Barbara Hershey: The Story Behind Her Unusual Stage Name
September 2, 2025
Source: Film Fanatic
Some actors change names to gain stardom.
Barbara Hershey changed hers out of grief.
In 1969, while shooting Last Summer, a tragic incident happened off-set that would disturb the young actress for the rest of her life.
A Terrible Accident
Last Summer included a scene with a live seagull. Hershey, with good intent, attempted to get the seagull to fly on cue; not out of cruelty — but to try and create a moment.
Something did not go correctly.
The seagull did not fly and instead fell and died.
Hershey was heartbroken.
The crew moved on. The production kept going.
She could not.
Overwhelmed with guilt and desperately searching for a way to honor the life of the bird, Barbara took a drastic and very personal step:
She changed her professional name to, Barbara Seagull.
A Name with Purpose
In her own words, it was the only moral response that seemed right. It was not to receive publicity, it was not a cheap gimmick. It was just a tribute that reflected her conviction to her sense of responsibility, regardless of how unintended the act may have been.
But Hollywood did not comprehend.
The name change confused people. Studios rejected. Some thought it was too bizarre, too emotional, too laborious for marketers. But it did come with consequences. She lost film roles; her salary fell.
Barbara Seagull, it seemed, was too much for a business that preferred the surface to the soul.
Return and Reinvention
Eventually, she returned to her name — Barbara Hershey — not because she needed to put it behind her, but because it had done its work.
She moved on. She felt stronger, more settled. And in the 1980s, she began some of her best work, in films like Beaches, The Right Stuff, and Hannah and Her Sisters.
But even as she enjoyed success, that brief period in her life — with a bird falling and a name — seemed to remain a secret part of her legacy.
A Legacy Beyond the Screen
Barbara Hershey’s “Seagull” chapter is not just a curiosity in Hollywood history.
It is a story of empathy in an industry that is not known for its emotional abundance.
It is a reminder that sometimes the gravity of moments lead us to change ourselves — and our names along with us.
So yes, Barbara Hershey went by Barbara Seagull — for a time.
And if you understand why…
It is difficult to forget.