Barbara Rush, born on January 4, 1927, in Denver, Colorado, was an American actress who made a significant impact on both film and television. She was the daughter of Roy and Marguerite Rush, and her father was a lawyer for a Midwest mining company.

Rush grew up in Santa Barbara, California, and attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she graduated in 1948. She began her career in the university's theatre program and later moved to Los Angeles, where she lived at the Hollywood Studio Club, a hostel for young women working in the film industry.

Barbara Rush made her screen debut in the 1950 film "The Goldbergs," based on the radio and TV series of the same name. She quickly gained recognition for her role in the 1953 science-fiction film "It Came from Outer Space," for which she won the 1954 Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female.

Her career continued to flourish with roles in films such as "Bigger Than Life" (1956), "The Young Lions" (1958), and "The Young Philadelphians" (1959), where she starred alongside Paul Newman.

Barbara Rush had a thriving television career, appearing in TV movies, miniseries, and series such as "Peyton Place," "The Love Boat," "Maude," "Knight Rider," "Magnum, P.I.," and "All My Children." She also starred in the family drama "7th Heaven" as Ruth Camden from 1996 to 2000. Rush's last acting credit was in the 2017 comedy short "Bleeding Hearts."

Barbara Rush was married three times: first to actor Jeffrey Hunter from 1950 to 1955, with whom she had a son, Christopher Hunter; then to talent agent Warren Cowan from 1959 to 1969, with whom she had a daughter, Claudia Cowan; and finally to Jim Gruzalski from 1970 to 1973.

She passed away on March 31, 2024, at the age of 97.