Gene Barry

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Gene Barry
Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1942–2005
Spouse
Betty Claire Kalb
​
​
(m. 1944; died 2003)​
Children3

Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 24 , 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films The Atomic City (1952) and The War of The Worlds (1953) and for his portrayal of the title characters in the TV series Bat Masterson and Burke's Law, among many roles.

Early life

Barry was born Eugene Klass on June 14, 1919, in New York City, the son of Eva (née Conn) and Martin Klass;

Chatham Square School of Music in Greenwich Village
on a scholarship awarded for his vocal ability.

Career

Barry chose his

The Would-Be Gentleman
(1946), The Doctor in Happy as Larry (1950), and played a variety of roles in the musical revue Bless You All (1950).

In 1950 Barry began appearing on television with the

CBS Television anthology series
Appointment with Adventure.

In 1951 Barry was hired for his first movie, in the role of Dr. Frank Addison in The Atomic City (1952). In 1953 he was cast as Dr. Clayton Forrester in the science fiction film The War of the Worlds (1953). (Much later, Barry also made a cameo appearance in Steven Spielberg's remake of War of the Worlds (2005), along with his co-star Ann Robinson from the film of 1953.)

Gene Barry as Bat Masterson

When the situation comedy Our Miss Brooks was given a change of format in 1955, Barry was cast in a recurring role as the physical education teacher Gene Talbot, the new romantic interest of series star Eve Arden. The show was canceled in 1956, but Barry's character—a ladies' man with expensive tastes—served as the model for three shows in which he later starred.

The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, also with O'Brian as Wyatt Earp
.)

In his next TV series,

Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 1965. In 1965–66, the final season of the series, the title of the show changed to Amos Burke, Secret Agent.[4] In 1994 a revival of the Burke's Law series returned to television for two seasons on CBS. Barry again played in the title role, this time as a widower working with his son Peter (Peter Barton). According to his co-star Gary Conway, who played Det. Tilson in the original series, the two had a lot of fun, on and off camera, despite having some difficulties with each other.[5]
After Conway left the show, he remained friends with Barry until his acting mentor's death.

Tony Franciosa in The Name of the Game
(1968–1971)

Barry's third TV series was

Tony Franciosa, who rotated with Barry week by week as the primary character in each week's program. This series was shown by NBC from 1968 to 1971. One of the magazines that Barry's character published was called People, several years before the actual People
began publication.

Shortly before the filming of The Name of the Game series began, Barry played the villain—a wealthy psychiatrist—in Prescription: Murder, the two-hour TV movie that became the precursor of the TV series

Columbo
.

In 1972, Barry starred in the

ITV television series The Adventurer, along with Barry Morse and Catherine Schell. He played Gene Bradley, a government agent of independent means who posed as a glamorous American movie star. Also in 1972, Barry acted in The Second Coming of Suzanne, an avant-garde drama directed by his son Michael and starring Sondra Locke and Paul Sand. He co-financed the film with private backers.[6]

Barry returned to Broadway acting on two occasions—in 1962 in The Perfect Setup and in 1983 in the Broadway premiere of the musical

Tony Award
for his portrayal of Georges in Cage.

For his contribution to live theatre, Gene Barry received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6555 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1975 Barry bought a home in Palm Springs, California.[7] A Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to him in 1994.[8]

Personal life

On October 22, 1944, at age 25, Barry married Betty Claire Kalb (1923–2003), whom he met on the set of Catherine Was Great. Kalb was an actress known by the stage name Julie Carson.

Death

Barry died on December 9, 2009, at Sunrise Senior Living

Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 90.[10] He was buried at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California, with his wife Betty, who died in 2003.[11][12]

Filmography

Television credits

References

  1. ^ "Gene Barry Biography (1919?–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  2. ISBN 978-0933503182
    .
  3. ^ Simonson, Robert (December 11, 2009). "Gene Barry, Original Georges in La Cage Aux Folles, Dies". Playbill. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  4. ^ ""Amos Burke, Secret Agent" (Four Star/ABC) Season 3 (1965–66)". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  5. ^ "Interview with Gary Conway". Actordatabase.com. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  6. ^ Miller, Jeanne (January 30, 1973). "At Last They Can Co-Star". San Francisco Examiner. p. 20.
  7. ISBN 978-1479328598
    .
  8. ^ "Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated" (PDF). Palmspringswalkofstars.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  9. ^ McLellan, Dennis (December 11, 2009). "Gene Barry dies at 90; star of 'Bat Masterson' and co-star of 'La Cage aux Folles'". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ^ Bernstein, Adam (December 10, 2009). "Actor Gene Barry Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  11. ISBN 978-0786479924
    – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Distinguished Residents of Hillside Memorial Park

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gene Barry.
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