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{{about|the American actress|the Canadian country music performer|Carroll Baker (singer)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=
{{Good article}}
{{Infobox person
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| image = Carroll_Baker_headshot_for_Station_Six-Sahara_1962.png
| image_size =
| caption = Baker in
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1931|05|28}}
| birth_place = [[Johnstown, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress | writer}}
| alma_mater =
| years_active = 1952–2003
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* ''[[The Carpetbaggers (film)|The Carpetbaggers]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Harlow (Paramount film)|Harlow]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Star 80]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Native Son (1986 film)|Native Son]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Kindergarten Cop]]'' (1990)
}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|Louie Ritter|1953|1953|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|[[Jack Garfein]]|1955|1969|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|[[Donald Burton]]|
}}
| children = {{plainlist|
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}}
'''Carroll Baker''' (born May 28, 1931)<ref>{{cite web |title=Carroll Baker |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/carroll-baker-30680 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/
Baker had other early film roles in ''[[Giant (1956 film)|Giant]]'' (1956) and the romantic comedy ''[[But Not for Me (
In the mid-1960s, as a contract player for [[Paramount Pictures]], Baker became a sex symbol after appearing as a hedonistic widow in ''[[The Carpetbaggers (film)|The Carpetbaggers]]'' (1964). The film's producer, [[Joseph E. Levine]], cast her in
Baker appeared in supporting roles in several acclaimed dramas in the 1980s, including the true-crime drama ''[[Star 80]]'' (1983) as the mother of murder victim [[Dorothy Stratten]], and the racial drama ''[[Native Son (1986 film)|Native Son]]'' (1986), based on the novel by [[Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright]]. In 1987, she had a supporting part in ''[[Ironweed (film)|Ironweed]]'' (1987). Through the 1990s Baker had guest roles in several television series, such as ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''; ''[[L.A. Law]]'', and ''[[Roswell (TV series)|Roswell]]''. She also had supporting parts in several big-budget films, such as ''[[Kindergarten Cop]]'' (1990) and the [[David Fincher]]
==Early life and education==
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Baker attended Greensburg Salem High School in [[Greensburg, Pennsylvania]], where she was a debate team member and active in the marching band and school musicals.{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=23}} At 18, she moved with her family to [[St. Petersburg, Florida]], where she attended St. Petersburg Junior College (now [[St. Petersburg College]]).<ref name="glamour" /> After her first year in college, she began working as a [[magician's assistant]] on the [[vaudeville]] circuit<ref name="mitchell"/> and joined a [[dance company]], working as a professional dancer.<ref name="glamour" /> In 1949, Baker won the title of Miss Florida Fruits and Vegetables.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brennan |first=Patricia |title='Best Thing I've Had For Ages': 'baby Doll' Baker Is Catching 'fire' For ABC |url=http://articles.latimes.com/1987-01-03/entertainment/ca-2119_1_baby-doll-baker |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 3, 1987 |access-date=April 9, 2015}}</ref><ref name="irv">{{cite web |last=Slifkin |first=Irv |title=The Fabulous Baker: A Consideration of Carroll |url=http://www.moviefanfare.com/carroll-baker/ |work=MovieFanFare |date=May 3, 2015 |access-date=February 26, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226125337/http://www.moviefanfare.com/carroll-baker/ |archive-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref> In 1951, Baker moved to New York City, where she rented a dirt-floor basement apartment in [[Queens, New York|Queens]]. She worked as a nightclub dancer and also had stints as a [[Chorus line|chorus girl]] in traveling vaudeville shows, which took her to [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]], [[Detroit]], and New Jersey.{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=32}}
Baker studied acting at [[HB Studio]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hbstudio.org/about-hb-studio/alumni/ |title=HB Studio - Notable Alumni | One of the Original Acting Studios in NYC |website=Hbstudio.org |access-date=August 4, 2021}}</ref> In 1952, she enrolled at the [[Actors Studio]] and studied under [[Lee Strasberg]].<ref name="yahoo">{{cite web |title=Carroll Baker Biography |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/person/carroll-baker/biography.html |url-status=dead |work=Yahoo! Movies |access-date=June 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/
==Career==
