Barbara Stanwyck preferred to share the limelight with her Big Valley costars

Stanwyck was a great actor and an even better friend.

February 25, 2025, 1:08PM By MeTV Staff

Everett Collection

Earning the limelight is good for any star, great actors understand that attention is meant to be shared.

Barbara Stanwyck had her fair share of the spotlight, there's no two ways about it. She was nominated for awards for her performance in films like Double Indemnity and Sorry, Wrong Number. But Stanwyck's talent didn't just end at the movie theater. She also starred in the hit television series The Big Valley. For her role as Victoria Barkley, Stanwyck was nominated for various awards, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy, one of which she won.

But Stanwyck was part of an ensemble cast, sharing The Big Valley with actors like Peter Breck and Lee Majors. She understood that to make a good series, you needed to rely on the talent of every cast member.

Stanwyck was humble, and instead of monopolizing the attention for herself, she elected to use her time in interviews to compliment her costars.

"I've had the limelight, the road trips, the interviews," said Stanwyck during an interview with the Waco Tribune-Herald. "It's their turn now."

While not all casts get along with each other, the stars of The Big Valley were lucky enough to call each other friends.

"We have a good relationship on this show," said Stanwyck. "I could think of nothing worse than being locked into a family show with people you don't like. I've known Richard (Long) and Peter (Breck) for a long time. I didn't know Linda (Evans) and Lee (Majors) before, but they're very nice, too."

Of course, they had their ups and downs, as any friendship does.