Adrienne Barbeau’s mother was of American descent and her father’s ancestry was French Canadian, Irish and German.
During the 1970s, Barbeau starred as Carol Traynor, the daughter of Bea Arthur’s title character, in the comedy series Maude, which ran from 1972 to 1978.
The popularity of Barbeau’s 1978 cheesecake poster confirmed her status as a sex symbol. Barbeau’s popularity stemmed partly from what critic Joe Bob Briggs referred to as the “two enormous talents on that woman”, and her typecasting as a “tough bread”.
Despite her initial success, she said at the time that she thought of Hollywood as a flesh market and that she would rather appear in films that explore the human condition and deal with issues.