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Barbara McNair

Barbara McNair

Actor · 1934 – 2007 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an African-American singer and actress. Born Barbara Joan McNair in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Racine, Wisconsin, McNair studied music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Her big break came with a win on Arthur Godfrey's TV show Talent Scouts, which led to bookings at The Purple Onion and the Cocoanut Grove. She soon became one of the country's most popular headliners and a guest on such television variety shows as The Steve Allen Show, Hullabaloo, The Bell Telephone Hour, and The Hollywood Palace, while recording for the Coral, Signature, and Motown labels. Among her hits were "You're Gonna Love My Baby" and "Bobby". In the early 60s, Barbara made several musical shorts for Scopitone, a franchise of coin-operated machines that showed what were the forerunners of today's music videos. McNair's acting career began on television, guesting on series such as Dr. Kildare, The Eleventh Hour, I Spy, Mission: Impossible, Hogan's Heroes and McMillan and Wife. McNair posed nude for Playboy in the October 1968 issue. She caught the attention of the movie-going public with her much-publicized nude sequences in the gritty crime drama If He Hollers Let Him Go (1968) opposite Raymond St. Jacques, then donned a nun's habit alongside Mary Tyler Moore for Change of Habit (1969), Elvis Presley's last feature film. She portrayed Sidney Poitier's wife in They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970) and its sequel, The Organization (1971). McNair's Broadway credits include The Body Beautiful (1958), No Strings (1962), and a revival of The Pajama Game (1973). McNair starred in her own 1969 television variety series, but it lasted only one season, despite the wattage provided by A-list guests like Tony Bennett and Sonny and Cher, and offers began to dwindle. On December 15, 1976, her husband, Rick Manzi, was murdered, and Mafia boss-turned-FBI-informant Jimmy Fratianno later claimed in his book The Last Mafioso that Manzi had been a Mafia associate who tried to put a contract on the life of a mob-associated tax attorney with whom he had a legal dispute. The ensuing publicity did little to help McNair's floundering career. Her recordings include Livin' End, I Enjoy Being a Girl, and The Ultimate Motown Collection, a 2-CD set with 48 tracks that include her two albums for the label plus a non-album single and B-side and an entire LP that never was released. Into her seventies, McNair resided in the Los Angeles area, playing tennis and skiing to keep in shape on a regular basis and touring on occasion. She died on February 4, 2007, of throat cancer, survived by her husband Charles Blecka.

Series24

  • TV7.6
  • TV5.8

    The Mike Douglas Show

    1961 · 11 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Merv Griffin Show

    1962 · 12 votes

  • TV7.6

    Mission: Impossible

    1966 · 322 votes

  • TV
  • TV5.7

    Dr. Kildare

    1961 · 19 votes

  • TV7.5
  • TV7.7

    The Carol Burnett Show

    1967 · 74 votes

  • TV7.5

    Hogan's Heroes

    1965 · 193 votes

  • TV6.4

    Police Woman

    1974 · 33 votes

  • TV7.1

    The Oscars

    1953 · 85 votes

  • TV6.2

    The Steve Allen Show

    1956 · 6 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    1948 · 23 votes

  • TV7.3

    The Jeffersons

    1975 · 130 votes

  • TV6.9

    Vega$

    1978 · 25 votes

  • TV6.1

    The Mod Squad

    1968 · 28 votes

  • TV5.4

    Kraft Music Hall

    1958 · 7 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Danny Kaye Show

    1963 · 4 votes

  • TV5.1

    The Flip Wilson Show

    1970 · 22 votes

  • TV8.2

    American Bandstand

    1957 · 9 votes

  • TV5.0

    The Hollywood Palace

    1964 · 5 votes

  • TV6.3

    Snoops

    1989 · 3 votes

  • TV7.0

    To Rome with Love

    1969 · 2 votes

  • TV10.0

    Hullabaloo

    1965 · 1 votes

Movies12

  • Movie5.9
  • Movie6.2

    The Organization

    1971 · 60 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Change of Habit

    1969 · 29 votes

  • Movie4.5
  • Movie6.8

    Spencer's Mountain

    1963 · 42 votes

  • Movie5.6
  • Movie5.5

    Fatal Charm

    1990 · 15 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Paroxismus

    Venus in Furs

    1969 · 58 votes

  • Movie5.3

    Stiletto

    1969 · 7 votes

  • Movie7.0

    The Lonely Profession

    1969 · 1 votes

  • Movie9.0

    Neon Signs

    1996 · 1 votes

  • Movie4.0

    The Unkissed Bride

    1966 · 7 votes