===1952–1957:
[[File:Carroll Baker by Peter Basch.png|thumb
After appearing in television commercials for [[Winston (cigarette)|Winston cigarettes]] and [[Coca-Cola]],{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=73}} Baker was featured in an episode of ''[[Monodrama Theater]]'' performing a [[monodrama|monodramatic piece]], which was broadcast in 1952 on the [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont Network]].<ref name="FR"/> The following year, she made her film debut with a small walk-on part in the musical ''[[Easy to Love (1953 film)|Easy to Love]]'' (1953). This led to her landing roles in two [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] productions: [[Roger MacDougall]]'s ''Escapade'' in the fall of 1953, and [[Robert Anderson (playwright)|Robert Anderson]]'s ''All Summer Long'', opposite [[Ed Begley]], which ran from September to mid-November 1954.<ref name="playbill" /> In 1955, she screen tested and auditioned for the lead role in ''[[Picnic (1955 film)|Picnic]]'', but lost the part to [[Kim Novak]].{{sfn|Mell|2005|p=187}} She was also considered for the lead in ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' (1955) after James Dean recommended her for the part to director [[Nicholas Ray]], which she turned down.{{sfn|Rathgeb|2004|p=63}}
Baker's first major screen role was the supporting part of Luz Benedict II in ''[[Giant (1956 film)|Giant]]'' (1956), opposite [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Rock Hudson]], and James Dean, in his final role. According to Baker, she had been offered numerous leading parts in feature films before that point, but chose to debut in a supporting role in ''Giant'' because she was "insecure" and "wanted to start out a little less 'profile.{{'"}}<ref name="jamesdean" /> ''Giant'' was largely filmed in the small town of [[Marfa, Texas]], in 1955;<ref name="fitzgerald">{{cite web |url=http://www.westernclippings.com/interview/carrollbaker_interview.shtml |work=Western Clippings |title=Carroll Baker Interview |author=Fitzgerald, Mike |access-date=February 27, 2015}}</ref> Baker recalled her experience on set, saying that James Dean and she were both enamored of Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor while filming.{{sfn|Baker|1983|pages=23–30}}
▲[[File:Carroll Baker by Peter Basch.png|thumb|right|upright|Baker in a publicity photo for ''Baby Doll'' by [[Peter Basch]], 1956]]
Simultaneously, Baker was cast as the title character in [[Elia Kazan]]'s ''[[Baby Doll]]'' (1956),{{sfn|DiLeo| 2010 |p=62}} a role initially intended for [[Marilyn Monroe]].{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=175}} [[Tennessee Williams]], who had written and developed the screenplay based on two of his one-act plays, wanted Baker to play the part after seeing her perform a scene from his script at the Actors Studio; likewise, Kazan had been impressed by her performance in ''All Summer Long'' on Broadway the year prior.{{sfn|Murphy|1992|p=131}} Shot in [[Benoit, Mississippi]], directly after Baker had completed ''Giant'', her role in the film as a sexually repressed teenaged bride to a failed middle-aged cotton gin owner brought Baker overnight fame and a level of notoriety even before the film's release.{{sfn|Vickers|2008|p=75}} In the fall of 1956, artist Robert Everheart, under contract with [[Warner Bros.]], constructed a {{convert|135|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} billboard in [[Times Square]] promoting the film, depicting the now-iconic image of a scantily clad Baker lying in a crib sucking her thumb.{{sfn|Haberski|2007|pages=61; 89}} The controversial advertising campaign for the film caused a pre-emptive backlash from religious groups, and on December 16, 1956, Cardinal [[Francis Spellman]] of [[St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan)|St. Patrick's Cathedral]] denounced the film and advised his parish against seeing it. A formal condemnation by the Roman Catholic [[National Legion of Decency]] ensued, which considered it "grievously offensive to Christian and traditional standards of morality and decency".<ref name="newsday"/>{{sfn|Vickers|2008 |pages=75–76}}<ref name="village voice">{{cite web |last=Hoberman |first=J. |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-12-17/film/catch-baby-doll-with-carroll-baker-and-eli-wallach/full/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530070436/http://www.villagevoice.com/film/catch-baby-doll-with-carroll-baker-and-eli-wallach-6389048 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 30, 2016 |work=The Village Voice |date=December 17, 2012 |title=Catch Baby Doll with Carroll Baker and Eli Wallach |access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref>
