Mona Barrie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mona Barrie
Mona Barrie in 1936
Born	Mona Barlee Smith (1909-12-18)18 December 1909 London, England
Died	27 June 1964(1964-06-27) (aged 54) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Knox United Church Cemetery, Agincourt, Toronto
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1932–1953
Spouse(s)	Charles Harold Rayson ​ ​ (m. 1928; div. 1931)​ Paul Macklin Bolton ​ ​ (m. 1938)​

Mona Barrie (born Mona Barlee Smith; December 18, 1909 – June 27, 1964) was an actress from England. She became famous on stage in Australia before moving to the United States and starring in Hollywood movies.

Becoming an Actress

Mona Barrie was born Mona Barlee Smith in London, England. Her father, Phil Smith, was a comedian, and her mother, Jessie Barlee, was a variety performer. In 1913, when Mona was young, her family moved to Australia.

Early Stage Career

Mona started her acting career on stage in 1922. Her first big role was in a play called The Merry Widow. For the next ten years, she performed in many musical comedies and became very popular in Australia. She even performed with famous Australian stars like Roy Rene.

First Film Roles

Mona also appeared in her first movie, His Royal Highness (1932), alongside Australian comedian George Wallace.

In 1933, she moved to New York in the United States. She took a screen test for movies and soon signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation. This is when she started using the stage name Mona Barrie for her films. Her first American movie was Sleepers East.

Hollywood Success

Mona Barrie acted in more than fifty movies over almost twenty years! Even though she often played important but not always the main roles, she was a busy and talented actress. She appeared in Dawn on the Great Divide (1942), which was the last film for actor Buck Jones.

Mona also performed in many plays across the U.S. She made her first appearance on Broadway in 1937 in a play called Virginia.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 1960, Mona Barrie received a special honor for her work in movies. She got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You can find her star at 6140 Hollywood Boulevard.

Her Life Outside of Acting

Mona Barrie was married twice.

Marriages

In July 1928, she married Charles Harold Rayson in Melbourne, Australia. However, this marriage did not last, and they divorced in 1931. In 1938, she married Paul Macklin Bolton, who was from Canada. Mona did not have any children from either marriage.

Later Years

Mona Barrie passed away in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, when she was 54 years old. She and her second husband, Paul Bolton, are buried together in the Knox United Church Cemetery in Agincourt, Toronto.

Her Family

Mona Barrie had a sister named Rene Barlee, who was also a variety artist in Australia in the 1920s. Her brother, Roly Barlee, was a chief announcer for a radio station in Melbourne, Australia, called 3UZ.

Movies She Starred In