Bio
Adrienne Barbeau is an American actress best known for her role as Beatrice Arthur's divorced daughter, Carol Trainer, in the 1970s television sitcom Maude, from 1972-1978.
She is better known in recent years as Ruthie in the drama series Carnivàle.
Of French and Armenian ancestry, Barbeau made her Broadway debut in Fiddler on the Roof (1971) in 1968, where she met another young, up-and-coming actress named Bette Midler.
She worked as a New York city go-go dancer in a Mafia-run nightclub from 1964 to 1967 while breaking in on Broadway. She quit after the owner decided to turn the place into a bikini bar.
In 1978, a poster of Barbeau wearing a tight purple corset was a best-seller. The poster's image later served as a cover photo for her autobiography.
She was nominated for a 1972 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) for her portrayal of bad-girl Rizzo in the original Broadway production of Grease.
Her roles in The Fog (1980) and Escape from New York (1981) were written specifically with her in mind.
She was portrayed by Bridget Jones in an episode of the cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988).
Her nude scene in Swamp Thing (1982) was intended only for European release, but eventually made its way onto an American DVD of the movie - until a Texas housewife complained of her sons' inadvertently viewing nudity in a PG-rated movie, at which point the DVD was recalled.
The winner of the The Cannonball Run (1981), she also won the heart of her co-start, Burt Reynolds, who was then at the height of his popularity.