Denise DuBarry

Denise DuBarry (born March 6, 1956) is an American actress, businesswoman, film producer, and philanthropist. She co-founded Thane International, Inc. a global leader in the direct response industry along with her husband, Bill Hay in 1990. She served as its Chief Creative Officer for 15 years 1990-2005. As an actress, she is best known for her role as nurse Lieutenant Samantha Green in the television show Black Sheep Squadron and her role as Johanna Franklin in the film Being There. DuBarry was a pioneer in the infomercial industry as a producer of Play the Piano Overnight in 1988 which won the Billboard Music Award for Best Music Instruction Video that year and then Play the Guitar Overnight which won the 1991 Billboard Music Award for Best Music Instruction. She is also the mother of actress Samantha Lockwood.

Early life

DuBarry was born in Killeen, Texas at the Fort Hood Army Base to Adrian Pierre DuBarry and Betty Louise King DuBarry. Her parents moved back to Louisiana where they were from so that her father could finish his master's degree at LSU in Baton Rouge. The family later moved to Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica where DuBarry grew up from ages 2 – 10. DuBarry speaks fluent Spanish. The family moved throughout California eventually settling in Granada Hills, California where DuBarry went to middle school and high school. A child of divorce and the eldest of five children, at 14 she was charged with looking after her siblings while her mother worked.

Yoga

• 

  Denise 1989

DuBarry is an avid Bikram Yoga practitioner and has been practicing yoga since 1979. She founded and owned Malibu Yoga ^[1] in 1986 which catered to a celebrity clientele including Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Newton-John, John McEnroe, Kelly Preston, Amy Madigan, Rachel Ward. She gave the studio to her friend Geoffrey Norman in 1990 when she moved to the desert. She is a partner in the Bikram Yoga University Village studio^[2][3] in Palm Desert, California.

Career

1974 - 1979

At the age of 18, DuBarry went to work for her father in his paper export business, DuBarry International and attended acting lessons at night with Milton Katselas and Charles E. Conrad. She landed commercials for Michelob Beer, Chevrolet Camaro and featured extra roles in the kid shows, Magic Mongo, Wonder Woman and an appearance on The Gong Show as beauty contestant "Ms. Hold the Mayo". She competed in several real beauty contests including Ms. Malibu where she won "Most Photogenic". She was hired to co-star in a CBS Movie of the Week, Deadman's Curve. In 1978, she appeared in the Match Game. She also appeared in the Dating Game. DuBarry landed a regular role on the last season of the NBC World War II television series, Black Sheep Squadron. She then guest-starred on popular television shows, including CHIPS and several other Movies of the Week including "Fast Friends" with Dick Shawn and David Letterman. She was offered the role of Mandy Pepperidge in the comedy classic, Animal House which she turned down due to a scene where she had to expose her breasts. In 1979, she landed the role of Maria Von Traub on Operation Prime Time's Top of the Hill mini-series playing an Olympic downhill skier starring with Sonny Bono, Wayne Rogers, Elke Sommer, Paula Prentiss and Gary Lockwood. Hal Ashby cast her in a featured role in the 1979 film classic, Being There ^[4] with Peter Sellers and Shirley McLaine. Several years later, Steven Spielberg saw her in the film and had her in to screen test for the part of Wilhelmina Scott for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the part played by Kate Capshaw.

1980–1989

In 1982 DuBarry and Lockwood formed a production company, Xebec Productions and she began writing and fundraising for film development and production, while she continued to act. In 1985, she starred in the cult classic, Monster in the Closet.^[5] In 1986, she starred in a Sandy Howard production, Lethal (aka KGB, the Secret War).^[6] In 1987, DuBarry and best friend Deborah Chenoweth partnered to produce Play the Piano Overnight^[7] which became a huge infomercial success, selling hundreds of thousands of videos.

