Don "Red" Barry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don "Red" Barry
Film still of Barry in The Traitor Within (1942)
Born	Milton Poimboeuf (1910-01-11)January 11, 1910 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 17, 1980 North Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, writer
Years active	1933–1980
Spouse(s)	Peggy Stewart ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1944)​ ; 1 child Ona-Dell Ward (m. 1947; div.c. 1952); 1 child Barbara Patin ​ (m. 1963)​ ; 2 children

Don Barry (born Milton Poimboeuf; January 11, 1910 – July 17, 1980) was an American film and television actor. He was also known as Red Barry. He got the nickname "Red" after playing the first Red Ryder in the popular 1940 movie Adventures of Red Ryder. Later, other actors played the Red Ryder character. After Red Ryder, Barry appeared in bigger movies, but none were as successful as his first big role. He also played Red Doyle in a 1964 episode of the TV show Perry Mason.

Early Life

Don Barry was born Milton Poimboeuf in Houston, Texas. He went to Allen Academy and the Texas School of Mines (which is now the University of Texas at El Paso). Before he became an actor, Barry was a high school and college football player. He moved to Los Angeles to work in advertising before starting his acting career.

Career

Starting as an Actor

Barry began his acting journey on stage in New York in the late 1930s. His first movie roles were as an extra or in small parts. Famous actor John Wayne discovered Barry during a football game. Wayne helped Barry meet movie producers.

Barry played many different roles before he found his special talent and earned his nickname "Red." This happened when he starred in the 1940 movie series The Adventures of Red Ryder for Republic Pictures. Even though Barry was shorter and stronger than the tall, thin hero from the Red Ryder comic strip, the studio boss, Herbert J. Yates, insisted Barry play the part. Barry continued to act in Western movies. He also made two war films: Remember Pearl Harbor (1942) and The Purple Heart (1944).

Don "Red" Barry and Wally Vernon in The Man from the Rio Grande (1943)

By the 1950s, Barry started playing supporting roles instead of the main hero in Westerns. In 1955, he appeared as a bandit named Milt Sharp in an episode of the TV series Stories of the Century. He also played "Clete" in the 1956 Western movie Seven Men from Now, which starred Randolph Scott.

Barry appeared in many TV Westerns. In 1958, he was in an episode of Cheyenne. He also guest-starred in Sugarfoot and Colt .45. In 1961, Barry played a gunfighter in an episode of Maverick with Jack Kelly. He also appeared in Lawman. Barry continued to make Westerns in the mid-1960s. In 1966, he played a Confederate soldier in the movie Alvarez Kelly. He also had a supporting role in the 1968 film Shalako and the TV series Dragnet.

Barry appeared in many TV shows, especially Westerns. He was in eight episodes of the long-running series The Virginian. He also played farmer Judd Larrabee in six episodes of Little House on the Prairie. He was a regular character, Lt. Ray Snedigar, on the 1960s detective show Surfside 6. He also appeared in TV miniseries like Rich Man, Poor Man Book II.

Writing and Directing

Barry at a party at the National Film Society convention, May 1979

Besides acting, Don Barry was also a writer. He wrote the stories for films like Red Light (1949), Train to Tombstone (1950), and Convict Stage (1965). He also helped write the screenplay, directed, and played the main role of Jesse James in the 1954 movie Jesse James' Women.

Personal Life

Don Barry married actress Peggy Stewart in 1940. They had a son named Michael, born in 1943, before they divorced in 1944. He later married Ona-Dell Ward in 1947. They had one son and divorced around 1952.

Death

Don Barry passed away on July 17, 1980, at his home in North Hollywood, California. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Don "Red" Barry para niños