Barbara Hersey was born Barbara Herzstein on February 5, 1948 in Hollywood, California.

Intent as a youth to make her mark on the movie industry, Barbara made her acting debut in 1966 as Kathy in "The Monroes". Her film debut would follow shortly, and in 1968 Hershey would land a role in the film "With Six You Get Eggroll".

Typecast as untameably ambitious women, Hershey's personal life would do nothing to dissuade the rumors. A rocky relationship with David Carradine, with whom she birthed a child named Free. Adding to her mystique was a brief episode in which Barbara changed her last name from Hershey to Seagull. All the while a prospective career seemed to slowly fade into the darkness. But in 1979 Hershey was given another chance, cast in the mini-series "From Here to Enternity". She would follow up 1979 with the film "The Stunt Man" in 1980.

There out, Hershey has paced herself through a myriad of films, some more successful than others, making her mark on Hollywood as, if not a starlet,then a credible actress with a determined way. Her appearance in 1986's "Hoosiers" alongside Gene Hackman, and her following role in 1988's "Beaches" co-starring Bette Middler were probably two of her more memorable performances of the decade, save for her appearance in "Shy People" (1987) for which she was a two-time winner for the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award.

Since "Shy People", Hershey has received an Emmy for her 1990 performance in "A Killing in a Small Town". Her career has quieted down a bit since however.