1990 - 2005

DuBarry met husband Bill Hay through mutual friend Dick Robertson, the then president of Warner Bros. Television Distribution. DuBarry and Hay formed Thane International^[8] and produced and distributed Play the Guitar Overnight ^[9] Playboy’s Secrets to Making Love to the Same Person Forever shot at the Playboy mansion,^[10] Beat the Recession and a slew of infomercials. Over the years, Thane International [8] has created several highly successful brands in diverse categories with global marketing and distribution operations that extend to over 100 countries worldwide as is regarded an a global leader in the direct response industry. During her tenure as Chief Creative Officer, she oversaw the marketing campaigns for over 90 products: trademarks, patents, IP rights, product design, marketing, ran the product department and production department, oversaw editors, graphic artists, and producers for infomercials, commercials, print advertising, internet marketing, catalog and live shopping channels. Once she greenlit a project, utilizing Thane's powerful global infrastructure, a product could be distributed worldwide in less than 60 days. She created brand names and strategic marketing initiatives for several top-selling products including: the Orbitrek elliptical glider, California Beauty, Klear Action Whitening Light, and the best-selling drugstore Klear Action Acne Treatment, among others. Her long form infomercials and short form commercials have sold well over $1 billion in products. Hay and DuBarry sold the majority shares of Thane in 1998 to an investment group HIG Capital, in 2002 the company then acquired direct response company Reliant Interactive Media Corp. The majority shareholders bought the company back took it private in 2004, DuBarry left in 2005 but remains a large shareholder. Thane International subsidiaries include Thane Direct. DuBarry was the executive producer of the live awards gala for the annual ERA (Electronic Retailing Association) Convention and Expo in 2001-2003, held in Las Vegas and hosted by comedians Paul Rodriguez and George Wallace.

2005–Present

In 2005, she founded Kaswit, Inc., a direct response marketing company. Through her production company founded in 2006, Blue Moxie Entertainment, DuBarry produced the feature film, Shoot the Hero, which had its World Premiere at the 2010 Palm Springs International Film Festival.^[11]

Community service

DuBarry became very involved with the local desert community and became president of Palm Springs Women in Film & Television, a non-profit organization whose goal is to empower women in the film and television industry to help advance their careers through networking and mentoring programs. PSWIFT initiatives launched under Denise’s leadership have been the pswift.com site and the psfilmoffice.com site, a virtual film office for the Palm Springs area designed to help bring more film and television production to the Coachella Valley. She fought to get the officially sanctioned "Oscar Night America" gala celebrating the Academy Awards to the Coachella Valley for 2008 and 2009. [9] [10] She serves as a trustee for Olive Crest [11] homes for abused children and in her capacity as Development Chair has developed strategies that have resulted in raising millions of dollars which helped to build 4 residential homes each housing 6 children. [12]. One of the houses, The DuBarry-Hay Family home, was named in her honor. She has served as a board member of the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences [13], the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Women Leaders Forum [14], the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA)[15] and Thane International. She currently serves on the advisory board of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP)[16], serves on the board of the Palm Springs Cultural Center [17] and board/Marketing Committee of the prestigious Marywood/Palm Valley School [18] where she developed the International Guest Student Program. Additionally, she has been honored with a star in Palm Springs, California. Her longtime friend, Congresswoman Mary Bono presented Denise with the Desert Diva Award at the Palm Springs Women in Film and Television Broken Glass Awards.[19] [20]. She received the "Woman of Distinction in the Arts" from the American League of Pen Women [21] for her work in the arts and she and husband Bill Hay received an Ernst and Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 1998. The Electronic Retailing Association also recognized Denise’s efforts with a “Volunteer of the Year Award”. She’s been a member at Bel Air Country Club [22] and La Quinta Country Club [23] since 1990. She has served as the La Quinta Country Club House Committee Co-Chair, and currently serves as Chair of the Membership Committee.

Television work

Actress [24]

Television/ Movies

• 1993 Days of Our Lives - Guest Star - (Kathy)
• 1993 Days of Our Lives – Guest Star (Twyla)
• 1979 Top of the Hill – CO-STAR (Maria von Taub)
• 1979 Fast Friends – CO-STAR (Marcy)
• 1979 Crisis in Mid Air – CO-STAR (Jenny Sterling)
• 1979 Darker Side of Terror – CO-STAR (Ann Sweeney)
• 1978 Deadman’s Curve – CO-STAR (Susan)

Television Series Regular

• 1977–1978 Black Sheep Squadron – CO-STAR – (Samantha Green)

