarring and breathing difficulties. She also wrote children’s books and two non-fiction works about her experiences with cancer.

She is survived by her children, Jane and Aaron Harnick. Her husband, artistic director Jay Harnick, died in 2007.