Barbara Bain, who is best known for her role as Cinnamon Carter Crawford in the action television series Mission: Impossible, was spotted at Bristol Farms in Los Angeles.
The Emmy winner, 93, shopped for her groceries and loaded them into the trunk of her black Mercedes Benz.
Barbara, who was married to actor Martin Landau from 1957 to 1993, wore dark gray sweatpants, a black T-shirt, a black hoodie and an oatmeal-colored baseball cap.
The statuesque former dancer, who studied with the legendary Martha Graham, looked spy and strong.
Barbara won three consecutive Emmy Awards for her role in Mission: Impossible in 1967, 1968 and 1968, as well as a Golden Globe nomination in 1968.
Born Mildred Fogel in Chicago, Illinois in 1931, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in sociology and moved to New York City to become a dancer.
Barbara Bain, who is best known for her role as Cinnamon Carter Crawford in the action television series Mission: Impossible, was spotted at Bristol Farms in Los Angeles
Barbara won three consecutive Emmy Awards for her role in Mission: Impossible in 1967, 1968 and 1968, as well as a Golden Globe nomination in 1968. Seen here in 1966
Barbara soon became dissatisfied with the dance world and turned to acting, enrolling in the Actor’s Studio and studying under acclaimed acting instructor Lee Strasberg.
In the late 1950s, Barbara and her husband settled in Los Angeles, where they both became well-known television actors in the 1960s.
Among other things, she guest-starred on an episode of Perry Mason in 1960 and appeared as Dick Van Dyke’s ex-fiancée in a 1963 episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show.
From 1966 to 1969, she and Landau starred in Mission: Impossible, the series that would inspire the film franchise starring Tom Cruise.
Bain left the series after three seasons and three Emmys, saying her departure was not related to money but to the changes in the shooting schedule, according to an interview with Classic film and TV cafe in 2019.
Bain reflected on her pioneering role on television, where her character was a full-fledged member of the spy team and not just a “window window.” In fact, her intellect was a big part of the show’s storyline.
‘There was no woman on television at that time. Young women wrote to me and said, “I never thought about being so-and-so, but because I saw you in Mission: Impossible, I’m going to get my degree.”
‘Over the years I have received many comments like that. For example, I just received a letter from a woman who retired from NASA saying she was inspired to pursue her dream because she saw me on Mission: Impossible.”
The Emmy winner, 93, shopped for her groceries and loaded them into the trunk of her black Mercedes Benz
Barbara, who was married to actor Martin Landau from 1957 to 1993, wore dark gray sweatpants, a black T-shirt, a black hoodie and an oatmeal-colored baseball cap
The statuesque former dancer, who studied with the legendary Martha Graham, looked spy and strong
She added: “I’m just extremely moved by all of this. You’re not sure what impact you’re having while you’re doing it. I’m forever being stopped in markets telling these stories, which is just amazing.”
In addition to acting, Bain has long been an advocate for children’s literacy through her nonprofit organization Storyline online.
She said she was inspired to start the foundation when she played a board game with her daughter Juliet where you had to choose your most favorite things.
One of her favorite things was reading to children, as her daughter noted.
‘I had to think about it. I thought, wait a minute, why don’t I go somewhere and read to kids? “I considered a library, but then decided that kids in a library probably have someone reading to them,” she explained.
“So I went to a park, kind of like a summer day camp for kids. And I asked the person in charge if I could read to the children. We sat on the grass and I read stories to all different ages. That was where it started.
“Then I went to Tom Bradley, our mayor, and to the Screen Actors Guild. I said, “Here’s a huge population of actors who can read… we have to read to get roles. It’s a huge population that loves an audience. And we have an awful lot of time.”
“I went to a neighborhood called Watts and read to preschoolers and first-graders one day a week for fifteen years. Eventually it turned into an online program known as Storyline Online.
Born Mildred Fogel in Chicago, Illinois in 1931, she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in sociology. Seen here with the cast of Mission: Impossible in 1966
In addition to acting, Bain has long been an advocate for children’s literacy through her nonprofit organization Storyline Online. Seen here in 1968
‘It’s hugely successful and involves actors from all over the world. You choose a story and an actor reads it. It’s a wonderful way to get children interested in literature.’
A lifelong reader, she adds, “I remember getting my first library card and it had my name on it. It has made me a very important person.
‘I like reading. It was just something I cared deeply about. I find it extremely enriching.
“Every time I left kindergarten or first grade, I was all excited and happy, just like the kids. There’s something about that connection,” she said.