Wendy Wilson. Wendy B. Wilson, Wendy Barrie, Wendy Barrie-Wilson. Wendy Wilson was the first name I used in programs. Then I discovered another Wendy Wilson actress was in the union, so I used Wendy B. Wilson, thinking that would save me. When I joined the AEA, our theatrical union, I was told I needed a name change, the Initial would not work. I stuck with my middle Initial “B”, and the name I chose was Wendy Barrie, and it is listed on some programs earlier than 1987. Within a couple of years, however, when I joined SAG, I learned of the more famous Wendy Barrie. So, I went back to something closer to my legal name, I became Wendy Barrie-Wilson. The hyphen meant my name started with a “B”, so I was most often at the head of the cast list, given alphabetical listings.
also– My pottery uses this logo, in use you ever run into it. And my greeting cards had the cat logo, below.
Wendy Barrie-Wilson:
Wendy Barrie-Wilson has performed in over 100 plays, and hundreds of readings, working with dozen's of new writers helping develop their latest projects. She played Sister Aloysius in the European premiere of Doubt in Vienna. Wendy received a SALT Award and a DayTony award for her other productions of Doubt. Wendy was on Broadway in Our Town starring Paul Newman; and in the Tony Award winning production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Wendy has six seasons for the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, Including, The Guardsman (Mama), I Capture the Castle (Mrs. Cotton), The Grapes Of Wrath (Ma Joad), and The Glass Menagerie (Amanda). Variety hailed her Amanda Wingfield as: She is one of the finest Amanda Wingfields in memory, and can proudly take her place alongside the memorable Amandas in this critic's experience: Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Julie Harris and Maureen Stapleton.
Wendy has performed all over the country, at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Huntington Theatre, Asolo Theatre, Virginia Stage, Portland Stage, New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, River Arts Repertory, Indiana Repertory, Alliance Theatre, Playmaker's Repertory, and Denver Center Theatre Company, Princeton University Guest artist, among many others. She has worked with such wonderful writer's as J.P. Donleavy, Derek Walcott, Soviet writer Sasha Galin, The Red Clay Rambler's, Theresa Rebeck, and Arthur Miller. Roles include: Yelena (opposite Hal Holbrook) in Uncle Vanya, Lady Croom in Arcadia, May in Fool For Love, Masha in Three Sisters, Andromache in The Greeks, Tourvel in Les Liaisons Dangereuses; Mags in Painting Churches, Maud/Lin in Cloud Nine, Nadya Lenin in Travesties, Anna in Old Times, Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town, Sasha in Wild Honey, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Mariana in Measure for Measure, and several times in her two favorite's; Roxane in Rostand's Cyrano De Bergerac, and Stella in Tennessee William's A Streetcar Named Desire.
Wendy played Mrs. Chitwood on “The Guiding Light”. She can be seen on reruns of “Law & Order/ L&O’s SVU and C.I”. On PBS in "Novel Reflections”, and with PBS/Showtime in “Our Town”. Commercials: Wendy was for several years on Japanese TV as the Mom for General Foods “Blendy” Coffee. Many others inc: for Adidas (Europe) starring Anna Kornikova; Wendy also won an Addy award for Z94's Morning Zoo for her voiceover work. Wendy coaches actors and has taught Master Acting classes, theatre history and the "Business of the Biz", at Denison University, UNC-Chapel Hill; The ArtSchool, NC; Northeastern University, Baltimore's School for the Performing Arts, Denver Center Conservatory; Asolo Theatre; Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; among others. She received her BFA in Theatre/Film at Denison University and her MFA in Acting at the UNC/Chapel Hill.
Wendy’s Great-Great Aunt Elisabeth Risdon and Uncle Brandon Evans were members of the Theatre Guild and worked with Lunt and Fontanne, Helen Hayes, J.B. Shaw, among many others. Elisabeth had a longtime career in Hollywood as well starring along with most of the famous actors of her day.