In spite of this, ''Baby Doll'' opened to strong box-office receipts, grossing $51,232 in its first week at the [[Victoria Theater (New York City)|Victoria Theater]].{{sfn|Haberski|2007|p=79}} In support of Baker, Marilyn Monroe appeared at the film's premiere, working as an [[Usher (occupation)|usherette]] to help bolster ticket sales, the proceeds of which were donated to the Actors Studio.{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=175}}{{sfn|Harding|2012|p=20}} Baker received immense critical praise for her performance. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' said that her performance "captures all the animal charm, the naivete, the vanity, contempt and rising passion of Baby Doll",<ref>{{cite web |title=Review: 'Baby Doll' |url=https://variety.com/1955/film/reviews/baby-doll-1200418101/ |date=December 31, 1956 |access-date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> while [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised Baker's ability to exhibit "a piteously flimsy little twist of juvenile greed, inhibitions, physical yearnings, common crudities and conceits".<ref>{{cite web |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |author-link=Bosley Crowther |title=Baby Doll (1956) Screen: Streetcar on Tobacco Road; Williams-Kazan 'Baby Doll' Is at Victoria |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B02EEDB1E30E03BBC4152DFB467838D649EDE |work=The New York Times |date=December 19, 1956 |access-date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> ''Baby Doll'' established Baker as an A-list actress and would remain the film for which she is best remembered.<ref>{{cite web |title=Baby Doll Review |url=http://www.tvguide.com/movies/baby-doll-101609/review/ |work=TV Guide |access-date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> She was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for her performance, a [[Golden Globe]] for Best Actress, and won a Golden Globe for [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress|Most Promising Newcomer]], which she shared with [[Jayne Mansfield]] and [[Natalie Wood]]. The performance also earned her a Film Achievement Award from ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'', as well as the title "Woman of the Year" in 1957 from [[Harvard University]]'s [[Hasty Pudding Club]].<ref name="turner">{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/8384%7C28000/Carroll-Baker/ |work=Turner Classic Movies |title=Overview for Carroll Baker |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref> She appeared on the cover of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life Magazine]]'' in June 1956.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Life |title=A bright star rising |volume=40 |number=24 |date=June 11, 1956 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-kgEAAAAMBAJ&q=carroll%20baker%201956%20life&pg=PA2 |via=[[Google Books]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>
===1958–1963: Contract disputes and independent films===
[[File:The Big Country Baker Peck screenshot.jpg|thumb|Baker with [[Gregory Peck]] in ''[[The Big Country]]''
[[File:Carroll Baker Come On Strong Broadway 1962.jpg|thumb
After the success of ''Baby Doll'', Baker was subsequently offered parts in ''[[The Brothers Karamazov (1958 film)|The Brothers Karamazov]]'' (1958), ''[[Too Much, Too Soon]]'' (1958), and ''[[The Devil's Disciple (1959 film)|The Devil's Disciple]]'' (1959).<ref>{{cite news |title=Carroll Baker Becomes Star in Quick Order |author=Schallert, Edwin |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 17, 1957 |page=E1}}</ref> She refused to make ''Too Much Too Soon'', so Warner Bros. put her on suspension, which prevented her from starring in ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (1958) at MGM.<ref>{{cite news |title=WARNERS TO HOLD ACTRESS TO PACT: Studio Halts Deal Between Carroll Baker and M-G-M for 'Karamazov' Movie Maria Schell Sought |author=THOMAS M. PRYOR |date=May 3, 1957 |work=New York Times |page=20}}</ref> Baker was also chosen by MGM for the lead in ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (film)|Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]'' (1958) and by [[Twentieth Century Fox]] for ''[[The Three Faces of Eve]]'' (1957), but her contract with Warner Bros. again prevented her from accepting the roles.<ref name="newsday" /><ref name="bts">{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/196854%7C0/Bridge-to-the-Sun.html |work=Turner Classic Movies |title=Bridge to the Sun |access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref> Tensions between Baker and the studio escalated further when she went against their wishes by appearing in ''[[Arms and the Man]]'' on stage.<ref>{{cite news |title=TOWER TICKER |author=Lyon, Herb |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |date=July 1, 1957 |page=b11}}</ref> Baker commented on the effect of the system on her career, saying: "I came in at the end of the big studio system. I still had a slave contract and they were willing to put you in almost anything they had."<ref name="jones" />▼
[[File:Carroll Baker as Jean Harlow, 1964.png|thumb
