Barbara Ann Luna was born in Manhattan, and her upbringing on Broadway was a significant influence on her life. Her diverse background, comprising Italian, Hungarian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Filipino heritage, allowed her to portray a wide range of roles.
Luna's early career saw her cast in the Broadway hit musical "South Pacific" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, where she played the role of Ngana, spoken entirely in French. She was later cast in "The King and I" and then "Teahouse of the August Moon," where she was given the starring role and spoke entirely in Japanese.
Luna's breakthrough in film came when she was cast as Camille, a blind girl, in "The Devil at 4 O'Clock" (1961),alongside Frank Sinatra and Spencer Tracy. This led to roles in films such as "Firecreek" (1968),"Ship of Fools" (1965),and "The Concrete Jungle" (1982).
With her exotic beauty and timeless look, Luna had a lengthy television career, guest-starring in nearly 500 series. Some of her notable roles include "Star Trek" (1966),"Fantasy Island" (1977),"Dallas" (1978),"The Bill Cosby Show" (1969),"Hunter" (1984),and "Mission: Impossible" (1966) and its 1988 reincarnation.
Luna continued to work in theater, appearing in a revival of "West Side Story" as Anita and "A Chorus Line" as Morales. She even met with Marvin Hamlisch to create a nightclub act, which debuted as "An Evening with BarBara Luna."
Luna's acting career spanned soap operas, including "Search for Tomorrow" (1951) and "One Life to Live" (1968),as well as "Sunset Beach" (1997). She co-hosted "The Alpen Tour" for the Travel Channel and performed her club act to sold-out crowds.
Recently, Luna made her first trip to the Philippines to film a movie for Showtime, "Noriega: God's Favorite" (2000),starring Bob Hoskins. She is a member of "The Thalians," a charity foundation at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, and is an avid sports fan who enjoys playing golf, tennis, and dancing on roller skates.
