Barbara Rhoades is an American actress, known primarily for her comedy and mystery roles, especially as lady bandit Penelope ("Bad Penny") Cushings in The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) with Don Knotts.

She had a recurring role on Soap as Maggie Chandler, Jodie Dallas's future wife.

Born and raised in Poughkeepsie, New York, Rhoades is the daughter of Sherry Rhoades.^{[citation needed]}

She attended Our Lady of Lourdes High School.^[1]

She began taking dancing lessons when she was 7 years old.^[2]

Rhoades began acting in the late 1960s, appearing in guest roles on several television series, including It Takes a Thief, Ironside, Mannix, McMillan & Wife, Columbo, Kojak, Starsky & Hutch, Alias Smith and Jones, Love, American Style, The Odd Couple, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sanford and Son, Bewitched, Maude, Trapper John, M.D.,The Partridge Family, Murder, She Wrote, Cagney & Lacey, and Law & Order. She was a regular cast member of the 1977 situation comedy Busting Loose, portraying Melody Feebeck, and in 1989, as Jessica Gardner on Generations^[3]

In 1967, Rhoades signed a long-term exclusive contract with Universal Pictures.^[4]

Rhoades appeared in a number of films during the 1970s, including There Was a Crooked Man... (1970), opposite Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda, and Up the Sandbox (1972) starring Barbra Streisand. She played a police officer, "No Balls" Hadley, in 1977's The Choirboys and a Las Vegas hooker who picks up Art Carney along the road during his Oscar-winning performance in Harry and Tonto (1974). She also had roles in Scream Blacula Scream (1973) and The Goodbye Girl (1977) and was a frequent panelist on the popular 1970s game show Match Game, hosted by Gene Rayburn. In 2007, she appeared in First Born with Elisabeth Shue.^{[citation needed]}

In 2011, she had a recurring role on the American soap opera One Life to Live as Irene Manning, childhood best friend of Victoria Lord (Erika Slezak).

For 18 months^[4] on Broadway, Rhoades had the role of a showgirl in the musical Funny Girl (1964).^[5] She gained other stage experience in summer stock productions at the Cecilwood Theater in Fishkill, New York.^[4]

Rhoades married Bernie Orenstein, a television producer.^[6]