▲After the success of ''Baby Doll'', Baker was subsequently offered parts in ''[[The Brothers Karamazov (1958 film)|The Brothers Karamazov]]'' (1958), ''[[Too Much, Too Soon]]'' (1958), and ''[[The Devil's Disciple (1959 film)|The Devil's Disciple]]'' (1959).<ref>{{cite news |title=Carroll Baker Becomes Star in Quick Order |author=Schallert, Edwin |work=Los Angeles Times |date=February 17, 1957 |page=E1}}</ref> She refused to make ''Too Much Too Soon'', so Warner Bros. put her on suspension, which prevented her from starring in ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (1958) at MGM.<ref>{{cite news |title=WARNERS TO HOLD ACTRESS TO PACT: Studio Halts Deal Between Carroll Baker and M-G-M for 'Karamazov' Movie Maria Schell Sought |author=THOMAS M. PRYOR |date=May 3, 1957 |work=New York Times |page=20}}</ref> Baker was also chosen by MGM for the lead in ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (film)|Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]'' (1958) and by [[20th Century Studios|Twentieth Century Fox]] for ''[[The Three Faces of Eve]]'' (1957), but her contract with Warner Bros. again prevented her from accepting the roles.<ref name="newsday" /><ref name="bts">{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/196854%7C0/Bridge-to-the-Sun.html |work=Turner Classic Movies |title=Bridge to the Sun |access-date=February 26, 2015}}</ref> Tensions between Baker and the studio escalated further when she went against their wishes by appearing in ''[[Arms and the Man]]'' on stage.<ref>{{cite news |title=TOWER TICKER |author=Lyon, Herb |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |date=July 1, 1957 |page=b11}}</ref> Baker commented on the effect of the system on her career, saying: "I came in at the end of the big studio system. I still had a slave contract and they were willing to put you in almost anything they had."<ref name="jones" />
After her suspension with Warner Bros. was lifted, Baker appeared in [[William Wyler]]'s Western epic ''[[The Big Country]]'' (1958).<ref>{{cite news |last=Parsons |first=Louella |author-link=Louella Parsons |title=Carroll Baker Unleashed by Warner |work=The Washington Post and Times-Herald |date=July 22, 1957 |page=A10}}</ref> The film was well received by critics, though the shoot was described as "problematic": Baker was four months pregnant at the time and had to wear restraining garments, and director Wyler reportedly had her on the verge of tears after forcing her to repeat the same take over 60 times, only to use the first one.{{sfn|Cantarini|Spicer|2010|p=146}} She followed ''The Big Country'' with lead roles in two romances, portraying a nun in ''[[The Miracle (1959 film)|The Miracle]]'' (1959), co-starring [[Roger Moore]], and in ''[[But Not for Me (
Baker went on to make the experimental film ''[[Something Wild (1961 film)|Something Wild]]'' (1961), directed by her then-husband [[Jack Garfein]]. In this independent production, she plays a young college student from [[the Bronx]] who is raped one night in St. James Park, and later held captive by a Manhattan mechanic ([[Ralph Meeker]]), who witnessed her subsequent suicide attempt. In preparation for her role, Baker lived alone in a boarding house in New York's [[Lower East Side]], and gained employment as a department-store salesgirl; her [[Method acting|Method]] approach to the role was profiled in ''Life'' magazine in 1960.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0U0EAAAAMBAJ&q=carroll%20baker%20raped&pg=PA41 |magazine=Life |title=Practice for an Actress |pages=41–2 |date=November 28, 1960 |via=Google Books}} {{Open access}}</ref> Critical reaction to the film was largely negative,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17773/Something-Wild/articles.html |work=Turner Classic Movies |title=Something Wild Articles |access-date=May 28, 2020}}</ref>
After this, Baker appeared in the independent British-German film ''[[Station Six-Sahara]]'' (1962) as a woman who provokes tensions at an oil station in the [[Sahara Desert]], as well as the blockbuster Western epic ''[[How the West Was Won (film)|How the West Was Won]]'' (1962), opposite [[James Stewart]] and [[Debbie Reynolds]] and former co-stars Gregory Peck and Karl Malden.{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=210}} In addition to film acting, Baker also found time to appear again on Broadway, starring in the 1962 production of [[Garson Kanin]]'s ''Come on Strong'' in the fall of that year.<ref name="playbill"/> In 1963, Baker relocated permanently with then-husband Jack Garfein and their two children to Los Angeles, where she based herself for the next several years.{{sfn|Baker|1983|pages=222–23}} She traveled to [[Kenya]] to film ''[[Mister Moses]]'' (1965), where publicized rumors spread that she and co-star [[Robert Mitchum]] were having an affair, which they both vehemently denied.<ref name="newsday" /> Another story, now considered [[apocryphal]], had it that a [[Maasai people|Maasai]] chief in Kenya offered 150 cows, 200 goats, sheep, and $750 for her hand in marriage.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=LIFE |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUkEAAAAMBAJ&q=carroll%20baker%20africa&pg=PA18 |date=August 7, 1964 |page=18 |title=Letters to the Editor |author=Kovznski, Gerald |via=Google Books}} {{Open access}}</ref> She subsequently appeared with Maasai warriors on the cover of ''Life''{{-'}}s July 1964 issue.
