October 28, 2026Updated October 29, 2026, 8:04 a.m. ET
Barbara Barrie, who received an Oscar nomination for her role in the 1979 coming-of-age film “Breaking Away,” has died. She was 95 years old.
“Barrie’s death was medically assisted in accordance with New York State’s medically assisted dying law, of which she was a supporter and advocate,” her agent, Gary Gersh, told USA TODAY on October 28.
The “Suddenly Susan” actress, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, died at her home in New York on October 28, the New York Times reported, citing her daughter, Jane Harnick.
Barrie also previously disclosed a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic and incurable lung disease, Playbill reported in September 2014.
“I have a very full and active life, but what awaits me is unknown and yet known at the same time,” she said in a statement at the time. “I’m living life full steam ahead and now I’m trying to help other people do the same.”
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) develops when the tissue surrounding the air sacs of the lungs thickens and becomes stiff, causing permanent scarring that makes breathing increasingly difficult, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Symptoms include occasional chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint and gradual weight loss, according to the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus.
The medical aid in dying law, signed into law in February by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, allows eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to request physician-prescribed medications to end their lives, subject to safeguards and eligibility requirements.
In “Breaking Away,” directed by Peter Yates, Barrie played Evelyn Stohler, the mother of Dave Stohler, played by Dennis Christopher, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role. Her performance as the loving mother of a teenager in Bloomington, Indiana, earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 1980 Academy Awards.
She also earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical as the original Sarah in Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical “Company.” Among his many other stage credits were the original series “The Selling of the President” and “The Prisoner of Second Avenue.”
Her many television credits have also garnered acclaim, with Barrie earning Emmy nominations for roles on the one-season ABC show “Breaking Away” — based on the film she starred in — as well as her single-episode appearances on “Law and Order” and “Law & Order: SVU.”
Barrie also played Brooke Shields’ grandmother in all four seasons of the NBC sitcom “Suddenly Susan” from 1996 to 2000 and directed Hal Linden’s wife Elizabeth in “Barney Miller,” in which she primarily appeared in the first season.
His most notable films include “One Potato, Two Potato”, “The Six Wives of Henry Lefay” and “Private Benjamin”.
Contributor: Chris McKenna, USA TODAY Network
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