Biography
Barbara Steele (born December 29, 1937, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England) is an English film actress. She is best known for starring in Italian gothic horror films of the 1960s. Her breakthrough role came in Italian director Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960), now hailed as a classic. Steele starred in a string of horror films, including The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962); The Ghost, directed by Riccardo Freda and Roger Corman's 1961 adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Pit and the Pendul...
Known For
Complete Filmography
Ulalume - A Ballad
2023
as Narrator: opening credits (voice)
Dreamlike animation brings Poe’s unforgettable poem to life, with desolate, macabre, and volcanic imagery.

Fellinopolis
2021
as Self - Actress (archive footage)
Ferruccio Castronuovo was the only authorized eye, between 1976 and 1986, to film the brilliant Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini (1920-1993) in his ...

Boia, maschere e segreti: l’horror italiano degli anni sessanta
2019
as Sé stessa

Master of Dark Shadows
2019
as Self
Revealing the fascinating impact of the ground-breaking Gothic drama Dark Shadows with a compelling blend of rare footage and behind-the-scenes storie...

Minutes Past Midnight
2016
as The Apparition of the Mill (segment 'The Mill At Calder's End')
As midnight falls, all manner of terror invades the Earth. Demons, cannibals, killers, ghosts and monsters swarm the world in these tales of the super...

The Phantom
2016
as The Widow
An enigmatic stranger, a couple who no longer exist, danger in the shadows and the key to it all - The new Ford Edge. Mads Mikkelsen and screen legend...

Lost River
2015
as Belladonna
Billy, a single mother of two, is led into a macabre underworld while her teenage son, Bones, discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. B...

The Mill at Calder's End
2015
as The Apparition of the Mill
In the remote village of Calder's End stands an old windmill, a repository of dark secrets. Nicholas Grimshaw has returned to this haunted place, his ...

The Shutterbug Man
2014
as Narrator
The Shutterbug Man tells the tale of a very twisted man, whose only passion in life is taking pictures. This passion takes him to terrible and wicked ...

Parasite Memories: The Making of 'Shivers'
2014
as Self
"Parasite Memories" is a brand new retrospective piece on the film produced by High Rising Productions with lively contribution from effects artist Jo...

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
2014
as Self (archive footage)
The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big scr...

Behind the Swinging Blade
2014
as Self
Filmed exclusively for Arrow Video in 2013, this documentary looks at the making of The Pit and the Pendulum and features producer and director Roger ...

House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Seen Before!
2013
as Self
Documentary on the making and impact of "House of Wax".

The Butterfly Room
2012
as Ann
A reclusive and butterfly-obsessed elderly lady suffering from bipolar disorder develops a disturbing relationship with a mysterious but seemingly inn...

Barbara Steele in Conversation
2009
as Self
A documentary revolving around an extended interview with Barbara Steele, in which she recounts the many facets of her career.

The Boneyard Collection
2008
as Vanessa Peabody (segment "Her Morbid Desires")
A quirky anthology, consisting of four separate short films connected by host segments. The first one, BOOGIE WITH THE UNDEAD, has an all girl rock ba...
Mario Bava Speaks
2006
as Self

Mario Bava: Operazione paura
2004
as Self
Mario Bava Operazione Paura", hosted by Joe Dante, is an hommage of the Master of the Terror, the italian director Mario Bava

Italian Kings Of B
2003
as Self
Documentary on Italian genre cinema.

The American Nightmare
2000
as Self
An examination into the nature of 1960's-70's horror films, the involved artists, and how they reflected contemporary society.

The Capitol Conspiracy
1998
as Agent Oakley
Martial arts star Don "The Dragon" Wilson stars in this action/suspense story. A child is recruited to take part in a secret government experiment whi...

Hollywood Rated 'R'
1997
as Self
A roller-coaster ride through the history of American exploitation films, ranging from Roger Corman's sci-fi and horror monster movies, 1960s beach mo...

