Kingsbury began a career as a model at the Eileen Ford agency at the age of 17,[3] at which point she changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Carrera.[4] Her first film role was as a fashion model in Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970), which fared poorly at the box office. In 1972, she appeared on the screen in a publicity role for Chiquita bananas.[9] Carrera has appeared on the pages and covers of such magazines as Vogue, Paris Match, Harper's Bazaar, and twice posed for Playboy (July 1977[failed verification] and March 1982).[10][dead link]
In 1976, Carrera earned her first Golden Globe nomination ("New Star of the Year - Actress") for her role in The Master Gunfighter.[11][12] She later played in such films as The Island of Dr. Moreau, Lone Wolf McQuade, Condorman, Point of Impact, Tryst and Embryo. For her portrayal of the villainess Fatima Blush in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, she earned a 1984 Golden Globe nomination for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture".[13] She worked opposite Laurence Olivier in Wild Geese II the following year.
On television, Carrera played a part in the soap opera Dallas as Angelica Nero, and more prominently, in the historical miniseries Centennial in 1978 and Masada (opposite Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss) in 1981. These roles brought her to the mainstream attention of American audiences. She also starred as Emma Forsayth in the miniseries Emma: Queen of the South Seas in 1988. Carrera appeared with fellow "Bond Girls" Maude Adams and Kristina Wayborn in That ‘70s Show episode "The First Time" (s2,e16, 2000) as bridesmaids for another former Bond Girl, Tanya Roberts, in the role of Midge Pinciotti. Since Paradise (2004), Carrera has not appeared in films or television.
In 1989, Carrera starred with Bette Davis in Wicked Stepmother, Davis's final film role. During filming, Davis fell ill and the script was rewritten for Carrera. "Instead, he rewrote the script to minimize Davis' role as the wicked witch who marries into an unsuspecting family, becoming the children's stepmother. In the original script, Davis was going to turn a cat into the beautiful Barbara Carrera. In the new version, Davis herself turns into Carrera, who assumes Davis' lines for the bulk of the film."[14]
In 1997, Carrera was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Nicaragua by then-president Arnoldo Alemán.[15]
Carrera is also a painter and her work has been showcased in the Makk Galleries, with Americo Makk, in Beverly Hills, California since the 1980s, and the Roy Miles Gallery in London, England. In May 2002, her works were exhibited at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum and have typically been sold for up to $8,000.[4]