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Baker portrayed a [[pacifism|pacifist]] [[Quaker]] schoolteacher in [[John Ford (director)|John Ford]]'s ''[[Cheyenne Autumn]]'' (1964), and received critical acclaim for the role.<ref>{{cite web |work=The New York Times |title=Cheyenne Autumn (1964) Screen: John Ford Mounts Huge Frontier Western: Cheyenne Autumn' Bows at Capitol 3 Other Films Open at Local Cinemas |date=December 24, 1964 |author=Crowther, Bosley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE3DB1F3FE13ABC4C51DFB467838F679EDE |quote=... a strong film, grandly directed and expertly played by a large cast, which includes ... Carroll Baker as a Quaker schoolteacher who accompanies the displaced people on their desperate homeward trek.}}</ref> She then had a supporting role as [[Saint Veronica]] in [[George Stevens]]' ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965), and portrayed a cynical, alcoholic movie star in ''[[The Carpetbaggers (film)|The Carpetbaggers]]'' (1964), which brought her a second wave of notoriety in spite of the film's lackluster reviews.<ref name="carpet">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9400E7DC163DE13ABC4A53DFB166838F679EDE |work=The New York Times |title=Screen: 'The Carpetbaggers' Opens:Adaptation of Book by Robbins in Debut |author=Crowther, Bosley |date=July 2, 1964 |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' called the film "a sickly sour distillation" of the source novel, but said Baker's performance "brought some color and a sandpaper personality as the sex-loaded widow."<ref name="carpet" /> The film was the top moneymaker of that year, with domestic box-office receipts of $13,000,000,{{sfn|Steinberg|1980|p=23}} and marked the beginning of a tumultuous relationship with the film's producer, [[Joseph E. Levine]].
▲[[File:Carroll Baker as Jean Harlow, 1964.png|thumb|upright|Baker in test makeup for her role as [[Jean Harlow]], as she appeared on the cover of the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'', 1963]]
Based on her ''Carpetbaggers'' performance, Levine began to develop Baker as a movie [[sex symbol]], and she appeared posing in the December 1964 issue of ''[[Playboy]]''.{{sfn|Lisanti|2001|p=12}} She was subsequently cast by Levine in the title roles of two 1965 [[potboiler]]s— ''[[Sylvia (1965 film)|Sylvia]]'', as an ex-prostitute and con artist, and as [[Jean Harlow]] in ''[[Harlow (Paramount film)|Harlow]]''. Baker appeared on the cover of the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' on their November 2, 1963, issue dressed as Harlow, promoting the film's upcoming production.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=The Saturday Evening Post |title=The Jean Harlow Look: Carroll Baker Grows from Baby Doll to Screen Siren |date=November 2, 1963}}</ref> In 1965, she became an official celebrity spokesperson for [[Foster Grant]] sunglasses and appeared in advertisements for the company.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Isn't that Carroll Baker behind those Foster Grants? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=61IEAAAAMBAJ&q=carroll%20baker%20foster%20grant&pg=PA104 |magazine=Life |date=June 11, 1965 |access-date=July 1, 2015 |pages=104 |via=Google Books}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Vesilind |first=Emili |title=Raquel Welch revives her '60s-era role as a Foster Grants sunglasses girl |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2010/03/raquel-welch-revives-her-circa60s-role-as-a-foster-grant-girl.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 18, 2012 |access-date=July 1, 2015}}</ref> Baker likened this era of her career to "being a beauty contest winner [as opposed to] an actress".{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=248}}
