Claudia Barrett (born Imagene Williams;[1] November 3, 1929 – April 30, 2021)[2] was an American television and film actress.
Claudia Barrett | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Imagene Williams November 3, 1929 |
| Died | April 30, 2021 (aged 91) Palm Desert, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1949–1964; 2019 |
| Spouse | Alan Wells (m. 1953 – div. 1956) |
Early life
editBarrett was born in West Los Angeles, California,[1] the daughter of Arvilla Benton and Iman J. Williams.[2][3] She was raised as a Christian Scientist and had two brothers.[2] At the urging of her mother, she began taking acting classes at an early age to overcome her shyness.[4][5] She won Miss Sherman Oaks beauty contest.[2] After she left Van Nuys High School[2] she studied at Pasadena Community Playhouse for a year and acted at Encino Little Theatre.[3]
Career
edit
Although she was mainly involved with television, Barrett's acting career began with film in the late 1940s and 1950s. At age 18, she was signed (as Imagene Williams) to a contract with Warner Bros.[6] Her first movie appearance was in the 1949 classic film noir White Heat starring James Cagney and Virginia Mayo. The next year, she had the part of Miss Dolly Travers in MGM's The Happy Years, which starred Dean Stockwell, Darryl Hickman, and Leo G. Carroll. After leaving Warner Bros., she appeared in several films at Republic Pictures, a studio that for the most part produced Westerns. She could ride a horse after learning as a Girl Scout.[2] Her other film credits included The Story of Seabiscuit and Chain Lightning, as well as one of the leads of A Life at Stake, a murder drama starring Angela Lansbury. In 1953, she played one of the lead roles, Alice, in the low-budget science-fiction film Robot Monster, generally regarded as one of the worst films of all time.[7] She had accepted the part against the advice of her agent.[5] She said the following about her role:
When you decide to make a movie, the decision is made for various reasons: money, fame, or working with a particular star or director. I just wanted to act. I was a professional actress for 14 years, and I really loved the business. And Robot Monster was a movie I enjoyed making.
Barrett appeared in numerous television shows, including The Abbott and Costello Show, China Smith, Space Patrol, That's My Boy, The Lone Ranger, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Jack Benny Program.
Despite her love of acting, Barrett's career began to slow down in the mid 60s. In 1964, she retired from acting and worked in film distribution and publicity, eventually landing a job at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, working in the division that produced the awards for scientific and technical advances. Barrett stayed in that position from 1981 to 1995 when she retired from the film industry.[1] [2]
Personal life
editBarrett was married to actor Alan Wells between 1953 and 1956. Wells later married actress Barbara Lang, but on June 5, 1957, Lang sought an annulment, alleging that Wells had not received a final divorce from Barrett when he and Lang married.[8]
During a 1984 visit to Ireland, Barrett took up painting and upon her return home, enrolled in art classes.[4] In her later life, Barrett began to write poetry and followed the Centers for Spiritual Living;[2] in 2019 she released a book of spiritual poetry.[9] Barrett died of natural causes at her home in Palm Desert, California on April 30, 2021, at the age of 91.[10]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | White Heat | Cashier |
| The Story of Seabiscuit | Nurse | |
| 1950 | Rustlers on Horseback | Mrs. Jack Reynolds |
| Chain Lightning | Pilot | |
| The Happy Years | Dolly Travers | |
| The Great Jewel Robber | Marian Blaine | |
| The Old Frontier | Betty Ames | |
| 1951 | Night Riders of Montana | Julie Bauer |
| 1952 | Desperadoes' Outpost | Kathy |
| 1953 | Robot Monster | Alice |
| 1955 | A Life at Stake | Madge Neilan |
| 1957 | Chain of Evidence | Harriet Owens |
| 1960 | Seven Ways from Sundown | Gilda |
| 1961 | The Last Time I Saw Archie | Lola |
| You Have to Run Fast | Fran | |
| 1962 | Escape from Zahrain | Nurse |
| 1964 | Taggart | Lola Manners |
| 2019 | The 500 Foot Sister[permanent dead link] | Rita Loud (voice) |
References
edit- ^ a b c Bruce Eder (2013). "Claudia Barrett". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Claudia Barrett Obituary (1929 - 2021) the Desert Sun".
- ^ a b "Court Approves Imagene Williams Contract with Warner Bros. Studios". The Van Nuys News. California, Van Nuys. September 16, 1948. p. 43. Retrieved September 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Fitzgerald, Michael G. (2002). Ladies of the Western: Interviews with Fifty-One More Actresses From the Silent Era to the Television Westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 14–19. ISBN 0-7864-2656-X. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Parla, Paul; Mitchell, Charles P. (October 1, 2009). Screen Sirens Scream!. McFarland. pp. 13–19. ISBN 978-0786445875. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ^ "(photo caption)". The Daily Times. Ohio, New Philadelphia. September 15, 1948. p. 12. Retrieved September 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Elmer Bernstein and Robot Monster Archived 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Actress Barbara Lang asks for annulment". The Los Angeles Times. June 6, 1957. p. 5. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ^ Barrett, Claudia (September 30, 2019). Seasons of Life; Spirit Speaks: The Poetry and Reflections of a Grateful Heart. AquaZebra.
- ^ Flam, Charna (June 9, 2021). "Claudia Barrett, 'Robot Monster' femme fatale, dead at 91". New York Post. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
