Barbara Daly Baekeland
Encyclopedia
Barbara Daly Baekeland was a wealthy socialite
who was murdered by her son, Antony Baekeland. She was the wife of Brooks Baekeland, who was the grandson of Leo Baekeland
, inventor of Bakelite plastic.
She was murdered at her London
home. Antony stabbed her with a kitchen knife, killing her almost instantly. When the police arrived, they found Antony, who was 25 years old at the time, ordering Chinese food over the phone. He later confessed and was charged with murder.
Before meeting Brooks Baekeland, Barbara was a model and would-be Hollywood starlet; she had a screen test in Hollywood with the actor Dana Andrews
. During their marriage, she was known for her unstable personality, rude outbursts and bouts of severe depression
; she also drank heavily and had many affairs. Her husband eventually left her for a younger woman, Sylvie (who some said had first been Antony's girlfriend), which was followed by divorce. This led to severe depression and a suicide
attempt (her friend Gloria Jones, wife of author James Jones
, saved her).
relationship with her gay
son, Antony. Baekeland attempted to "fix" her son by having prostitutes
take him to bed; after this failed, Baekeland was alleged to have manipulated or coerced
her son into having sex with her. Though Antony displayed signs of schizophrenia
with paranoid
tendencies, his father refused to allow him to be treated by psychiatrists, a profession he believed to be "amoral". Her son's erratic behavior caused concern among family friends, and over the years, the two had several threatening arguments involving knives.
After the murder, Antony was institutionalized at Broadmoor Hospital
until, at the urging of a group of his friends, he was released on July 21, 1980. He relocated to New York City
to live with his grandmother, stabbing but not killing her less than a week later. He was sent to Rikers Island
and was suffocated with a plastic bag on March 20, 1981; it is unknown whether his death was a suicide
or murder
.
, starring Julianne Moore
, Stephen Dillane
, Eddie Redmayne
, Hugh Dancy
, Elena Anaya
and Unax Ugalde
. It was based on the book of the same name.
After the film opened, Barbara Baekeland's former lover, Sam Green, wrote an article pointing out elements in the film possibly misleading for those trying to read back to the reality inspiring it. Referring in particular to the scene of Barbara, her son Antony, and Sam in bed together making love, he wrote, "it is true that almost 40 years ago I did have an affair with Barbara, but I certainly never slept with her son...Nor am I bisexual." He went on to give his opinion that "she started telling people she had had an incestuous relationship with her son as a way of 'curing' him of homosexuality... But I don't believe she had sex with Tony. I think she simply enjoyed shocking people."
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
who was murdered by her son, Antony Baekeland. She was the wife of Brooks Baekeland, who was the grandson of Leo Baekeland
Leo Baekeland
Leo Hendrik Baekeland was a Belgian chemist who invented Velox photographic paper and Bakelite , an inexpensive, nonflammable, versatile, and popular plastic, which marks the beginning of the modern plastics industry.-Career:Leo Baekeland was born in Sint-Martens-Latem near Ghent, Belgium,...
, inventor of Bakelite plastic.
She was murdered at her London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
home. Antony stabbed her with a kitchen knife, killing her almost instantly. When the police arrived, they found Antony, who was 25 years old at the time, ordering Chinese food over the phone. He later confessed and was charged with murder.
Before meeting Brooks Baekeland, Barbara was a model and would-be Hollywood starlet; she had a screen test in Hollywood with the actor Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews
Dana Andrews was an American film actor. He was one of Hollywood's major stars of the 1940s, and continued acting, though generally in less prestigious roles, into the 1980s.-Early life:...
. During their marriage, she was known for her unstable personality, rude outbursts and bouts of severe depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
; she also drank heavily and had many affairs. Her husband eventually left her for a younger woman, Sylvie (who some said had first been Antony's girlfriend), which was followed by divorce. This led to severe depression and a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
attempt (her friend Gloria Jones, wife of author James Jones
James Jones (author)
James Jones was an American author known for his explorations of World War II and its aftermath.-Life and work:...
, saved her).
Relationship with son
Baekeland had a complex and allegedly incestuousIncest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
relationship with her gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
son, Antony. Baekeland attempted to "fix" her son by having prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
take him to bed; after this failed, Baekeland was alleged to have manipulated or coerced
Coercion
Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. In law, coercion is codified as the duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
her son into having sex with her. Though Antony displayed signs of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
with paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
tendencies, his father refused to allow him to be treated by psychiatrists, a profession he believed to be "amoral". Her son's erratic behavior caused concern among family friends, and over the years, the two had several threatening arguments involving knives.
After the murder, Antony was institutionalized at Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
until, at the urging of a group of his friends, he was released on July 21, 1980. He relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to live with his grandmother, stabbing but not killing her less than a week later. He was sent to Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
and was suffocated with a plastic bag on March 20, 1981; it is unknown whether his death was a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
or murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
.
Savage Grace
The first Baekeland murder was made into the 2007 film Savage GraceSavage Grace
Savage Grace is a 2007 film directed by Tom Kalin and written by Howard Rodman, based on the book Savage Grace by Natalie Robins and Steven M.L. Aronson. The story is based on the dysfunctional, allegedly incestuous relationship between heiress and socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland and her son, Antony...
, starring Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
, Stephen Dillane
Stephen Dillane
Stephen J. Dillane is an English actor. He won a Tony Award for his lead performance in Tom Stoppard's play The Real Thing.-Early life:...
, Eddie Redmayne
Eddie Redmayne
Edward John David "Eddie" Redmayne is an English actor and model. Redmayne won the 2010 Tony Award as best featured actor in a play for his performance in Red.-Early life:...
, Hugh Dancy
Hugh Dancy
- Early life and career :Dancy was born in Stoke-on-Trent, the son of British philosopher Jonathan Dancy, a professor at the University of Reading and at the University of Texas at Austin. His mother, Sarah, is a publisher. His brother, Jack, is a co-director of the travel company, Trufflepig...
, Elena Anaya
Elena Anaya
Elena Anaya is a Spanish actress whose career dates back to 1995.Anaya is the youngest of 5 children. She first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Lucía y el sexo and also appeared in Pedro Almodóvar's Hable con ella .Her best-known Hollywood film...
and Unax Ugalde
Unax Ugalde
Unax Ugalde Gutiérrez is a Spanish actor born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, in the Basque Country.-Biography:Unax Ugalde, son of a worker at the Altos Hornos and a housewife, was born in 1978 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. While, as a student, he ambitioned to become a marine scientist, started taking classes...
. It was based on the book of the same name.
After the film opened, Barbara Baekeland's former lover, Sam Green, wrote an article pointing out elements in the film possibly misleading for those trying to read back to the reality inspiring it. Referring in particular to the scene of Barbara, her son Antony, and Sam in bed together making love, he wrote, "it is true that almost 40 years ago I did have an affair with Barbara, but I certainly never slept with her son...Nor am I bisexual." He went on to give his opinion that "she started telling people she had had an incestuous relationship with her son as a way of 'curing' him of homosexuality... But I don't believe she had sex with Tony. I think she simply enjoyed shocking people."