Despite much prepublicity, ''Harlow'' received a lukewarm response from critics: ''Variety'' referred to Baker's portrayal of Harlow as "a fairly reasonable facsimile, although she lacks the electric fire of the original."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1964/film/reviews/harlow-1200420859/ |work=Variety |date=December 31, 1964 |access-date=March 2, 2015 |title=Review: 'Harlow'}}</ref> Relations between Baker and Levine soured; in a 1965 interview, Baker sardonically commented: "I'll say this about Joe Levine: I admire his taste in leading ladies", which led the press to suspect a rift between the actress and producer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Carroll Baker-Levine Rift Is Indicated By Film Star |work=The Toledo Blade |date=August 14, 1965 |page=9 |via=Google News |author=Lyons, Leonard |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19650813&id=TVtQAAAAIBAJ&pg=3724,4270579}} {{open access}}</ref> Baker sued Levine in 1966 over her contract with Paramount Pictures,<ref name="paranoia">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paranoia-1969 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |title=Paranoia Movie Review |date=August 20, 1969 |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref> and was ultimately fired by Paramount and had her paychecks from ''Harlow'' frozen amid the contentious legal dispute; this left Baker hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt (however, she was eventually awarded $1 million in compensation).<ref name="irv" />
In an interview with [[Rex Reed]] in his book ''People Are Crazy Here'' (1974), Baker revealed that she had felt pressure in both her working relationship with Levine, and her domestic life with her husband
===1967–1975: European films===
[[File:Il dolce corpo di Deborah (1968) - Carroll Baker (1).jpg|thumb
Baker separated from her second husband, Jack Garfein, in 1967, and moved to Europe with her two children to pursue a career there after struggling to find work in Hollywood.<ref name="newsday"/>{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=296}} Eventually settling in Rome, Baker became fluent in Italian<ref name="glamour" /> and spent the next several years starring in hard-edged [[giallo
▲[[File:Il dolce corpo di Deborah (1968) - Carroll Baker (1).jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|Baker in a production still from ''[[The Sweet Body of Deborah]]'' (1968)]]
Many of these films feature her in roles as distressed women, and often showed Baker in nude scenes, which few major Hollywood actors were willing to do at the time.{{sfn|Shipka|2011|p=80}} Baker became a favorite of Umberto Lenzi, with her best-known role being in the aforementioned ''Paranoia'', where she played a wealthy widow tormented by two sadistic siblings. In his review of ''Paranoia'', [[Roger Ebert]] said: "Carroll Baker, who was a Hollywood sex symbol (for some, it is said) until she sued Joe Levine and got blacklisted, has been around. She may not be an actress, but she can act. In ''The Carpetbaggers'', there was a nice wholesome vulgarity to her performance. She is not intrinsically as bad as she appears in ''Paranoia''. I think maybe she was saying 'the hell with it', and having a good time."<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paranoia-1969 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |title=Paranoia Movie Review |date=August 20, 1969 |access-date=April 5, 2015}}</ref> As with ''Paranoia'', the majority of the films she made in Italy received poor critical reception in the United States,<ref>{{cite journal |journal=FilmFacts |volume=12 |page=175 |date=1969 |title=The Sweet Body of Deborah: Critique |publisher=Division of Cinema of the University of Southern California |quote=The critics were extremely unkind to ''The Sweet Body of Deborah'', with Carroll Baker taking the severest beating}}</ref> though they afforded Baker—who had left Hollywood in debt and with two children to support— an income, as well as fame abroad. In retrospect, Baker commented on her career in Italy and on her exploitation film roles, saying: "I think I made more films [there] than I made in Hollywood, but the mentality is different. What they think is wonderful is not what we might ... it was marvelous for me because it really brought me back to life, and it gave me a whole new outlook. It's wonderful to know about a different world."<ref name="brennan">{{cite web |url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/carroll-baker/ |work=The Los Angeles Times |title=Carroll Baker |series=Hollywood Star Walk |author=Brennan, Patricia |date=January 3, 1987 |access-date=February 3, 2015}}</ref>
She followed her roles in Lenzi's films with a leading role in [[Corrado Farina]]'s
===1976–1987: Return to American films; theater===
