The contest was held by the local television station KPIX-TV, based on the character of what has been considered the first 'beach party movie' in Hollywood history, Gidget (1959). In 1959, her father submitted a photo of her to the 'Miss Gidget' beauty contest, and she won. Barbara was inspired to be a screen actress after seeing the work of German actress Christine Kaufmann in Der schweigende Engel (1954) ('The Silent Angel'). In an interview to Shock Cinema (Number 44), Barbara Bouchet says her name had been changed again to Bouchet at the start of her career, because it sounded like her German name. Bouchet speaks English, German and Italian with equal fluency. They migrated in December 1956 and settled in San Francisco, California, where Barbara attended the prestigious Galileo High School, a polytechnic school with commercial and industrial branches. They got separated, but ended up getting together again. Her family was forced to leave the country when Barbara was a little girl and her name was changed to Barbara Gutscher. Her father, Fritz, was a war photographer. Stunningly beautiful and charismatic blonde Barbara Bouchet was born Barbel Goutscherola on August 15th, 1943 in Liberec, Czechoslovakia, known as Reichenberg, during the German occupation.
