Biography
Amy Irving was the daughter of influential theatrical producer/director Jules Irving and actress
Priscilla Pointer. Trained at the American Conservatory Theater and Britain's LAMDA, Irving made her off-Broadway debut in 1970. She remained loyal to the theater even after establishing herself in films, co-starring on Broadway as Mozart's wife in Amadeus (1982), and receiving a 1988 Obie Award for
Road to Mecca; other notable stage credits are
Heartbreak House and
The Heidi Chronicles. She made an unforgettable film debut as a scheming high-schooler in the Brian DePalma shocker
Carrie (1976). In 1983, she earned an Oscar nomination for making us believe that she was in love with male-drag-wearing
Barbra Streisand in
Yentl. Her TV resumé includes the lavish miniseries The Far Pavillions (1985) and the title character in Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986). In 1987, she launched a children's-film series with
Rumpelstiltskin (1987), directed by her brother David Irving. Irving was married to director
Steven Spielberg from 1985 to 1989. Since 1990, Amy Irving has referred to herself as the wife of Brazilian filmmaker
Bruno Barreto, though the couple hasn't yet made it official. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide