Barbeau began her career in the mid-
1960s as a go-go dancer in
New York City before getting solid work in several
Broadway productions. In
1972, she was nominated for a
Tony Award for her performance as Rizzo in
Grease. Later that year, she was cast as the divorced daughter of Bea Arthur in
Maude. She married director
John Carpenter in
1979, and he cast he in her first feature film,
The Fog. She would also appear in films such as
Creepshow,
Swamp Thing,
The Cannonball Run, and
Escape from New York. Barbeau also has made numerous additional television appearances including
Deep Space Nine and
The Drew Carey Show. She has been married to noted playwright Billy Van Zandt, who is the brother of legendary guitarist Steve Van Zandt. She was also very well known in the late
1970s for a sexy poster, and some semi-nude photos that appeared in
High Society in
1980, cementing her status as a sex symbol.