The street kid who became Hollywood's toughest dame — and they still don't make 'em like her.
Born Ruby Stevens, she was orphaned when she was four. A chance audition led to a chorus job. By 17 she was a Ziegfeld Girl. At 20 she earned excellent reviews for a bit part in a Broadway play — and she had a new name: Barbara Stanwyck.
Acting
Stanwyck's own interviews reveal layers the scripts never could.
Production
Rare footage from her Ziegfeld days and early poverty-row films.
Director
Gene Feldman
Barbara Stanwyck
Self (archive footage)
Richard Chamberlain
Self (archive footage)
Gary Cooper
Self (archive footage)
Kirk Douglas
Self (archive footage)
Paul Douglas
Self (archive footage)
Frank Fay
Self (archive footage)
Henry Fonda
Self (archive footage)
Charlton Heston
Self
William Holden
Self (archive footage)
Burt Lancaster
Self (archive footage)
Roddy McDowall
Self
Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
Ricardo Montalban
Self
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
US
