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She may have been a selfish littlesnit on television.butdoesncome naturally for Palatine’s Barbara Howard, who’leaving‘Falcon Crest’ behind for otheracting challenges.by Gordon Walek Joelocalarbara Howard, a k a Robin Agretti, the little snit on “FalconCrest who agreed to be a surrogate mother for her cousin Melissa and then fought to keep the babv, is really a nice person, despite her best efforts to make people believe otherwise.Her appearance (light brown hair, bright eyes, conservative clothes) and her demeanor (soft-spoken, demure, unfailinplv considerate) have “nice written all overrespectpeersnecessarily ensuiHollywood, where anyone who intends tc make a living in the business ultimatelygravitates.Howard, undaunted, packed a bag in April 1983, and headed west.I had gotten very restless in Chicagocause I just wasn't working as much as I wanted to and I wanted more film workbe-them. She can t help herself. That’s the way s^e sa*^ Now it s chic to cast an unknowmsupposed out °* Chicago, but it wasn’t then. The atti-* ... * t r _ ft.beauditioning for a movie or playWhat you try to do in acting is breakgood— — — a a iillV O vliUIdoing in Chicago9”’With typical pragmatism. Howard didn’tm 1 V A • * •polite. said Howard, sitting in the li....0 room of her parents well-appointed Inverness home. ‘‘In acting classes. I had to learn■ w w w ■ m — — — y — —- -w. » w ■■ 1being show up in L A without a map or a destinapeople see flattering .”politenessbeen ________________„The Gingerbread Lady. and had become friends with Shelley Winters, also in the cast. Winters offered her the use of her Loslookedand Howard lined up a part in “Coming At-Robin Agretti had qualities that weren t tractions, a play she had done in Chicagovery nice or flattering. She was sometimes manipulative and selfish. So was the character Howard played in “Coming Attractions several years ago on the Chicagostage. And her character on Falcon Crest% • * «.openingpossessI met a couple of agents. I called somecasting directors and all of a sudden I wasup for a movie. It was like, bang, bang, bang ”To her surprise, getting work in the filmJ ; i .does. Clearly, acting classes anc* television industry wasn t the ordealweren't lost on her. As Agretti. who had herexpectednotepisode portrayed someoneOne thing I had going for me is I started here (in Chicago).” she said. I got in all the unions. I had been working and was used to To hear Howard talk, you’d think this 29- having an agent. I was very confident, evenyear-old actress isn’t crazy about herself, though I hadn't done a movie or a TV showthat the principal appeal of acting is in “I th * 'being someone she isn't Her shyness and talent 1modesty, uncommon in seasoned television L A1 1performers, seem genuine. And vou would you arehotbedssoontnink that acting, which requires confidence in copius amounts, wouldn t suit her.Auditioning, after all, even for something as parochial as a school play, can be a terrifying experience. Rejection, when it comes, is swift and brutal, the kind that is toughnot to take personally.There's nothing about Barbara Howard’s personality that suggests she gets a kick out of rejection. But her credits reveal a determination that contradicts her self-effacing manner. She came by those credits couple of feature films, guest appearances on several TV series and her recent “Falcon Crest stint — the hard wav. by auditioning for role after role from the time she left college until todayShe's been told she is either too pretty or not pretty enough, and she's been dismissed for looking too young and for not being sufficiently nasty. And when she ventured on stage in the first step of her dramatic career. she didn t exactly knock the socks off people who were there to witness her debutAs a student at Fremd High School (class of 74). Howard had the performance bug. but as a dancer, not an actress. That endeavor wasn't effortless bv a long shot.‘•In her freshman year she was extremely skinny.' recalled Pamela Emmer. who directs the dance program at Fremd. For her tryout, she wore a baggy shirt and baggy pants. I was concerned about whether I should put her on at all and she got angry How dare vou evaluate me on my body?’she said That s the only time I ever remember her getting angrv.”Howard demonstrated that her skinniness was not a liability and proceeded to dance her way from Fremd to the University of Utah, where she enrolled in a performing arts program Emmer had reservations about one of her star pupils taking the plunge into the world of professional danceI always question w hether dance in college is a good idea because so few people get any breaks.” said Emmer And a lot of students just drop out and go to New York to find work Barbara was sensible enough to get a college education.”Education and achievement are hallmarks of the Howard family Her mother, Kris, is board chairman of Harper College Her father. Ernest, was executive vice president of the American Medical Association when, at age 65. he decided to become a dermatologist He has his practice in Arlington Heights.Howard didn t get a break w hile dancing in college, but she did get a sprain While recovering from an ankle injury, she enrolled in an acting class. The revelation that she had found her life’s calling was unmistakable.“It (acting) makes me feel like nothing else.” she said. “When I started doing it, there was an immense feeling of being at home. I felt so free. I was in a bubble and could just go crazy. You're you, but you're not.”After graduating from college. Howardreturned home, threw herself into the burgeoning Chicago theater scene, rented an apartment and waited tables between acting jobs.In the late 1970s and early 1980s. off-Loop theatersL A.. i found that if you are good in Chicago you are good anywhere.”She attributes her success in television to the discipline that stage work engenders in all performers., y ri u ve got to be a good actor, because no one can say cut,’ ” shesaid Television has gotten a bad rap because there are a lot of actors who canrery good a charisma,need(Continued on Page 2)She's had her share of roles on stage and screen playing the all-American girl, but Barbara Howard probably isbest known today for herselfish portrayal as Robin Agretti on CBS’s “Falcongraduate of FremdftCrest High Schoolbecomegave up her dreamwith actingPhotos by Rich Chapmanextraordinary*Petersen
Newspaper Details
Arlington Heights Daily Herald Suburban Chicago
Arlington Heights, Illinois, US
Mon, Mar 10, 1986
Page 17
Full Page
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AL, USA 20 Apr 2020
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