Barbara Read
Known for Acting · 21 credits
- Born
- 1917-12-29
- Died
- 1963-12-11
- Place of birth
- Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada
- Also known as
- Barbara French Read · Barbara Reed
Biography
Born in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada, Barbara Read was the daughter of a contractor. Under contract to Columbia, she was paid but never used for a single picture. She quit in disgust. She was later signed by Universal and was cast as one of the Craig sisters inThree Smart Girls (1936) along with Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey. This was Barbara's first and best remembered film. Her career was over by the time she married actor William Talman, of "Perry Mason" fame, in 1953. The couple had two children: Barbara ("Barbie") and William III ("Bobo"). The marriage was turbulent as both she and Talman suffered from alcohol problems. They divorced in 1960 with Barbara gaining custody of the children. Talman took over custody a year later when Barbara's alcoholism and mental/emotional problems became overbearing. Committed suicide at her Laguna Beach, California home when she turned on the gas jets of her stove and sealed the doors and windows. She left a suicide note blaming "ill health". Barbara Read bore a powerful likeness to Deanna Durbin, whose sister she was portraying in "Three Smart Girls".
Date of Death: 11 December 1963, Laguna Beach, California (suicide)
Known For
Movies (21)
Sorority House
1939
as Dotty Spencer
The Mighty Treve
1937
as Aileen Fenno
Make Way for Tomorrow
1937
as Rhoda Cooper
Coroner Creek
1948
as Abbie Miles (as Barbara Reed)
Curtain Call
1940
as Helen Middleton
Death Valley
1946
as Mitzi
The Missing Lady
1946
as Margo Lane
The Spellbinder
1939
as Janet Marlowe
The Road Back
1937
as Lucy
Key Witness
1947
as Martha Higby (as Barbara Reed)
Midnight Intruder
1938
as Patricia Hammond
Three Smart Girls
1936
as Kay Craig
The Man Who Cried Wolf
1937
as Nan
Rubber Racketeers
1942
as Mary Dale
Too Many Women
1942
as Linda Pearson
Behind the Mask
1946
as Margo Lane
The Shadow Returns
1946
as Margo Lane
The Crime of Doctor Hallet
1938
as Claire Saunders
Ginger
1947
as Peggy Sullivan (as Barbara Reed)
Merry Go Round of 1938
1937
as Clarice Stockbridge
Married and in Love
1940
as Helen Yates
About Barbara Read
Born in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada, Barbara Read was the daughter of a contractor. Under contract to Columbia, she was paid but never used for a single picture. She quit in disgust. She was later signed by Universal and was cast as one of the Craig sisters inThree Smart Girls (1936) along with Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey. This was Barbara's first and best remembered film. Her career was over by the time she married actor William Talman, of "Perry Mason" fame, in 1953. The couple had two children: Barbara ("Barbie") and William III ("Bobo"). T… With 21 credits spanning from 1936 to 1948, Barbara Read has appeared in 21 films and 0 TV shows.
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Most Popular Barbara Read Movies
- Sorority House (1939) — as Dotty Spencer
- The Mighty Treve (1937) — as Aileen Fenno
- Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) — as Rhoda Cooper
- Coroner Creek (1948) — as Abbie Miles (as Barbara Reed)
- Curtain Call (1940) — as Helen Middleton
Where to Watch Barbara Read Films
Most Barbara Read movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Barbara Read, check our movies catalogue and browse page.