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She followed ''Bad'' with a part in the low-budget surrealist thriller ''[[The Sky Is Falling (1979 film)|The Sky Is Falling]]'' (1979) with [[Dennis Hopper]], playing a washed-up actress living among expatriates in a Spanish village. The 1970s also had a return to the stage for Baker, where she appeared in British theater productions of ''[[Bell, Book and Candle (play)|Bell, Book, and Candle]]''; ''Rain'', an adaptation of a story by [[W. Somerset Maugham]]; ''[[Lucy Crown]]'', an adaptation of the novel by [[Irwin Shaw]]; and ''Motive''. In 1978, while touring England and Ireland in productions of ''Motive'', Baker met stage actor [[Donald Burton]], who became her third husband.<ref name="glamour" /> She also appeared in American stage productions of [[Georges Feydeau]]'s ''[[13 Rue de l'Amour]]'', ''[[Forty Carats]]'', and ''[[Goodbye Charlie]]''.<ref name="FR">{{cite web |title=Carroll Baker Biography (1931–) |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/96/Carroll-Baker.html |work=Film Reference |access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref>
By the 1980s Baker had largely become a [[character actress]], and was based in London. She starred in a supporting role in the 1980 [[Walt Disney]]-produced horror film ''[[The Watcher in the Woods (1980 film)|The Watcher in the Woods]]'', alongside [[Bette Davis]], after having been asked by [[United Kingdom|British]] director [[John Hough (director)|John Hough]], a longtime admirer of her work.<ref>Hough, John. ''The Watcher in the Woods'' Commentary [DVD]. [[Anchor Bay Entertainment|Anchor Bay Home Entertainment]]. 2002.</ref> After an appearance in the British television film ''[[Red Monarch]]'' (1983), she played the mother of murdered ''[[Playboy]]'' model [[Dorothy Stratten]] (played by [[Mariel Hemingway]]) in the biopic ''[[Star 80]]'' (1983). She also appeared as the mother of [[Sigmund Freud]] in the historical comedy ''[[The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud]]'' (1984) with [[Carol Kane]] and [[Klaus Kinski]].{{sfn|Monush|2003|p=33}}
Baker featured in ''[[Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil]]'' (1985), a coming-of-age drama set against [[Nazi Germany]], as well as in the drama ''[[Native Son (1986 film)|Native Son]]'' (1986), based on [[Native Son|the novel]] by [[Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright]], which featured [[Matt Dillon]], [[Geraldine Page]], and a young [[Oprah Winfrey]]. In the latter Baker plays a 1930s Chicago housewife, mother of a teenage girl accidentally killed by an African American chauffeur, who attempts to cover up the accident. Critic Roger Ebert praised Baker's performance, noting her "powerful" scene with Winfrey during the film's finale.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |title=Native Son Movie Review |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/native-son-1986 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=December 25, 1986 |access-date=June 28, 2017}}</ref>
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==Personal life==
Baker has been married three times. She first married 54
Baker married her third husband, British [[theater]] actor [[Donald Burton]], on March 10, 1982,<ref name=":0" /><ref name="glamour" /><ref name=sjmn>{{cite news |title=British actor Donald Burton, husband Carroll Baker, dies at 73 |work=[[San Jose Mercury News]] |date=January 11, 2008}}</ref> and resided in [[Hampstead]], London, in the 1980s.<ref name="glamour" /> The couple remained together until Burton's death from [[emphysema]] at their home in [[Cathedral City, California]], on December 8, 2007.<ref name=sjmn/><ref>{{Cite news |date=January 14, 2008 |title=In Brief: Veteran actor dies, aged 73 |language=English |pages=10 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/332392087 |access-date=June 29, 2022 |id={{ProQuest|332392087}}}}</ref>
After leaving Hollywood in the mid-1960s, Baker
Baker resided mainly in New York City and Los Angeles throughout the 1950s and 1960s before relocating to Rome to pursue her career there.{{sfn|Baker|1983|p=294}} Baker was mainly based in [[Palm Springs, California]], throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. {{as of|2016||}}, she resides in New York City.<ref>{{cite interview |first=Carroll |last=Baker |publisher=The Criterion Collection |work=Something Wild |year=2016 |title=Interview with Carroll Baker, 2016 |type=Blu-ray}}</ref> In February 2014, she served as [[maid of honor]] at longtime friend, psychologist, and former actor, Dr Patrick Suraci's wedding to his partner, Tony Perkins, in New York.<ref name="laskey">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/fashion/weddings/when-may-catches-up-to-december.html |author=Laskey, Margaux |work=The New York Times |title=When May Catches Up to December |date=March 7, 2014 |access-date=March 4, 2015}}</ref>
