# Barbara Rhoades
**Barbara Rhoades** is an American actress known primarily for comedy and mystery roles, most notably as the lady bandit Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushings in the comedy western *The Shakiest Gun in the West* (1968) opposite [Don Knotts](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-knotts).[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/barbara-rhoades) She was born in [Poughkeepsie, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/poughkeepsie-new-york),[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) and her screen career ran from the late 1960s into the 2000s, with a late return to the soap opera *One Life to Live* in 2011.[3](https://www.nndb.com/people/561/000348514/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Poughkeepsie, New York[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) |
| Birth year | 1947 according to TV Insider, Rotten Tomatoes, and Encyclopedia.com; IMDb and NNDB list 1946[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/rhoades-barbara-1947) |
| Breakthrough role | Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushings in *The Shakiest Gun in the West* (1968), opposite Don Knotts[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/barbara-rhoades) |
| First studio contract | Universal Pictures, 1967, when she was about 20 years old[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/barbara-rhoades) • [6](https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/cast/15779214/barbara-rhoades/) |
| Notable soap roles | Maggie Chandler on *Soap* (1980 to 1981) and Irene Manning on *One Life to Live*, last appearing in 2011[3](https://www.nndb.com/people/561/000348514/) |
| Spouse | Television producer Bernie Orenstein, married since 1979, one child[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/) |
## Early career
Rhoades began taking dancing lessons at the age of seven, performed in summer stock productions, and appeared as a showgirl in the Broadway musical *Funny Girl* in 1964, where she spent 18 months in the cast.[7](https://film.one/person/barbara-rhoades) • [1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/barbara-rhoades) She signed an exclusive contract with [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures) in 1967,[1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/barbara-rhoades) and one profile describes her as a 20-year-old when she signed her first studio contract.[6](https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/cast/15779214/barbara-rhoades/)
Her acting debut was on the *Ironside* episode "The Man Who Believed" (1967), in which she played Bonnie Lloyd.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/rhoades-barbara-1947)
## Film
**The Shakiest Gun in the West.** In 1968, her first year in the business, Rhoades made a name for herself as Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushings, a gun-toting lady bandit, in the comedy western starring Don Knotts as the bumbling dentist Dr. Jesse Heywood.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) In the plot summarized by the [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute) catalog, Penelope is offered a pardon if she tracks down a ring of gun smugglers, and she tricks Heywood into a sham marriage as a disguise.[8](https://agemdb.com/movie/20238-the-shakiest-gun-in-the-west) The film was a remake of *The Paleface* (1948), in which Rhoades' role had been played by [Jane Russell](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-russell).[6](https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/cast/15779214/barbara-rhoades/)
Through the 1970s she took supporting film roles: Miss Jessie Brundidge in *There Was a Crooked Man...* (1970), directed by Joseph Mankiewicz; Dr. Bolden in *Up the Sandbox* (1972); Elaine in *Scream Blacula Scream* (1973); [Stephanie](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephanie) in *Harry and Tonto* (1974); "No Balls" Hadley in *The Choirboys* (1977); and Donna in *The Goodbye Girl* (1977).[9](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/17839)
Her theatrical film career trailed off in the 1980s. The American Film Institute catalog lists *Out Cold* (1989), in which she played Mrs. Hollander, as the last of her ten feature-film credits.[9](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/17839) She later appeared in the horror film *First Born* (2007) as Nancy.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/)
## Television
Television supplied most of Rhoades' work. Through the 1970s she made guest appearances on many series, among them the sitcoms *The Odd Couple*, *Sanford and Son*, and the cop drama *Mannix*, as well as *Mission: Impossible*, *Columbo*, *[Kojak](https://www.edgepedia.org/kojak)*, *Bewitched*, and *Starsky & Hutch*.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) • [7](https://film.one/person/barbara-rhoades)
In 1977 she had what one profile calls arguably her most outstanding year: she appeared in 15 episodes of the short-lived [Adam Arkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-arkin) comedy *Busting Loose* as Melody Feebeck, and won a major supporting role as Donna in *The Goodbye Girl*, the Academy Award-nominated romantic comedy starring [Marsha Mason](https://www.edgepedia.org/marsha-mason) and [Richard Dreyfuss](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-dreyfuss).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) A recurring role followed on the comedy *Soap* as Maggie Chandler, the romantic interest of Jodie Dallas, played by a young Billy Crystal.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/)
From the 1980s onward she stayed in demand as a guest performer on series including *Dallas*, *Murder, She Wrote*, *Cagney & Lacey*, *Magnum, P.I.*, *Trapper John, M.D.*, *Father Dowling Mysteries*, *thirtysomething*, and *Law & Order*.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barbara-rhoades/credits/3000545092/) She was the original Jessica Gardner on the soap opera *Generations* in 1989, appearing in 48 episodes,[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/) and returned to daytime television late in her career as Irene Manning on *One Life to Live* in 2011, her final acting credit.[3](https://www.nndb.com/people/561/000348514/) • [11](https://uk.headtopics.com/news/70s-screen-bombshell-barbara-rhoades-spotted-on-rare-east-79772467)
## Game shows and personal life
Alongside her acting, Rhoades was a regular guest on the game show *Match Game 73* and later appeared on *Password Plus* from 1979 to 1981.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/)
She has been married to the television producer Bernie Orenstein since 1979; the couple has one child.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/) Her trademarks, as recorded by IMDb, are her red hair and her height of 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m).[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/) In 2026, celebrity press reported that the 79-year-old actress, now living on the East Coast, was seen in [Westport, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/westport-connecticut).[11](https://uk.headtopics.com/news/70s-screen-bombshell-barbara-rhoades-spotted-on-rare-east-79772467)
## Birth year
Sources disagree on Rhoades' year of birth. Encyclopedia.com, TV Insider, Rotten Tomatoes, and NetflixMovies give 1947,[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/rhoades-barbara-1947) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/) • [1](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/barbara-rhoades) while IMDb, NNDB, and WhosDatedWho give 1946.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/) • [3](https://www.nndb.com/people/561/000348514/) • [12](https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/barbara-rhoades) Both groups agree on the day and month, so the discrepancy concerns the year alone.
## References
1. [Barbara Rhoades, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/barbara-rhoades)
2. [Barbara Rhoades, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barbara-rhoades/)
3. [Barbara Rhoades, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/561/000348514/)
4. [Barbara Rhoades Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0722315/bio/)
5. [Rhoades, Barbara 1947–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/rhoades-barbara-1947)
6. [Barbara Rhoades, On TV Tonight](https://www.ontvtonight.com/guide/cast/15779214/barbara-rhoades/)
7. [Barbara Rhoades, Fi1m](https://film.one/person/barbara-rhoades)
8. [Actor ages in The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), Agemdb](https://agemdb.com/movie/20238-the-shakiest-gun-in-the-west)
9. [Barbara Rhoades, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/17839)
10. [Barbara Rhoades List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barbara-rhoades/credits/3000545092/)
11. [70s Screen Bombshell Barbara Rhoades Spotted on Rare East Coast Outing, Daily Mail via Headtopics](https://uk.headtopics.com/news/70s-screen-bombshell-barbara-rhoades-spotted-on-rare-east-79772467)
12. [Who is Barbara Rhoades dating?, WhosDatedWho](https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/barbara-rhoades)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Q to Ri*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license