Barbara Rush, Golden Globe-winning actress from It Came from Outer Space and Peyton Place, dead at 97

Golden Globe-winning actress Barbara Rush has passed away at the age of 97.

Her daughter, Claudia Cowan, confirmed her mother's death to Fox News on Sunday. 

'My wonderful mother passed away peacefully at 5:28 this evening,' she said. 'I was with her this morning and know she was waiting for me to return home safely to transition. 

'It’s fitting she chose to leave on Easter as it was one of her favorite holidays and now, of course, Easter will have a deeper significance for me and my family.'

Rush was best known for her roles in 1953's It Came from Outer Space and 1957's Peyton Place.

Golden Globe-winning actress Barbara Rush has passed away at the age of 97; pictured in 2007

Richard Carlson and Barbara Rush in 'It Came From Outer Space', 1953

She starred alongside Hollywood legends like Paul Newman, Rock Hudson, Dean Martin, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, and Richard Burton.

Born on January 4, 1927, in Denver, Colorado, Rush began her acting career in the 1950s. 

She began honing her craft at the Pasadena Playhouse. 

It was there that she caught the attention of a talent scout, who promptly signed her to Paramount Pictures in 1950.

She made her film debut in The Goldbergs that year and followed it with several small roles in films such as When Worlds Collide (1951) and It Came from Outer Space (1953).

In 1954, Rush won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female for her performance in the film. 

She first collaborated with Rock Hudson in the 1954 Western film Taza, Son of Cochise. 

Their partnership continued that same year with the romantic drama Magnificent Obsession, and they reunited once more in the 1955 adventure movie Captain Lightfoot.

Born on January 4, 1927, in Denver, Colorado, Rush began her acting career in the 1950s

Barbara and Tippy Walker in Peyton Place, 1964 

Frank Sinatra and Barbara in Come Blow Your Horn, 1963

Come Blow Your Horn with Frank, Barbara, Phyllis Mcguire, Jill St John

The Young Philadelphians with Paul Newman and Barbara in 1959

'He started off in film pretty much the same time I did,' she said of the late Hudson to Fox News in 2018. 

'He was a lot of fun to be with. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved to laugh. We just had the best time working.'

She also gained recognition for her role as the ambitious young woman Allison Mackenzie in the film adaptation of Grace Metalious's novel Peyton Place in 1957, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

The success of the film led to Rush reprising her role in the television series adaptation of Peyton Place, which aired from 1964 to 1969.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Rush continued to appear in both film and television. 

She starred alongside leading men such as Paul Newman in The Young Philadelphians (1959), Rock Hudson in Come Blow Your Horn (1963), and Marlon Brando in The Young Lions (1958). 

In 1968, she took on the role of the villainous Nora Clavicle in the popular TV series Batman. 

Starring alongside Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as his trusty sidekick Robin, the show aired from 1966 to 1968.

Rush appeared in numerous television series and made-for-TV movies, including The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits  and Murder, She Wrote.

Marlon Brando and Barbara Rush in The Young Lions, 1958

James Brolin and Barbara in HOTEL - 'Scapegoats' - Airdate: January 22, 1986

The Love Boat with Gavin MacLeod and Barbara in 1978

Barbara and daughter Claudia Cowan attend the 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night

Rush's career continued into the 1980s and 1990s, with appearances in films such as The Bionic Woman (1976), Seventh Avenue (1977), and The House on Carroll Street (1988). 

She also continued to make guest appearances on television shows such as 7th Heaven, ER, and CSI: Miami.

In recognition of her contributions to the entertainment industry, Rush received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. 

She was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2010.