Barbara Read was born on December 29, 1917 in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada. She was an actress, known for Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), Three Smart Girls (1936) and The Spellbinder (1939).
First under contract to Columbia, she was paid but never used for a single picture. She quit in disgust. She was later signed by Universal and was cast as one of the Craig sisters in Three Smart Girls (1936) along with Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey. This was Barbara's first and best remembered film.
Her career was over by the time she married William Talman, of Perry Mason (1957) fame, in 1953. The couple had two children: Barbara ("Barbie") and William III ("Bobo"). The marriage was turbulent as both she and Talman suffered from alcohol problems. They divorced in 1960 with Barbara gaining custody of the children. Talman took over custody a year later when her alcoholism and mental/emotional problems became overbearing.
on December 11, 1963 she committed suicide at her Laguna Beach (CA) home when she turned on the gas jets of her stove and sealed the doors and windows. She left a note blaming "ill health".
Spouses
William Talman(May 17, 1952 - September 13, 1961) (divorced, 2 children)
Willard Edward Josephy(November 27, 1947 - October 19, 1951) (divorced, 2 children)
John Pershing Crawford(November 16, 1942 - 1947) (divorced)
William Paul III(September 1936 - November 1936) (divorced)
Barbara Read Links
No links posted yet.
Leave a comment
Commenting is disabled for non-registered users. Please register and login if you want to leave comments.
