Judith Barrie
Judith Barrie (born Catherine Brown; March 1907 – January 9, 1991) was an American actress and model who appeared in four films from 1930 to 1932, retiring after her brief marriage to producer Edward Halperin.
Judith Barrie | |
|---|---|
 Barrie in Party Girl | |
| Born | Catherine Brown March 1907 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 1991 (aged 83) Reno, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1930–1932 |
| Spouses |
|
Biography
Born Catherine Brown[lower-alpha 1] and raised in Sacramento, Barrie was the granddaughter of a wealthy wheat merchant in California.[4] Her father was Fred Brown, and her mother, Eva Brown, of Lincoln, California.[1] She had one older sister, Hermia (born 1906).[2] She graduated from Miss Head's School, a girls' boarding school in Berkeley.[5] After graduating, she worked as a model in New York City,[4] and became a muse of artist James Montgomery Flagg.[6][7] While in New York, she also performed professionally as a concert pianist.[8]
While modeling, Barrie was noticed by producer Edward Halperin (brother of director Victor Halperin[9]) who suggested to her that she seek a career in film.[9] After appearing in her feature debut in Party Girl (1930) opposite Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, she served as a model for the life-size bronze statue used to welcome visitors at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[9] She subsequently appeared in Ex-Flame (1930), and the Western The Last Frontier (1932).[10] She was then cast in a lead role opposite Tom Mix in the Western Hidden Gold (1932).[10]
Barrie was married to Edward Halperin from 1928 until 1932, when he filed for divorce, claiming she did not love him.[11] She subsequently married Norman Coit Lee, a broker from New York City, on August 25, 1933 in Reno, Nevada.[1] After her marriage to Lee, Barrie formally retired from acting.[1]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Party Girl | Leeda Cather | [10] | |
| 1930 | Ex-Flame | Barbara Lacey | Also known as: Mixed Doubles | |
| 1932 | The Last Frontier | Rose Maitland | ||
| 1932 | Hidden Gold | Nora Lane | ||
Notes
- Barrie's mother is identified as Eva Brown of Lancaster, California in a 1933 article concerning Barrie's marriage to Norman Coit Lee; in this same article, Barrie's birth name is noted as Catherine Brown.[1] Census records from Sacramento during the 1910 census list Fred and Eva Brown and their two daughters, Hermia (b. 1906) and Catherine (b. 1907), residing in the city's 123 enumeration district.[2] A Los Angeles Times profile published March 9, 1930, detailing Barrie's birthday party suggests she was born in early March.[3]
References
- "Miss Judith Barrie Married in Reno". Lincoln News-Messenger. Lincoln, California. August 31, 1933. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Thirteenth Census of the United States", United States census, 1910; Sacramento, California; page 16B, line 64–67, enumeration district 123, Family History film 1374106. Retrieved on December 30, 2018.
- Kingsley, Grace (March 9, 1930). "Much Ado with Stella". Los Angeles Times. p. 110 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Judith Barrie Rise to Fame is Meteoric". Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. April 7, 1930. p. 10 – via Newspaper Archive.
- "Judith Barrie Is Lovely As Siren". Pampa News-Post. Pampa, Texas. February 8, 1931. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- "On Film Studio Lots". Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. December 22, 1929. p. 58 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Screen Gossip". The Times. Munster, Indiana. November 15, 1929. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Deserts Music". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia. March 5, 1933. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- Rhodes 2015, p. 228.
- "Judith Barrie". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 1, 2019.
- "Film Producer Halperin Sues Actress Wife". Los Angeles Times. January 15, 1932. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
Sources
- Rhodes, Gary D. (2015). White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-476-60491-6.