==Legacy==
[[File:Carroll Baker Star Hollywood Walk of Fame.png|upright|thumb
Baker's role in ''Baby Doll'' was one that would come to be career-defining, and her association with both the film and character remained consistent throughout her career.<ref name=jones/> In a 1983 article by ''People'' magazine, "Baby Doll" was referred to as Baker's "middle name".<ref name=jones/> The film, adapted originally from Tennessee Williams' one-act play ''27 Wagons Full of Cotton'', has been performed on stage into the 21st century: it had its theatrical debut in 2000,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/15/style/tennessee-williamss-play-makes-a-stage-debut-baby-doll-beyond-film.html |work=The New York Times |title=Tennessee Williams's Play Makes a Stage Debut : 'Baby Doll,' Beyond Film |author=Morley, Sheridan |date=March 15, 2000 |access-date=June 27, 2017}}</ref> and has been performed numerous times since.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/04/tennessee-williams-baby-doll.html |author=Boehm, Mike |series=Culture Monster |work=Los Angeles Times |title='Baby Doll' joins the cavalcade of L.A. productions marking Tennessee Williams' centennial |date=April 8, 2011 |access-date=June 27, 2017}}</ref> Baker's performance of the role was credited in ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' as marking a significant cultural interest in the [[ingénue]] in American cinema.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |page=345 |volume=65 |quote=Ever since Carroll Baker exploded on-screen in Tennessee Williams's Baby Doll in 1956, ingenues have fascinated the cinematic world. This past year they seemed to be getting the most interesting parts as well, and we are not talking about ... |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mpg7AQAAIAAJ&q=ever+since+Carroll+Baker+exploded+on-screen+in+Tennessee+Williams's+Baby+Doll+in+1956,+ingenues+have+fascinated+the |title=Jena Malone, Thora Birch, and Erika Christensen |date=March 2002}}</ref>
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* ''[[Baby Doll]]'' (1956)
* ''[[The Big Country]]'' (1958)
* ''[[But Not for Me (
* ''[[The Miracle (1959 film)|The Miracle]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Bridge to the Sun]]'' (1961)
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* ''To Africa with Love'' (Dutton, 1986), {{ISBN|978-0-917657-54-2}}
* ''A Roman Tale'' (Dutton, 1986), {{ISBN|978-0-917657-53-5}}
▲[[File:Carroll Baker Come On Strong Broadway 1962.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.9|Baker in the Broadway production of ''Come on Strong'', September 1962]]
===Awards===
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* 1957: [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]], for ''Baby Doll''<ref name="gg"/>
* 1957: [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Award]] for Best Foreign Actress (USA), for ''Baby Doll''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1957/film/foreign-actress |work=BAFTA |title=Foreign Actress in 1957 |access-date=November 1, 2015}}</ref>
* 1964: [[Laurel Awards|Golden Laurel]] for Top Female Star<ref name="mitchell">{{cite web |url=http://www.desertentertainer.com/articles/2010/04/22/entertainment/walk_of_stars/doc4b33aa72c6a69757884554.txt |work=Desert Entertainer |title=Carroll Baker Actress, 'Baby Doll,' grandma |author=Mitchell, Marilyn |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906181335/http://www.desertentertainer.com/articles/2010/04/22/entertainment/walk_of_stars/doc4b33aa72c6a69757884554.txt |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 1965: Golden Laurel for Female Star
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* {{IMDb name|4647}}
* {{IBDB name|30680}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{AFI person | id= 28000-Carroll-Baker | title= Carroll Baker }}
* {{Playbill person|carroll-baker-vault-0000055393}}
* {{Amg name|3377}}
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[[Category:Actresses from Florida]]
[[Category:Actresses from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Actresses from Queens, New York
[[Category:Actresses from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:American female dancers]]
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