Colleen Zenk Pinter was born on January 20, 1953 in Barrington, Illinois. She studied at the Catholic University of America where she also performed for a fund raiser for drama scholarships. Her career as a daytime soap actress started when she was cast for As the World Turns in 1978. Since then she has played the role of Barbara Ryan whose character has changed a lot over the years.

Barbara Ryan is portrayed by Colleen Zenk Pinter on the soap opera As the World Turns. Barbara was a heroine who had gone through a lot of tragedies in her life, but emerged as a strong woman despite her controlling ex-husband James Stenbeck. Barbara then evolved to be an antagonist, coming between Tom and Margo, a long standing couple. Later on, she tamed herself and got paired with Hal Munson though she soon left him for Craig Montgomery. As a result of her actions, she was ostracized by her family and was eventually injured in an explosion which permanently scarred her face. Because of this, she became very resentful, withdrawn and committed a handful of crimes like kidnapping and poisoning.