American screenwriter and actress (1936?2016)
Barbara Turner
|
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Born
| Gloria Rose Turner
(
1936-07-14
)
July 14, 1936
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Died
| April 5, 2016
(2016-04-05)
(aged 79)
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Occupation(s)
| Screenwriter, actress
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Years active
| 1957?2016
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Spouses
|
(
m.
1957;
div.
1964)
(
m.
1968;
div.
1985)
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Children
| 3; including
Jennifer Jason Leigh
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Gloria Rose
"
Barbara
"
Turner
(July 14, 1936 ? April 5, 2016) was an American screenwriter and actress.
[1]
The actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh
[2]
[3]
is her daughter.
Early life
[
edit
]
Turner was born in
Brooklyn
, New York to Pearl Pauline (nee Zises) and Alexander Turner. Her father was an Austrian Jewish immigrant, and her mother was born in New York, to Austrian Jewish parents.
[4]
[5]
Turner attended the
University of Texas at Austin
, where she studied acting.
[6]
: 162
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
, where she met fellow actor
Vic Morrow
.
[7]
Career
[
edit
]
Turner moved to Los Angeles after Morrow was cast in the 1955 film
Blackboard Jungle
.
[7]
During the 1950s and 1960s, Turner acted in many film and television productions, some of which included
Playhouse 90
,
Mike Hammer
,
Ben Casey
and
The Breaking Point.
Turner said that she began writing to fund her work as an actor.
[6]
: 54
She and Morrow wrote a TV movie called
Willie Loved Everybody
; they adapted it into a musical that they tried pitching with
Elmer Bernstein
, but were not successful in selling the concept. The two separated and divorced in 1964.
[7]
During the early 1960s, Turner met and became friends with director
Robert Altman
, first meeting while working on an episode of
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
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
, 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
.
[7]
[8]
[9]
Turner, Vic Morrow and Reza Badiyi were close friends and collaborators with the director Robert Altman, who later directed Leigh in
Short Cuts
(1993) and
Kansas City
(1996).
[10]
Morrow directed his and Turner's
1965 screen adaptation
of the
Jean Genet
play
Deathwatch
.
[3]
In 1973, she wrote the screenplay for the TV movie
The Affair
, starring
Natalie Wood
and
Robert Wagner
. Her teleplay for the TV movie
Freedom
(1981) was based on her daughter Carrie's experiences in the 1970s as a teen
runaway
, played by family friend
Mare Winningham
.
[9]
[11]
In 1983, Turner co-wrote an adaption of the
Stephen King
novel
Cujo
under the name Lauren Currier.
[12]
[13]
Turner wrote an unproduced screenplay about two friends of
Dorothy Parker
named
Gerald and Sara Murphy
. This work led to her daughter, Leigh, being cast in the 1994 film
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
.
[14]
In 1995, she teamed up with daughter
Jennifer Jason Leigh
to write and produce the screenplay for
Georgia
, a film depicting the troubled relationship between two singing sisters played by Leigh and Mare Winningham, who both won praise for their performances.
[15]
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.
[9]
[16]
It was financed by the French film production company
Ciby 2000
, and Turner's daughter, Morrow, served as a technical consultant.
[16]
Turner spent three years doing research, using the Seattle music scene as a source for the material.
[9]
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
biopic
Pollock
, also written by Susan Emswiller,
[6]
: 61?62
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
, which was directed by Robert Altman.
[17]
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.
[18]
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
aired in 2012.
[19]
At the time of her death, Turner had written the script to the not-yet-released
Candice Bergen
-produced film titled
Knock Wood: Charlie McCarthy Project,
a movie based on Bergen's 1983 memoir of the same name.
[20]
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
's famous and hugely popular wooden puppet.
[21]
Other long-time adaptations that were not produced but had been active in Hollywood were scripts based on
Jane Smiley
’s book
Barn Blind
,
Michael Frayn
's
Headlong
, and
Jill Paton Walsh
's
Knowledge of Angels
. Additional screenplays based on original work included
Beautiful View,
Once Again for Zelda
, and
Under Heaven
.
[3]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Turner was married to actor and frequent collaborator
Vic Morrow
. Their daughter is actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh
. Turner and Morrow separated when Leigh was two years old.
[22]
From 1968 to 1985, Turner was married to Iranian-American television director
Reza Badiyi
,
[23]
with whom she had a daughter, the actress
Mina Badie
, also known as
Mina Badiyi Chassler
.
[3]
Barbara Turner died on April 5, 2016, in Los Angeles, aged 79, from undisclosed causes.
[3]
Selected filmography
[
edit
]
Screenwriter
[
edit
]
- 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:
Freedom
(TV movie)
- 1983:
Sessions
(TV movie), also producer
- 1983:
Cujo
(credited as Lauren Currier)
[12]
- 1987:
Eye on the Sparrow
(TV movie), also producer
- 1992:
Somebody's Daughter
(TV movie)
- 1994:
Out of Darkness
(TV movie)
- 1995:
Georgia
, also producer
- 2000:
Pollock
(adaptation)
- 2003:
The Company
- 2012:
Hemingway & Gellhorn
(HBO) (TV movie), also executive producer
- Unknown:
Knock Wood: Charlie McCarthy Project
[21]
Actor
[
edit
]
Awards
[
edit
]
- 1968:
WGA Awards
, Best Written American Drama,
Petulia
to
Lawrence Marcus
(nominee)
- 1976:
Humanitas Prize
,
Widow
(TV movie) (finalist)
- 1978:
Primetime Emmy Award
,
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
,
The War Between the Tates
(nominee)
[24]
- 1987:
Christopher Award
,
Eye on the Sparrow
- 1994:
Humanitas Prize
,
90 Minute Category
,
Out of Darkness
(nominee)
[25]
- 2012:
Primetime Emmy Award
,
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
,
Hemingway & Gellhorn
(nominee)
[26]
- 2013:
WGA Awards
,
Long Form ? Original
,
Hemingway & Gellhorn
(nominee)
[27]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Barnes, Mike (April 5, 2016).
