Barbara Bosson was an American actress.
She was born on November 1, 1939 in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, United States to John Edwin Bosson Sr and Doris Perkins. Barbara had two siblings; John Edwin Bosson Jr. and Richard Perkins Bosson.
Barbara was raised in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, a small coal-mining town about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh. When she was a teenager, she and her family moved to Florida, where she attended Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport.
After graduation, she enrolled at Carnegie-Mellon. Though she was accepted into the drama department at Carnegie-Mellon, she couldn’t cover her tuition and decided to move to New York, where she worked as a secretary for the American Conservatory Theater and as a Playboy bunny all the while taking acting classes.
Bosson made her acting debut with Steve McQueen’s film Bullitt in 1968.
She became famous through her role as Fay Furillo, the ex-wife of police captain Frank Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) on NBC drama Hill Street Blues from 1981 to 1986. The series earned eight Emmys and 98 nominations during its run. She was consecutively nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in Hill Street Blues.
Bosson’s other film credits include Murder One: Diary of a Serial Killer (1997), Total Security (1997), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993), Cop Rock (1990), Civil Wars (1991), The Education of Allison Tate (1986), The Impatient Heart (1971), The Love God? (1969), Mannix (1967) and many others.
Barbara Bosson was married to writer-producer Steven Bochco (1970 to 1997) with whom she had two children; Jesse Bochco and Melissa Bochco
She died on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at age 83 in Los Angeles.