Barbara Harris, Tony Winner of The Apple Tree, Is Dead at 83

Barbara Harris, who received a 1967 Tony Award for her performance in a trio of roles in The Apple Tree, has passed away. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, she died of lung cancer on August 21 in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was 83.

Harris' Broadway credits also included From the Second City, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Penny Wars and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she received a 1966 Tony nomination.

She was also hailed for her performances on screen, receiving a 1971 Oscar nomination for Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, in which she starred alongside Dustin Hoffman. Her other notable screen credits included Freaky Friday, Nashville, Family Plot and many more. Her last big-screen appearance was in 1997, when she played John Cusack's mother in Grosse Pointe Blank.

Additionally, Harris was a pioneer for improvisational theater. She was a member of The Compass Players, which was co-founded and directed by Paul Sills, to whom she was married from 1955-1958. In 1959, Sills co-founded The Second City, the Chicago-based improvisational troupe that has boasted names like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Bill Murray, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Aidy Bryant, Jackie Hoffman and many more.

Harris relocated to Scottsdale in the early 2000s where she became an acting teacher.