Deep Above
1994
as Mrs. Wagner
In the 16th century, young men put themselves in great danger to look for mysterious crystals in a tunnel in the Styrian Erzberg. Some of them never r...

Fear in the Dark
1991
as Self
A short documentary on the history of the horror film narrated by Christopher Lee.

Be Pretty and Shut Up!
1981
as Self
The film is a series of interviews with various well-known film actresses, including Jenny Agutter, Maria Schneider, and Jane Fonda. The title, which ...

Silent Scream
1979
as Victoria Engels
Scotty moves into Mrs. Engels' seaside mansion where three other college students are boarding. Mrs. Engels prefers to stay in her room in the attic, ...
The Key Is in the Door
1978
as Cathy
Marie (Annie Girardot) teaches high school and has a 16-year-old daughter in her class. Divorced some years previously, she has some vague egalitarian...

Piranha
1978
as Dr. Mengers
When flesh-eating piranhas are accidently released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal.

Pretty Baby
1978
as Josephine
Hattie, a New Orleans prostitute, meets a photographer named Bellocq at her brothel one night and, after he photographs her, he befriends her 12-year-...
The Space-Watch Murders
1978
A spaceship lands safely on a distant planet but all on-board have been slain except for one female crew member.

Shivers
1975
as Betts
When the residents of a luxury apartment complex outside Montreal are infiltrated by parasites and transformed into violent, sex-crazed maniacs, it's ...

Caged Heat
1974
as Supt. McQueen
A young woman is convicted on drug offenses and sent to a women's penitentiary run by a repressed and oppressive female warden. When the prison's sadi...

Ciao, Federico!
1970
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of the Federico Fellini film, "Satyricon."

Stop the World... I Want to Get Off!
1970
as Danielle
Young protesters live together in a commune in Milano. One has a ventriloquist ability and is signed by national TV becoming a superstar in commercial...

Honeymoon with a Stranger
1969
as Carla
While on honeymoon with her husband in Spain, a woman wakes up one morning to find he has disappeared. After reporting it to the police, a man shows u...

Curse of the Crimson Altar
1968
as Lavinia Morley
When his brother disappears, Robert Manning pays a visit to the remote country house he was last heard from. While his host is outwardly welcoming, an...

Barbara and Her Furs
1967
as Self
Short film for the french TV program "Dim Dam Dom". A love letter to Barbara Steele and Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs.

Young Törless
1966
as Bozena
At an Austrian boys' boarding school in the early 1900s, shy, intelligent Törless observes the sadistic behavior of his fellow students, doing nothing...

An Angel for Satan
1966
as Harriet Montebruno / Belinda
At the end of the 19th century, in a little Italian village by a lake an old statue is recovered. Soon a series of crimes start and the superstitious ...

Revenge of The Blood Beast
1966
as Veronica
A young woman is driving alongside a lake. She has an accident and the car plunges into the water. Her body is then possessed by the spirit of an 18th...

For Love and Gold
1966
as Teodora
A group of rogues steal a scroll granting its bearer the property of the land of Aurocastro in Apulia, a province in the south of Italy. They elect a ...
Money
1965
On the theme "money is the driving force that drives man to commit follies to conquer them", this film presents a series of episodes.

Once Upon a Tractor
1965
as Lady Clerk
Alan Bates and Diane Cilento play an odd couple fleeing across fictitious European countries with NYC and the UN as their destination. A short film di...

Nightmare Castle
1965
as Muriel Arrowsmith / Jenny Arrowsmith
A sadistic count tortures and murders his unfaithful wife and her lover, then removes their hearts from their bodies. Years later, the count remarries...

Terror-Creatures from the Grave
1965
as Cleo Hauff
An attorney arrives at a castle to settle the estate of its recently deceased owner. The owner's wife and daughter reveal that he was someone who was ...

The Long Hair of Death
1964
as Helen Rochefort / Mary
In a 15th century village, a woman is accused of witchcraft and put to death. Her beautiful older daughter knows the real reason for the execution lie...

