Don 'Red' Barry
Born January 11, 1912 (Age: 114)
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Houston, Texas, USA
Biography
Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had. Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again). Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild. Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled. In 1980 he committed suicide by shooting himself.
Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had. Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again). Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild. Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled. In 1980 he committed suicide by shooting himself.
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Filmography
Back Roads
1981
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as Pete
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Age: 69
The Crash of Flight 401
1978
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as Helicopter Pilot
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Age: 66
Hooper
1978
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as Sheriff
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Age: 66
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
1978
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as Bartender
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Age: 66
Buckstone County Prison
1978
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as Warden Coley
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Age: 66
The Swarm
1978
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as Pete Harris
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Age: 66
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
1978
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as Devery's Foreman
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Age: 66
Doctor Dracula
1978
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as Elliot
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Age: 66
Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys
1978
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as
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Age: 66
Orca
1977
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as Dock Worker
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Age: 65
Hustle
1975
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as Airport Bartender
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Age: 63
Punch and Jody
1974
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as Franz Butz / Delbert Clyde Butz
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Age: 62
Partners in Crime
1973
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as Bartender
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Age: 61
Incident on a Dark Street
1973
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as Miles Henderson
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Age: 61
The Eyes of Charles Sand
1972
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as Trainer
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Age: 60
Shalako
1968
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as Buffalo
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Age: 56
Bandolero!
1968
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as Jack Hawkins
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Age: 56
Apache Uprising
1965
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as Henry Belden
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Age: 53
Town Tamer
1965
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as Tex
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Age: 53
Fort Courageous
1965
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as Captain Harvey
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Age: 53
War Party
1965
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as Sgt. Chaney
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Age: 53
Convict Stage
1965
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as Marshal Jethro Karnin
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Age: 52
Law of the Lawless
1964
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as Red
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Age: 52
Iron Angel
1964
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as Reb
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Age: 52
Twilight of Honor
1963
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as Judson Elliot
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Age: 51
Walk on the Wild Side
1962
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as Dockery
•
Age: 50
Buffalo Gun
1961
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as Murdock
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Age: 49
Ocean's Eleven
1960
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as McCoy (uncredited)
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Age: 48
Walk Like a Dragon
1960
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as Cabot
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Age: 48
The Big Operator
1959
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as Detective Sergeant
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Age: 47
Warlock
1959
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as Edward Calhoun (uncredited)
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Age: 47
The Last Mile
1959
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as Drake
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Age: 47
Born Reckless
1958
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as Bill Okie
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Age: 46
Frankenstein 1970
1958
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as Douglas Row
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Age: 46
China Doll
1958
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as MSgt. Hal Foster
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Age: 46
7 Men from Now
1956
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as Clete
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Age: 44
I'll Cry Tomorrow
1955
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as Jerry
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Age: 43
The Twinkle In God's Eye
1955
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as Dawson
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Age: 43
Jesse James' Women
1954
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as Jesse James
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Age: 42
Untamed Heiress
1954
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as Mike Lawrence
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Age: 42
Border Rangers
1950
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as Bob Standish
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Age: 38
Train To Tombstone
1950
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as Len Howard
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Age: 38
Gunfire
1950
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as Frank James / Bat Fenton
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Age: 38
I Shot Billy the Kid
1950
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as Billy the Kid
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Age: 38
The Chicago Kid
1945
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as Joe Ferrill
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Age: 33
Bells of Rosarita
1945
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as Don Barry
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Age: 33
The Sundown Kid
1942
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as Red Tracy
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Age: 30
The Traitor Within
1942
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as Sam Starr
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Age: 30
Outlaws of Pine Ridge
1942
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as Chips Barrett
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Age: 30
The Sombrero Kid
1942
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as Jerry Holden
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Age: 30
The Cyclone Kid
1942
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as Johnny "Cyclone Kid" Dawson
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Age: 30
Jesse James, Jr.
1942
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as Johnny Barrett
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Age: 30
Stagecoach Express
1942
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as Dave Gregory
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Age: 30
Arizona Terrors
1942
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as Jim Bradley
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Age: 30
Remember Pearl Harbor
1942
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as Pvt. Steve 'Lucky' Smith
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Age: 29
A Missouri Outlaw
1941
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as Cliff Dixon
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Age: 29
Death Valley Outlaws
1941
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as Johnny Edwards
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Age: 29
Kansas Cyclone
1941
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as Jim Randall
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Age: 29
Desert Bandit
1941
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as Bob Crandall, Texas Ranger
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Age: 29
The Apache Kid
1941
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as Pete Dawson aka The Apache Kid
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Age: 29
Two Gun Sheriff
1941
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as Jim "Sundown Kid" McKinnon / Sheriff Bruce McKinnon
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Age: 29
The Phantom Cowboy
1941
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as Jim Lawrence
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Age: 29
Wyoming Wildcat
1941
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as Bill Gannon
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Age: 28