{{Short description|British-American actress (1929–2023)}} {{refimprove|date=September 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Barbara Bryne | image = Barbara Bryne_resize.jpg | birth_name = Barbara Isabel Birkinshaw | birth_date = {{birth date|1929|4|1|df=y}} | birth_place = London, England | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|5|2|1929|4|1|df=y}} | death_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1947–2012 | television = ''The Neverending Story''<br />''American Playhouse''<br />''Love, Sidney'' | spouse = {{marriage|Dennis Spence|1953|2018|reason=died}} | children = 1 }}
'''Barbara Bryne''' ({{nee}} Barbara Isabel Birkinshaw; 1 April 1929 – 2 May 2023) was a British-American actress of film, theatre, and television. On stage she appeared in comedy, dramatic, and musical productions of Broadway.
==Early life and education== Barbara Bryne was born Barbara Isabel Birkinshaw on 1 April 1929 in London, England.{{cn|date=November 2025}}
She studied studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.{{cn|date=November 2025}}
==Career== Bryne moved to Canada in the early 1960s. She was a frequent performer at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (Stratford, Ontario) from 1966, and at the Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis, Minnesota) for around 50 years.<ref>[https://www.broadwayworld.com/minneapolis/article/Christopher-Plummer-Barbara-Byrne-and-More-Join-Guthries-50th-Anniversary-Gala-622-20130516#.U-FSZ6NeKSo "Christopher Plummer, Barbara Byrne <nowiki>[sic]</nowiki> and more join Guthrie's 50th Anniversary Gala"]; accessed 6 August 2014.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://archives.stratfordfestival.ca/AIS/Details/people/5639 |title= Bryne, Barbara |access-date=2019-04-06 |archive-date=2019-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406004346/https://archives.stratfordfestival.ca/AIS/Details/people/5639 |url-status=dead| publisher= Stratford Festival }}</ref>
Bryne appeared in the original Broadway productions of Stephen Sondheim's ''Sunday in the Park with George'' (as George's mother) and ''Into The Woods'' (as Jack's mother). She also performed in Sondheim's ''A Little Night Music'' in Washington, D.C.{{cn|date=November 2025}} She was also a frequent performer at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater. Among the plays in which she appeared there were ''Mother Courage'', ''The Glass Menagerie'', ''She Stoops to Conquer'', ''Design for Living'', and ''Pygmalion''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/barbara-bryne-begins-performances-in-guthries-the-chairs-oct-25-com-109150|title=Barbara Bryne Begins Performances in Guthrie's The Chairs Oct. 25|date=25 October 2002|website=Playbill.com|accessdate=21 August 2020}}</ref>
On television, she played "Mrs. Gaffney" on the Tony Randall series, ''Love, Sidney'' (1981–1983). In 2011 she appeared as Queen Victoria in ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', which was filmed for PBS in late August 2011.<ref name="imdb">{{IMDb name|0117408}}</ref> Among the films in which she has appeared are: ''Romeo & Juliet'' (1993 TV film), ''Into the Woods'' (1991 TV film), ''Two Evil Eyes'' (1990; "The Black Cat" segment), ''Sunday in the Park with George'' (1986 TV film), ''Amadeus'' (1984), ''The Bostonians'' (1984), and ''The School for Scandal'' (1975 TV film).{{cn|date=November 2025}}
==Accolades== In 1982, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Drama for her role as "Kath" in the first American production of Joe Orton's ''Entertaining Mr. Sloane'' (which starred Maxwell Caulfield in the title role).{{cn|date=November 2025}}
==Personal life and death== Bryne married Dennis Spence in 1953. They remained married for 55 years until his death in 2018. Bryne died on 2 May 2023 in Minneapolis, at the age of 94.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hall |first1=Margaret |title=Sondheim Favorite Barbara Bryne Passes Away at 94 |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/sondheim-favorite-barbara-bryne-passes-away-at-94 |access-date=3 May 2023 |publisher=Playbill |date=3 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/barbara-bryne-dead-sondheim-broadway-1235479439/|title=Barbara Bryne, Actress in Sondheim Musicals on Broadway, Dies at 94|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=May 3, 2023|access-date=May 4, 2023}}</ref>