Easy Love
1964
as Contessa Bardi-Stucchi (segment "Divorzio italo-americano")
Five episodes: A professor decides to murder her husband to win a woman. A hotelier seduces a boarder. A man convinces a friend to marry his lover, so...

The Monocle's Sour Laugh
1964
as Valérie Gasparelli
A French agent goes after a gang of Asian terrorists who plan to blow up an American nuclear aircraft carrier.

White Voices
1964
as Guilia
In 18th-century Rome, a young man in a choir of castrati falls for the beautiful wife of a powerful aristocrat.

Three for a Robbery
1964
as Barbara Sims
Gerhard is a young technical in Düsseldorf who works in a factory of security devices for banks. In agreement with Nicola, Mario and Hans, they prepar...

Les baisers
1964
as Thelma (Episode 3: 'Baiser du soir')
A portmanteau film in which the producer, instead of as usual using already well known directors with a commercial draw, allowed five new young direct...

The Maniacs
1964
as Barbara (segment "l'hobby") / Brugnoli's Wife (segment "la cambiale")
An anthology of brief comic sketches based on manias, mainly sexual, featuring several figures of Italian society.

Castle of Blood
1964
as Elisabeth Blackwood
When a cynical journalist accepts a wager that he won't survive the night in a haunted castle, it unlocks an odyssey of sexual torment, undead vengean...

A Sentimental Attempt
1963
as Silvia
Carla and Dino, both in a matrimonail crisis, fall in love. But life will not help this love story.

The Ghost
1963
as Margaret Hichcock
A woman and her lover murder her husband, a doctor. Soon, however, strange things start happening, and they wonder if they really killed him, or if he...

The Hours of Love
1963
as Leila
In "The Hours of Love," Gianni and Marietta's spark ignites as passionate lovers, yet dims in their marriage. Seeking rekindling, they dare to step ou...

8½
1963
as Gloria Morin
Guido Anselmi, a film director, finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. Urged by his doctors to rest, Anselmi heads for a luxurious...

The Iron Captain
1962
as Floriana
After his village is burned down, Captain Furio sets out for revenge.

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock
1962
as Cynthia Hichcock
In late 19th century London, a woman weds a necrophiliac doctor whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances - and who might be returning from...

The Pit and the Pendulum
1961
as Elizabeth Barnard Medina
In the sixteenth century, Francis Barnard travels to Spain to clarify the strange circumstances of his sister's death after she had married the son of...

Black Sunday
1960
as Princess Asa Vajda / Katia Vajda
A vengeful witch, Asa Vajda, and her fiendish servant, Igor Jauvitch, return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the wit...

Your Money or Your Wife
1960
as Juliet Frost
Newly wed couple Gay and Pel Butterworth are forced to take in some strange paying guests when their inheritance proves troublesome, but all is not as...

Sapphire
1959
as Student
Two Scotland Yard detectives investigate the murder of a young woman of mixed race who had been passing for white. As they interview a spate of suspec...

Upstairs and Downstairs
1959
as Mary
On marrying the boss's daughter, Richard takes his father-in-law's advice to hire a live-in domestic. He soon finds good help is hard to come by. Run-...

The Heart of a Man
1959
as Girl
Sailor Frankie Martin is offered a thousand pounds by a millionaire in disguise if he can earn a hundred pounds in a week by honest means. Frankie tri...

The 39 Steps
1959
as Extra
In London, a diplomat accidentally becomes involved in the death of a British agent who's after a spy ring that covets British military secrets.

Bachelor of Hearts
1958
as Fiona
A German scholar has girl troubles while studying at Cambridge.

Houseboat
1958
as Minor Role (uncredited)
An Italian socialite on the run signs on as housekeeper for a widower with three children.

Mary Woronov: Cult Queen
N/A
The documentary explores the enigma of actress and artist Mary Woronov and chronicles her colorful career trajectory as a ground breaking female perfo...