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"). 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)
Filmography
Coroner Creek
as Abbie Miles (as Barbara Reed)
Coroner Creek
as Abbie Miles (as Barbara Reed)
Key Witness
as Martha Higby (as Barbara Reed)
Key Witness
as Martha Higby (as Barbara Reed)
Ginger
as Peggy Sullivan (as Barbara Reed)
Ginger
as Peggy Sullivan (as Barbara Reed)
The Missing Lady
as Margo Lane
The Missing Lady
as Margo Lane
Death Valley
as Mitzi
Death Valley
as Mitzi
Behind the Mask
as Margo Lane
Behind the Mask
as Margo Lane
The Shadow Returns
as Margo Lane
The Shadow Returns
as Margo Lane
Rubber Racketeers
as Mary Dale
Rubber Racketeers
as Mary Dale
Too Many Women
as Linda Pearson
Too Many Women
as Linda Pearson
Curtain Call
as Helen Middleton
Curtain Call
as Helen Middleton
Married and in Love
as Helen Yates
Married and in Love
as Helen Yates
The Spellbinder
as Janet Marlowe
The Spellbinder
as Janet Marlowe
Sorority House
as Dotty Spencer
Sorority House
as Dotty Spencer
The Crime of Doctor Hallet
as Claire Saunders
The Crime of Doctor Hallet
as Claire Saunders
Midnight Intruder
as Patricia Hammond
Midnight Intruder
as Patricia Hammond
Merry Go Round of 1938
as Clarice Stockbridge
Merry Go Round of 1938
as Clarice Stockbridge
The Man Who Cried Wolf
as Nan
The Man Who Cried Wolf
as Nan
The Road Back
as Lucy
The Road Back
as Lucy
Make Way for Tomorrow
as Rhoda Cooper
Make Way for Tomorrow
as Rhoda Cooper
The Mighty Treve
as Aileen Fenno
The Mighty Treve
as Aileen Fenno
Three Smart Girls
as Kay Craig
Three Smart Girls
as Kay Craig