- Wendy Barrie
Infobox actor
name = Wendy Barrie
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birthname = Marguerite Wendy Jenkins
birthdate = birth date|1912|4|18
location =Hong Kong
deathdate = Death date and age|1978|2|2|1912|4|18
deathplace = Englewood,New Jersey , U.S.
othername =
yearsactive =
spouse =
homepage =
notable role =
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tonyawards =Wendy Barrie (
18 April ,1912 –2 February ,1978 ) was a British actress who worked in British andHollywood films.Early life
Marguerite Wendy Jenkins was born in
Hong Kong to British parents. Her father was a successfullawyer , and she was educated in elite schools in England andSwitzerland .While still in her teens, she began pursuing a career as an actress. Adopting the
stage name Wendy Barrie (perhaps in honour of author J.M. Barrie, who was said to have invented the name "Wendy"), she began her acting life in Englishtheatre then in 1932 made her screen debut in the film "Threads", which was based upon a play. She changed her name to Wendy Barrie in her professional life.Career
Barrie went on to make a number of motion pictures for
London Films under the Korda brothers, Alexander and Zoltan, the best-known of which is 1933's "The Private Life of Henry VIII " which starredCharles Laughton ,Robert Donat ,Merle Oberon , andElsa Lanchester . Barrie portrayedJane Seymour .In 1934, she appeared in "Freedom of the Seas" and was contracted by
Fox Film Corporation for a film directed byScott Darling that was made in Britain. The following year, she moved to theUnited States and made her firstHollywood film for Fox oppositeSpencer Tracy in theromantic comedy , "It's a Small World". Loaned toMGM , Barrie starred opposite James Stewart in the 1936 film "Speed". In 1939 she starred withRichard Greene andBasil Rathbone in the20th Century Fox version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and withLucille Ball inRKO 's "Five Came Back ". During the early 1940s, Barrie made several of "The Saint" and "The Falcon" mystery films withGeorge Sanders . She made her final motion picture in 1943.With the dawn of television, near the end of the decade, Barrie turned to roles in that medium. During 1948 and 1949 she hosted a
DuMont Television Network comedy for children featuring a cowboy puppet called "The Adventures of Oky Doky". However, she is best remembered by national audiences as host of one of the first-ever television talk shows. "The Wendy Barrie Show " debuted in November 1948 on ABC, then ran on DuMont Television andNBC , ending its run in September 1950. She continued to appear on network television on panel shows and as a guest star in the early 1950s, and also as a spokesperson for commercial products, including a stint as the originalRevlon saleswoman on "The $64,000 Question " during its first months on air. Her pitching of Living Lipstick saw that product being sold out across the country. Barrie continued on local TV inNew York and hosted a widely syndicated radio interview show into the mid-1960s.After more than 15 films in Britain and more than 30 in Hollywood, Wendy Barrie's contribution to the industry was recognized with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1700 Vine Street.Death
Barrie died in
Englewood, New Jersey in 1978, aged 65, following astroke that had left her debilitated for several years. She was buried in theKensico Cemetery inValhalla, New York .External links
*imdb name|id=0057412|name= Wendy Barrie
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