October 23, 2026
Guest Spotlight: Adrienne Barbeau
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Life’s Greatest Adventures Don’t Come With an Expiration Date
Adrienne Barbeau has spent more than six decades entertaining audiences on Broadway, television, and film. And at 81, the legendary actress has no intention of slowing down.
From originating the role of Rizzo in the Broadway production of Grease to playing Bea Arthur’s daughter Carol on the groundbreaking sitcom Maude, Barbeau has built a career that spans generations. Her performance in Grease earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Theatre World Award, while her television success opened the way to memorable roles in The Fog, Escape from New York, Creepshow and Swamp Thing. She also introduced herself to another generation of fans as the voice of Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series.
But perhaps the most interesting thing about Adrienne Barbeau isn’t how much she’s accomplished. It’s how willing she remains to discover what’s next.
From Broadway to Hollywood
Barbeau’s career began with an adventure of its own. In 1963, shortly after graduating from high school, she boarded an airplane for the first time and traveled to Southeast Asia to entertain American troops. She was just 18, earning seven dollars a day, and the experience opened her eyes to a world beyond her California hometown.
Broadway followed, including Fiddler on the Roof and the original production of Grease. Her success onstage eventually led to Maude, where she credits working alongside Bea Arthur with teaching her a great deal about comedy.
During her conversation with Roy Ice on Lifestyle, Barbeau shares some delightful behind-the-scenes memories, including the rather unexpected advice she received from Arthur. And there’s another surprise: Despite creating one of musical theater’s most recognizable characters, Barbeau has never watched the film version of Grease.
An Unlikely Horror Icon
For millions of movie fans, Adrienne Barbeau is synonymous with classic horror.
Which makes one particular detail especially amusing.
She doesn’t actually like scary movies.
Her entrance into the genre came through director John Carpenter, whom she met while working on the television thriller Someone’s Watching Me! Their relationship eventually led to her starring role in Carpenter’s 1980 film The Fog, launching a new chapter in her career.
Decades later, Barbeau still meets fans discovering those films for the first time. And the work continues, including her 2026 film Oddities, which brings her back to the horror genre.
For an actress who never particularly enjoyed being frightened, she has certainly become very good at frightening other people.
Who Says You Have to Slow Down?
Barbeau has never been particularly interested in letting age determine what she can or cannot do.
Consider her return to Broadway in Pippin in her late 60s, when the role required her to sing while performing aerial movements on a trapeze high above the stage. Without a safety net.
Or becoming a mother of twins at 51.
For Barbeau, both decisions reflect a willingness to embrace opportunities rather than dwell on everything that might go wrong. She continued working while raising her children and credits her sons with keeping her connected to younger generations.
Her creative life has also expanded beyond acting. She became a bestselling author with her memoir, There Are Worse Things I Could Do, and later wrote a series of vampire novels.
The unexpected circumstances that led her to begin writing are just one of the fascinating stories she shares with Roy.
There’s Still Time
After more than six decades in entertainment, Barbeau continues to find new opportunities and reasons to look forward.
When Roy asks what she would say to someone who feels life has passed them by, her answer is simple:
“Find what it is you love.”
She also shares a deeply personal memory of her mother that brings a moving perspective to the subject of time, and why the years ahead are still worth embracing.
On Lifestyle with Roy Ice, Adrienne Barbeau reflects on an extraordinary career, the joys of motherhood later in life, and why she believes it’s never too late to begin something new.
