Carrera was born Barbara Kingsbury in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Her mother, Dona Florencia, was a Nicaraguan of European and Native ancestry, and her father, Louis Kingsbury, was an American ambassador/courier of English ancestry. There is some uncertainty regarding her year of birth, which some sources give as 1947 or 1951, but most list 1945. She apparently prefers to say 1953. Carrera came to the Read more...

Carrera began a career as a model at the Eileen Ford agency at the age of 17, at which point she changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Carrera. In 1972, she appeared on the screen in a publicity role for the Chiquita bananas. Her first film role was as a fashion model in Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970), which fared poorly at the box office. She later played in such films as The Island Read more...

Carrera has married (and divorced) model Uva Harden, Baron Otto von Hoffman and Greek shipowner Nicholas Mavroleon. She has no children. At some point she was involved with scientology, but left shortly afterwards.[citation needed] She is currently friends with journalist Cameron Docherty.