==Stage== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role(s) ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1966 |''Henry VI'' |Margery Jourdan | |- |1966 |''Twelfth Night'' |Maria | |- |1966 |''King Lear'' |Goneril | |- |1967 |''Richard III'' |Duchess of York | |- |1967 |''{{sortname|The|Government Inspector}}'' |Locksmith's Wife, Korobkin's Wife | |- |1967 |''{{sortname|The|Merry Wives of Windsor}}'' |Ensemble | |- |1968 |''Tartuffe'' |Mme. Pernelle | |- |1968 |''{{sortname|The|Three Musketeers}}'' |Mme. Coquenard, Landlady of the Gilded Lily | |- |1968 |''{{sortname|A|Midsummer Night's Dream}}'' |Puck | |- |1981 |''Cymbeline'' |The Queen | |- |1981 |''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' |Kath |Nomination: Drama Desk Award |- |1984–1985 |''Sunday in the Park with George'' |Blair Daniels, Old Lady |Broadway debut |- |1985 |''Hay Fever'' |Clara | |- |1986–1989 |''Into the Woods'' |Jack's Mother | |- |1989 |''{{sortname|The|Importance of Being Earnest}}'' |Lady Augusta Bracknell | |- |1992 |''Romeo and Juliet'' |Nurse | |- |1993 |''{{sortname|A|Midsummer Night's Dream}}'' |Robin Starveling | |- | 1994 | ''Sunday in the Park with George'' | Blair Daniels, Old Lady | 10th Anniversary Concert<ref>[https://playbill.com/production/sunday-in-the-park-with-george-st-james-theatre-vault-0000004176 ''Sunday in the Park with George'' Broadway Concert"], Playbill, retrieved February 20, 2023</ref> |- |1995 |''{{sortname|The|Merry Wives of Windsor}}'' |Mistress Quickly | |- |1997 |''Into the Woods'' |Jack’s Mother |10th Anniversary Concert<ref>[https://playbill.com/production/into-the-woodsbroadway-broadway-theatre-1997 “Into the Woods”]</ref> |- |2002 |''{{sortname|A|Little Night Music}}'' |Madame Armfeldt | |- |2002 |''{{sortname|The|Chairs}}'' |Old Woman | |- |2003 |''Three Sisters'' |Anfisa | |- |2006 |''{{sortname|The|Birthday Party|The Birthday Party (play)}}'' |Mistress Quickly | |- |2007 |''Our Leading Lady'' |Maude Bentley | |- |2007 |''Jane Eyre'' |Mrs. Fairfax | |- |2009 |''When We Are Married'' |Mrs. Northrop | |- |2010 |''Macbeth'' |Weïrd Sister | |- |2011 |''H.M.S. Pinafore'' |Queen Victoria | |- |2012 |''Hay Fever'' |Clara | |- |2012 |''Embers'' |Nini | |}
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- |1963 |''Festival'' |Gladys |(segment "I Spy") |- |1967 |''Mister Rogers'' |Miss Paulifficate | |- |1974 |''The Play's the Thing'' |Betty | (episode "Back to Beulah") |- |1975 |''Great Performances'' |Mrs. Candour | (episode "The School for Scandal") |- |1981 |''CBS Children's Mystery Theatre'' |Blanche Guizot | (episode "Mystery at Fire Island") |- |1982 |''Best of the West'' |Miss Hanratty | (episode "The Calico Kid Goes to School") |- |1982 |''Maid in America'' |Aunt Melissa |TV movie |- |1983 |''Svengali'' |Mrs. Burns-Rizzo |TV movie |- |1982–1983 |''Love, Sidney'' |Mrs. Gaffney | |- |1984|| ''The Bostonians'' || Mrs. Tarrant || |- |1984|| ''Amadeus'' || Frau Weber || |- |1990|| ''Two Evil Eyes'' || Martha || (segment "The Black Cat") |- |1986–1991 |''American Playhouse'' |Jack's Mother / Old Lady / Blair Daniels | |- |1993 |''Romeo and Juliet'' |Nurse |TV movie |- |1995–1996 |''The Neverending Story'' |Urgl |Voice |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0117408}} * {{IBDB name|72253}} * {{IOBDB name|33401}} * [http://www.theatredb.com/QPerson.php?pid=p000456 Barbara Bryne profile], theatredb.com; accessed 6 August 2014. * {{discogs artist|Barbara Bryne}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryne, Barbara}} Category:1929 births Category:2023 deaths Category:English film actresses Category:English musical theatre actresses Category:English stage actresses Category:English television actresses Category:English emigrants to the United States Category:Actresses from London