Television Guest Appearances

• 1990 - 1993 Days of Our Lives – several episodes 1990–1993
• 1986 Trapper John, M.D. – Fall of the Wild – Bag Lady
• 1981 Love Boat -“Frugal Pair” -(Heather)
• 1979 Charlies Angels – Episode-“Waikiki Angels” (Marti)
• 1979 CHIPS– Episode-“Rally Round the Bank” (Sue)
• 1979 A Man Called Sloane-“Tuned for Destruction” – Corporal Comfort
• 1979 Flying High – "Tyler”
• 1978 CHIPS- Episode – "Family Crisis” (Sue)
• 1977 Charlies Angels - Episode-“Pretty Angels All in a Row” (Contestant)
• 1977 Baretta

Producer

Infomercials

• 2004 Pilates Power Gym –PRODUCER
• 2004 Trimflex – PRODUCER
• 2003 Street Heat – HOST and PRODUCER
• 2003 Klear Action – Acne – HOST and PRODUCER
• 2002 ABDOer Pro II – HOST and PRODUCER
• 2002 Magnassager II– EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 2001 Orbitrek Pro –PRODUCER
• 2001 ProShot for Floors - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 2001 Youth Cocktail - HOST and PRODUCER
• 2001 California Beauty Mini Peel - PRODUCER
• 2001 California Beauty Cosmetics - HOST and PRODUCER
• 1998 California Beauty Sunless Tan- HOST and PRODUCER
• 2001 LePresse - PRODUCER
• 2001 EFL Fishing Lures II– EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 2001 Larry North – Weekend Turnaround–PRODUCER
• 2000 Mojave Sunglasses II – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 2000 BioSlim II –PRODUCER
• 2000 Airtight Bag ‘n Seal – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 2000 Smart Trac 2000 II –PRODUCER
• 2000 VKO –PRODUCER
• 1999 BodyVibes - HOST and PRODUCER
• 1999 ReSolution - HOST and PRODUCER
• 1999 ExerFlex – PRODUCER
• 1999 Greg Norman’s – One on One –PRODUCER
• 1999 Style It for Walls – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 1999 Eurossage – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 1998 Power Gym – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 1998 Beer Machine –PRODUCER
• 1998 Alexandria Sugaring –PRODUCER
• 1998 Facial Magic II – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 1997 BioSlim –PRODUCER
• 1997 Orbitrek – PRODUCER
• 1996 Alphamax - HOST and PRODUCER
• 1996 AromaSlim –PRODUCER
• 1995 Mark Wilson’s Magic II –PRODUCER
• 1994 The Gift of Music –PRODUCER
• 1992 Linda Tellington Jones “Ttouch” for Dogs, Cats & Horses – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
• 1991 Playboy’s Secrets of Making Love to the Same Person Forever –PRODUCER
• 1990 Play the Guitar Overnight – PRODUCER
• 1987 Play the Piano Overnight –PRODUCER
• Executive produced over 50 DRTV commercials

Filmography

Actress [25]

• 1986 Lethal (aka KGB: The Secret War) – STAR (as Adele Martin)
• 1986 Monster in the Closet – comedy – STAR (as Professor Diane Bennett)
• 1981 The Devil & Max Devlin – (Disney) Featured (Stella’s Secretary)
• 1980 Being There – Featured (Johanna Franklin)
• 1978 Skateboard - Official

Producer

• 2004 Missing Sock (Short)
• 2010 Shoot the Hero [26] - feature

Awards and Recognition

• Desert Diva – Palm Springs Women in Film – Broken Glass Awards 2010
• 2010 Woman of Distinction in the Arts – from the American League of Pen Women
• 2005 – Was named one of the most dynamic women of the Coachella Valley on the cover of Palm Springs Life Magazine, “The Incredibles”
• 2002 -Star on Palm Springs Walk of Fame [27]
• 2002 - Volunteer of the Year – ERA
• 1998 - Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Inland Empire [28]

References

1. ^ January 19th, 1989, pg.12 &13. "Uptight People Try for a Stretch"- Carrie McNamara(McNamara 1989)
2. ^ http://www.mydesert.com/article/20110221/OPINION/102210303/Monday-Newsmaker-Actress-takes-new-role
3. ^ Folmer, James. Actress takes on a new role: DuBarry hay opens Bikram yoga studio. The Desert Sun, February 21, 2011, p. B5.
4. ^ [1]
5. ^ [2]
6. ^ [3]
7. ^ [4]
8. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thane_Direct
9. ^ [5]
10. ^ [6]
11. ^ [7]

Persondata
Name	Dubarry, Denise
Alternative names
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Date of birth	March 6, 1956
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death