"Barbara Turner, Screenwriter and Producer, Dies at 79"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
Green, Mary (January 11, 2016).
"Jennifer Jason Leigh Talks About the Person Who Inspires Her Most ? and Why Her Son Wanted Her to Skip Sunday's Golden Globes"
.
People
. Retrieved
April 7,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Dagan, Carmel (April 5, 2016).
"Barbara Turner, 'Georgia' Screenwriter and Mother of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dies at 79"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
"Gloria Rose Turner, mentioned in the record of Victor Morrow and Gloria Rose Turner"
.
FamilySearch
. June 26, 1957.
- ^
"Gloria R Turner - United States Census, 1940"
.
FamilySearch
. Retrieved
April 7,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
McCreadie, Marsha (2006). "Chapter 4: Breakaway Queens and Genre Benders".
Women Screenwriters Today: Their Lives and Words
. Westport, CT: Praeger.
ISBN
978-0-275-98542-4
.
OCLC
475146371
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Huttner, Jan Lisa (December 5, 2003).
"Jan Chats with Screenwriter Barbara Turner"
.
Films for Two (FF2 Media)
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
Altman, Robert; Thompson, David (2006).
Altman on Altman
. London, UK: Faber and Faber. p. 20.
ISBN
978-0-571-22089-2
.
OCLC
53709872
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
McGilligan, Patrick (2010). "Chapter 12: Barbara Turner Free Spirit".
Backstory 5: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1990s (June 2008)
. Berkeley: University of California Press.
ISBN
978-0-520-25105-2
.
OCLC
426147374
.
- ^
Gold, Sylviane (June 2, 2002).
"Film; Ready to Play Anyone but Herself"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
Nussbaum, Emily (September 24, 2007).
"Scenes From an Indie Marriage"
.
New York
. Retrieved
April 7,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Gingold, Michael (April 6, 2016).
"RIP "Cujo" scripter Barbara Turner"
.
Fangoria
. Retrieved
April 28,
2016
.
- ^
Turner, Barbara; King, Stephen (August 20, 1982).
Cujo
.
OCLC
81040927
.
Revised first draft
- ^
Carpenter, Teresa (August 29, 1993).
"Film; Back to the Round Table With Dorothy Parker and Pals"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
Maslin, Janet (September 30, 1995).
"Film Festival Review; A Singer's Jittery Sister Gets a Forum for Her Desperation"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Kronke, David (December 3, 1995).
"Movies: 'Georgia' on Their Minds : This tale of two sisters who are musical rivals has personal meaning for actress Jennifer Jason Leigh and her mother, screenwriter Barbara Turner"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
April 7,
2016
.
- ^
Jones, Jen (January 2004). "Acting From Experience".
Dance Spirit
.
8
(1): 36?41.
ISSN
1094-0588
.
ProQuest
209295388
.
- ^
Huttner, Jan Lisa.
"Jan Chats with Screenwriter Barbara Turner"
.
Films42
. Retrieved
May 18,
2020
.
- ^
Stanhope, Kate (June 12, 2010).
"HBO Orders Hemingway Film With Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen"
.
TV Guide
. Retrieved
March 6,
2016
.
- ^
"Candice Bergen producing film on her famed father"
.
CBS News
.
The Associated Press
. April 30, 2013
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 30, 2013).
"Candice Bergen to Tell Story of Her Legendary Ventriloquist Father Edgar Bergen for Big Screen"
.
Deadline.com
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
Chase, Chris (September 3, 1982).
"At The Movies; Jennifer Leigh and her trip from X to R."
The New York Times
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
"Reza S Badiyi - mentioned in the record of Reza S Badiyi and Barbara T Morrow"
.
FamilySearch
. Retrieved
May 4,
2016
.
- ^
"Awards & Nominations: Outstanding Writing In A Special Program - Drama Or Comedy - 1978"
.
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
. 1978
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
"TV, Film Writers Named as Finalists for Humanitas Prizes : Awards: Steven Zaillian earns nominations for 'Searching for Bobby Fischer,' 'Schindler's List' in the new feature category"
.
Los Angeles Times
. June 17, 1994
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
"Awards & Nominations: Outstanding Miniseries or Movie - 2012"
.
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
. 2012
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
- ^
Kim, Wook (February 18, 2013).
"2013 WGA Awards: The Complete List of Winners"
.
Time
. Retrieved
April 6,
2016
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Turner, Barbara; Bartholomew, Caty (illustrations) (Spring 1996). "Georgia: Screenplay".
Scenario. The Magazine of Screenwriting Art
.
2
(1). New York, NY: 151?89.
ISSN
1079-6851
.
OCLC
35737640
.
- McCreadie, Marsha (2006). "Chapter 4: Breakaway Queens and Genre Benders".
Women Screenwriters Today: Their Lives and Words
. Westport, CT: Praeger.
ISBN
978-0-275-98542-4
.
OCLC
475146371
.
- McGilligan, Patrick (June 2008). "Chapter 12: Barbara Turner Free Spirit".
Backstory 5: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1990s
. Berkeley: University of California Press.
ISBN
978-0-520-25105-2
.
OCLC
426147374
.
External links
[
edit
]
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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