Barbara Lawrence
Barbara Jo Lawrence (February 24, 1930 – November 13, 2013) was an American model, actress, and real estate agent.
Barbara Lawrence | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Barbara Jo Lawrence February 24, 1930 Carnegie, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | November 13, 2013 (aged 83) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1945–1962 |
| Known for | Oklahoma! Margie A Letter to Three Wives |
| Spouses | John Murphy
(m. 1951; div. 1957)Lester R. Nelson
(m. 1961; div. 1976) |
| Children | 4 |
Early years
Born to Morris and Bernice (nee Eaton) Lawrence in Carnegie, Oklahoma,[1] She won a Tiny Tot beauty contest when she was three years old.[2]
Career
Lawrence's career began as a child photographer's model. She appeared in Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe (1945), her first film, as a night-club patron. A year later, she made a strong impression in Margie, in which she played outgoing flapper Maryville. She was featured in the swashbuckler Captain from Castile (1947) with Tyrone Power. While finishing her studies at UCLA,[3] she attracted the attention of talent scouts, and Lawrence soon was featured in a number of movies at 20th Century-Fox , including You Were Meant for Me, Give My Regards to Broadway, A Letter to Three Wives, The Street with No Name, and Thieves' Highway. At Universal in the early 1950s were Peggy and Here Come the Nelsons. She also starred in Columbia Pictures' romantic comedy Paris Model (1953).
Upon moving to MGM, Lawrence appeared with Gig Young in the 3D movie Arena (1953) and in Her Twelve Men (with Greer Garson). She played the role of Gertie Cummings in the film version of Oklahoma!, in which she gets into a knockdown catfight with Gloria Grahame (Ado Annie). She starred in Man with the Gun (1955) that year.[4] In 1956, she appeared as Lola McQuilan in the western TV series Cheyenne in the episode titled "The Last Train West." In 1957, she starred in Kronos (with Jeff Morrow). Although the science-fiction film was not praised by critics at the time, it eventually attracted a cult following for its imaginative story and special effects.
From 1958 to 1962, Lawrence made four guest appearances on the CBS-TV series Perry Mason. In 1958, she played Ellen Waring in "The Half-Wakened Wife" and Gloria Barton in "The Case of the Jilted Jockey." In 1961, she played Lori Stoner in "The Case of the Envious Editor", and in 1962, she played Agnes Theilman in "The Case of the Shapely Shadow".[5]: 46735 In 1958, she guest-starred in Cimarron City (TV series) in the second episode "Terror Town". In 1960, she guest-starred as Della Thompson in the Bonanza episode "The Abduction".
Personal life
In 1947, aged 17, Lawrence married actor Jeffrey Stone. The marriage was kept secret until June 28, 1947, when Lawrence's mother threw her daughter a church wedding in Beverly Hills, California,[1] but the marriage ended with a divorce granted on September 28, 1949.[6]
Death
Lawrence died of kidney failure on November 13, 2013, aged 83,[7] in Los Angeles, California, but her death was not reported until January 3, 2014.
Legacy
Lawrence has a star at 1735 Vine Street in the Television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.[8]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Diamond Horseshoe | Blonde in Nightclub | uncredited |
| 1946 | Margie | Marybelle Tenor | |
| 1947 | Captain from Castile | Luisa De Carvajal | |
| 1948 | You Were Meant for Me | Louise Crane | |
| 1948 | Give My Regards to Broadway | June Norwick | |
| 1948 | The Street with No Name | Judy Stiles | |
| 1948 | Unfaithfully Yours | Barbara Henshler | |
| 1949 | A Letter to Three Wives | Babe Finney | |
| 1949 | Mother Is a Freshman | Louise Sharpe | |
| 1949 | Thieves' Highway | Polly Faber | |
| 1950 | Peggy | Susan Brookfield | |
| 1951 | You Were Meant for Me | S.F. (Foxy) Rogers | |
| 1952 | Here Come the Nelsons | Barbara Schutzendorf | |
| 1952 | The Star | Barbara Lawrence | |
| 1953 | Arena | Sylvia Lorgan | |
| 1953 | Paris Model | Marta Jensen | |
| 1954 | Jesse James vs. the Daltons | Kate Manning | |
| 1954 | Her Twelve Men | Barbara Dunning | |
| 1955 | Oklahoma! | Gertie Cummings | |
| 1955 | Man with the Gun | Ann Wakefield | |
| 1956 | Four Star Playhouse episode Rites of Spring | Eva Kenyon | |
| 1957 | Kronos | Vera Hunter | |
| 1957 | Joe Dakota | Myrna Weaver | |
| 1957 | Man in the Shadow | Helen Sadler |
References
- Ingram, Florence (March 6, 2008). "Barbara Lawrence". Classic Images. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- Hale, Wanda (July 16, 1950). "Young Star in Comedy Had Long Screen Career". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. Section Two, p 7ML. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- Profile at Yahoo.com Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Clemens, Samuel (2020). Pat: A Biography of Hollywood's Blonde Starlet. Sequoia Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-0578682822.
- Davidson, Jim (2014). "Index of Perry Mason Actors". The Perry Mason Book: A Comprehensive Guide to America's Favorite Defender of Justice (e-book). ASIN B00OOELV1K.
- "Barbara Lawrence Wins Final Divorce Decree". Shamokin News-Dispatch. Pennsylvania, Shamokin. United Press. September 28, 1949. p. 11. Retrieved September 17, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- "'Oklahoma!' actress Barbara Lawrence dies at age 83". Santa Maria Times. California, Santa Maria. January 5, 2014. p. B6. Retrieved 25 January 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Barbara Lawrence". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
External links
- Barbara Lawrence at IMDb
- Barbara Lawrence at AllMovie
- New York Times obituary for Barbara Lawrence, January 3, 2014; accessed January 4, 2014.
- Lawrence, Barbara (1930– ) in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture