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Babz Chula

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Babz Chula
Born
Barbara Ellen Zuckerman[1]

March 22, 1947[1]
Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.[2]
DiedMay 7, 2010 (aged 63)[2]
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation(s)Actress, musician
Years active1984–2010

Babz Chula (born as Barbara Ellen Zuckerman; March 22, 1947 – May 7, 2010) was an American-born Canadian actress and musician.

Early life, education and career

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Barbara Ellen Zuckerman was born in Springfield, Massachusetts but spent her early childhood in the working-class neighbourhood of Jamaica, Queens County, New York City. Her widowed mother, Abby Zuckerman, a booking agent for Leonard Bernstein, moved her with two young children, first to Hawaii and then to California, to pursue work in the entertainment field after Chula's father, Larry Zuckerman, an auto mechanic and stock-car racer, was killed in a car race.[3]

Growing up in Los Angeles, where her mother eventually remarried, young Barbara won a scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts and returned to New York after graduation to perform as a folk singer. In 1971, she and her first husband, Phillip Ciulla, relocated to Slocan Valley in British Columbia[4] before moving to Vancouver, where she resumed her acting and singing career as Babz Chula, under the respelled phonetic pronunciation of Ciulla.[5] Her first major supporting role was in Sandy Wilson's award-winning film My American Cousin.

Personal life and death

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Chula was married to Larry Lynn. After her death on May 7, 2010, at the age of 63,[4] Lynn was ordained a Catholic priest.[6]

The 2013 National Film Board of Canada documentary Chi (2013 film)[7] follows Chula to Kerala, India in 2010, where she travels in an effort to treat her 6-year battle with cancer. Directed by Anne Wheeler, the documentary follows Chula's battle with cancer until the end, detailing Chula and her family members' struggle to come to terms with her death, while celebrating her life and accomplishments.[8][9]

Selected filmography

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Year Title Role Director
1984 Runaway Construction Foreperson (as Babs Chulla) Michael Crichton
1985 My American Cousin Dolly Walker Sandy Wilson
1988 The Accused Woman Lawyer Jonathan Kaplan
1989 In Search of the Last Good Man Unknown Peg Campbell
American Boyfriends Dolly, Butch's Mother Sandy Wilson
Immediate Family Birthday Girl's Mom Jonathan Kaplan
Cousins Mrs. Davidow Joel Schumacher
1991 Run Poker Player (as Babs Chula) Geoff Burrowes
1992 The Date Unknown Niko Theoderaskis
North of Pittsburgh Linda Richard Martin
1994 Valentine's Day Barb Mike Hoolboom
Kanada Charlie Mike Hoolboom
1995 Live Bait Helen MacIntosh Bruce Sweeney
The Love Charm Unknown Robert Rondau
Power of Attorney Angela Howard Himelstein
A Pyromaniac's Love Story Ass pincher's wife Josh Brand
1997 Silent Cradle Cye Block Paul Ziller
Barbeque...A Love Story Unknown Stacey Kirk
The Ex Dr. Lillian Jonas Mark Leste
1998 Dirty Angie Bruce Sweeney
1999 Double Jeopardy Ruby Bruce Beresford
2000 No More Monkeys Jumpin' on the Bed Rick's Mother Ross Weber
2001 Last Wedding Bobbie Bruce Sweeney
2002 Cheats Mrs. Rosengarden Andrew Gurland
Bitten Mother Clauida Morgado
2003 Little Brother of War Police Lieutenant Damon Vignale
Moving Malcolm Gisha Benjamin Ratner
2004 Kathleen's Closet Kathleen Sheila Jordon
Gang of Love Unknown Rick Dobran
Seven Times Lucky Unknown Gary Yates
Croon Unknown Hillary Jones-Farrow
2006 Home by Christmas[10] Rita Gail Harvey
The French Guy Elizabeth Murray Ann Marie Fleming
The Saddest Boy in the World Dr. Judith D'Angelo Jamie Travis
The Secret Psychiatrist Vincent Perez
Criminal Intent Ruth George Erchbamer
2007 American Venus[11] Peggy Bruce Sweeney
2008 The X-Files: I Want to Believe[12] Surgeon Chris Carter
2009 Mothers & Daughters[13] Micki Carl Bessai
2013 Kids in Jail [14] Herself (posthumous) Larry Lynn
2013 Chi [7] Herself (posthumous) Anne Wheeler

Selected minor films

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Selected television appearances

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  • 1991: The Commish – 6 episodes
  • 1993–1996: Madison – 8 episodes
  • 1998: Police Academy – 1 episode
  • 2000–2003: Cold Squad – 1 episode
  • 1999–2001 These Arms of Mine – 5 episodes
  • 2002: Bliss – 1 episode
  • 2002: John Doe – 1 episode
  • 2004: The L Word – 1 episode
  • 2004: The Days – 3 episodes
  • 2007: Final 24 – 1 episode

Voice work

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Recognition

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  • 2009: Leo Award Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama
  • 2008: Sam Payne Award
  • 2006: Leo Award for Individual Outstanding Achievement
  • 2002: Best supporting Actress New York Independent Film Festival (Bitten)
  • 2001: Gemini Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series
  • 1999/2002: Leo Awards Nomination "Best Performance by a Female/Picture"[citation needed]
  • 1996: Leo Award Winner "Best Actress"[citation needed]
  • 1996: Woman of the Year by Woman in Film and Video[15]
  • 1995–1996: Jessie Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
  • 1992–1993: Jessie Award Outstanding Ensemble Cast

References

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  1. ^ a b "Babz Chula – Northern Stars". Archived from the original on 2010-05-08. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
  2. ^ a b Craig Takeuchi, Vancouver star Babz Chula dies of cancer, age 63, The Georgia Straight, May 8, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2020
  3. ^ Babz Chula biography, Northernstars.ca. Accessed March 28, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Lederman, Marsha (May 7, 2010). "Vancouver actor Babz Chula dies at 63". Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Vancouver Sun, May 25, 2010. Accessed March 28, 2020.
  6. ^ Into the Deep – Friday Night Faith Series, rcav.org, September 20, 2019. Accessed March 28, 2020
  7. ^ a b Chi (2013 film)
  8. ^ https://www.nfb.ca/film/chi_en/
  9. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3244660/
  10. ^ Harvey, Gail (2006-12-25), Home by Christmas, Linda Hamilton, Rob Stewart, Brenda Crichlow, retrieved 2018-03-24
  11. ^ Sweeney, Bruce (2007-09-08), American Venus, Rebecca De Mornay, Jane McGregor, Matt Craven, retrieved 2018-03-24
  12. ^ Carter, Chris (2008-07-25), The X Files: I Want to Believe, David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly, retrieved 2018-03-24
  13. ^ Bessai, Carl (2009-04-17), Mothers&Daughters, Babs Chula, Gabrielle Rose, Tantoo Cardinal, retrieved 2018-03-24
  14. ^ Lynn, Larry. "Kids in Jail". National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  15. ^ "Official WIF website". wif.org. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
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