By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-23 19:00:16 | Updated at 2024-12-24 01:30:38
6 hours ago
Barbara Bain, who is best known for her role as Cinnamon Carter Crawford on the action television series Mission: Impossible, was spotted at Bristol Farms in Los Angeles.
The Emmy winner, 93, shopped for her groceries and loaded them into the trunk of her black Mercedes Benz.
Barbara, who was married to actor Martin Landau from 1957 to 1993, wore dark grey sweatpants, a black t-shirt, black hoodie and an oatmeal-colored baseball cap.
The statuesque former dancer, who studied under the legendary Martha Graham, looked spy and strong.
Barbara won three consecutive Emmy Awards for her role on Mission: Impossible in 1967, 1968 and 1968 as well as a Golden Globe nomination in 1968.
Born Mildred Fogel in Chicago, Illinois in 1931, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in sociology and moved to New York City to become a dancer.
Barbara Bain, who is best known for her role as Cinnamon Carter Crawford on the action television series Mission: Impossible was spotted at Bristol Farms in Los Angeles
Barbara won three consecutive Emmy Awards for her role on Mission: Impossible in 1967, 1968 and 1968 as well as a Golden Globe nomination in 1968. Seen here in 1966
Barbara soon grew dissatisfied with the world of dance and turned to acting where she enrolled in the Actor's Studio and studied under acclaimed acting instructor Lee Strasberg.
In the late 50s, Barbara and her husband settled in Los Angeles, where they both became well known television actors in the 1960s.
Among other roles, she guest starred on an episode of Perry Mason in 1960 and appeared as Dick Van Dyke's ex-fiancée in a 1963 episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show.
From 1966 to 1969, she and Landau starred on Mission: Impossible, the series that went on to inspire the film franchise with Tom Cruise in the lead.
Bain left the series after three seasons and three Emmys, and said her departure wasn't related to money, but to the changes to the shooting schedule, per an interview with Classic Film and TV Cafe in 2019.
Bain reflected on her pioneering role on television, where her character was a full member of the spy team and not merely window dressing. In fact, her intellect was a big part of the show's storyline.
'There wasn't a woman in that regard on television at the time. Young women were writing to me and saying: "I never thought of becoming a so-and-so, but because of watching you on Mission: Impossible, I'm going to get my degree."
'As the years have gone on, I have gotten a lot of comments like that. For example, I just received a letter from a woman who has retired from NASA and said that she was inspired to pursue her dream because of watching me on Mission: Impossible.'
The Emmy winner, 93, shopped for her groceries and loaded them into the trunk of her black Mercedes Benz
Barbara, who was married to actor Martin Landau from 1957 to 1993, wore dark grey sweatpants, a black t-shirt, black hoodie and an oatmeal-colored baseball cap
The statuesque former dancer, who studied under the legendary Martha Graham, looked spy and strong
She added, 'I'm just extraordinarily moved by all of this. You're not sure of the impact you have while you're doing it. I'm forever being stopped in markets and told these stories, which is just great.'
Outside of acting, Bain has long been an advocate for children's literacy through her non-profit Storyline Online.
She said she was inspired to start the foundation when she was playing a board game with her daughter Juliet in which you had to pick your most favorite things.
One of her favorite things was reading to children, which her daughter pointed out.
'I got to thinking about it. I thought, wait a minute, why don't I go somewhere and read to kids? I considered a library, but then decided that kids in a library probably have someone reading to them,' she explained.
'So, I went to a park, a sort of summer day camp for kids. And I asked the person in charge if I could read to the kids. We sat on the grass and I read stories to all different ages. That was where it started.
'Then, I went to Tom Bradley, our mayor and to the Screen Actors Guild. I said: "Here is this enormous population of actors that can read...we have to read to get roles. It's a large population that likes an audience. And we have an awful lot of time on our hands."
'I went to a neighborhood called Watts and read for one day a week to kindergarten and first-grade students for 15 years. Ultimately, it morphed into an online program known as Storyline Online.
Born Mildred Fogel in Chicago , Illinois in 1931, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in sociology. Seen here with the cast of Mission: Impossible in 1966
Outside of acting, Bain has long been an advocate for children's literacy through her non-profit Storyline Online. Seen here in 1968
'It's enormously successful and involves actors from all over the globe. You pick a story and an actor reads it. It's a wonderful way to get kids interested in literature.'
She's been a life long reader, adding, 'I remember getting my first library card and it had my name on it. It made me a very important person.
'I love reading. It was just something I cared about tremendously. I find it exceedingly rewarding.
'Every time I would leave that kindergarten or first grade class, I was all excited and happy as well as the kids. There is something about that connection,' she gushed.
