Stanwyck, Barbara 
1907 - 1990. 
US film actress. 

Ruby Stevens 

Of commanding presence, she was equally at home in comedy or melodrama. Her films include Stella Dallas 1937, The Lady Eve 1941, Double Indemnity 1944, and Executive Suite 1954. Stanwyck made her first film appearance 1927 after early experience in vaudeville and on Broadway, rapidly assumed star status and continued to be active in the cinema until 1965. She was well suited to the roles of independently minded women, however perverse. She excelled as the confidence trickster of The Lady Eve and as the temptress of Double Indemnity. In later years she appeared frequently on television, notably as the matriarchal star of The Big Valley. She never achieved the top rung of stardom, but in 1944 was said to be the highest paid woman in the USA.