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BarBara Luna

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For the singer, see Barbara Luna (singer).
Barbara Luna
Luna in New York 2009
Born
Barbara Ann Luna

1936 or 1937 (age 87–88)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1949–present
Known for
Spouses
  • Sander Mann Salkind
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1956; div. 1958)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1961; div. 1963)​
  • Steven Hiram Gerber
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1993; div. 1998)​
Websitewww.barbaraluna.com Edit this at Wikidata

Barbara Ann Luna (born 1936 or 1937),[1][2] also stylized as BarBara Luna, is an American actress from film, television and musicals. Notable roles include Makia in Five Weeks in a Balloon and Lt. Marlena Moreau in the classic Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror". In 2004 and 2010 she appeared in the first and sixth episodes of Star Trek: New Voyages, a fan-created show distributed over the Internet (retitled Star Trek: Phase II in 2008).

Life and career

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BarBara Luna (as spelled on her official site) was born in Manhattan, New York. Her mother was Jewish from Budapest, Hungary and her maternal grandfather was from Italy. Her father was born in Manila, Philippines and her paternal grandmother was from Spain. With this background, Luna was cast in a variety of Hispanic and ethnic roles.[3]

Luna played Ngana, in the original Broadway production of South Pacific,[4] in which she helped sing the show's opening song, Dites-Moi. She next appeared in The King and I as one of the Siamese children, advancing to the more important role of "Royal Dancer" by the time the show closed on Broadway.[4] Not wishing to drop out of school to go on the road, she auditioned for and won the understudy role of Lotus Blossom in Teahouse of the August Moon. After graduating from high school a few months later, she was given the starring role of Lotus Blossom in Teahouse and toured with the show's company from its launch in December 1954 to its final performance in June 1956.[5]

Director Mervyn LeRoy saw Luna's performance as Lotus Blossom in Los Angeles and cast her to play Camille, the blind girl who was Frank Sinatra's love interest in The Devil at 4 O'Clock three years after she made her film debut in Tank Battalion (1958).[1] This led to roles in other films, including as Meli in Firecreek, as Amparo in Ship of Fools, as Cat in The Concrete Jungle and as Makia in Five Weeks in a Balloon.

Opportunities in television came as well. She appeared on Have Gun Will Travel S2 E19 "The Monster" as Lupita (1960). One of Luna's better-known roles was as Lt. Marlena Moreau in the "Mirror, Mirror" episode of Star Trek: The Original Series (1967), a role she commemorates as a guest of Star Trek conventions worldwide. She has appeared in some 500 television series, including Walt Disney's Zorro, where she was a recurring character in the "Joaquin" arc as Theresa, the Tamale Peddler; the role of Rikki Stevens in the 1958 Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant"; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Man from THRUSH Affair" as Marnya; The Wild Wild West as Gatita; The Big Valley as Miranda (1968); Gunsmoke as Chavela (in "He Learned About Women" Episode 21 Season 7); Overland Trail as Estrelita (in episode "Mission to Mexico"); Bonanza as Cayetena Losaro; The Outer Limits as Gaby Christian; The Invaders as Lisa; Hawaiian Eye in three episodes: "The Koa Man" as Susan Chang, "Sword of the Samurai" as Michiko and "Payoff" as Tia Kuno; Hawaii Five-O in two episodes: "A Thousand Pardons, You're Dead" as Yoko Collins and "A Lion in the Streets" as Elena Kamoku; Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as Koori; Dallas as Carmen Esperanza; Charlie's Angels as Cynthia Weaver; two guest starring roles on the original Mission: Impossible and in the 1980s remake of that series; and roles in the television soap operas Search for Tomorrow and One Life to Live.

Between film commitments, Luna remained active in musicals. She appeared as Anita in five companies of West Side Story, including a revival at Lincoln Center in New York City. Her last Broadway show was A Chorus Line in the role of Diana Morales (in the "New" New York cast in 1976).[4] This performance led to the preparation of a cabaret act for her. Its opening night at Freddie's in New York City drew rave reviews and led to engagements at the Concord Resort Hotel in the Catskills and at clubs in Atlantic City and Los Angeles.[6] A review of her cabaret show in The New York Times found her singing flawed because "her small kittenish voice with its wobbly pitch and wide vibrato was simply not up to the task" of singing songs associated with well-known vocalists.[7]

Actor Doug McClure was Luna's second husband.[8]

Filmography

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Television work

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References

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  1. ^ a b Lisanti, Tom; Paul, Louis (April 10, 2002). Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962-1973. McFarland. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-7864-1194-8. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  2. ^ "Listen - - - - - - - With Rowe". The Times Dispatch. Virginia, Richmond. May 15, 1949. p. 18-D. Retrieved May 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Thomas, Nick. "BarBara Luna's stellar career". The Spectrum.
  4. ^ a b c "Barbara Luna". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "The Teahouse of the August Moon – Broadway Play – 1954-1956 Tour | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "BarBara Luna Biography". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  7. ^ "Cabaret: Barbara Luna Show". The New York Times. August 17, 1983. p. C 14. ProQuest 122231815. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  8. ^ Wilson, Earl (May 16, 1976). "Dancer calls it 'dreadful life'". Independent Press-Telegram. California, Long Beach. p. A 20. Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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