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Claudia Barrett

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Claudia Barrett
Born
Imagene Williams

November 3, 1929
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedApril 30, 2021(2021-04-30) (aged 91)
Palm Desert, California, U.S.
Years active1949–1964; 2019
SpouseAlan Wells (m. 1953 – div. 1956)

Claudia Barrett (born Imagene Williams;[1] November 3, 1929 – April 30, 2021)[2] was an American television and film actress.

Early life

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Barrett was born in West Los Angeles, California,[1] the daughter of Arvilla Benton and Iman J. Williams.[2][3] She was raised as a Christian Scientist and had two brothers.[2] At the urging of her mother, she began taking acting classes at an early age to overcome her shyness.[4][5] She won Miss Sherman Oaks beauty contest.[2] After she left Van Nuys High School[2] she studied at Pasadena Community Playhouse for a year and acted at Encino Little Theatre.[3]

Career

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1953 poster for Robot Monster

Although she was mainly involved with television, Barrett's acting career began with film in the late 1940s and 1950s. At age 18, she was signed (as Imagene Williams) to a contract with Warner Bros.[6] Her first movie appearance was in the 1949 classic film noir White Heat starring James Cagney and Virginia Mayo. The next year, she had the part of Miss Dolly Travers in MGM's The Happy Years, which starred Dean Stockwell, Darryl Hickman, and Leo G. Carroll. After leaving Warner Bros., she appeared in several films at Republic Pictures, a studio that for the most part produced Westerns. She could ride a horse after learning as a Girl Scout.[2] Her other film credits included The Story of Seabiscuit and Chain Lightning, as well as one of the leads of A Life at Stake, a murder drama starring Angela Lansbury. In 1953, she played one of the lead roles, Alice, in the low-budget science-fiction film Robot Monster, generally regarded as one of the worst films of all time.[7] She had accepted the part against the advice of her agent.[5] She said the following about her role:

When you decide to make a movie, the decision is made for various reasons: money, fame, or working with a particular star or director. I just wanted to act. I was a professional actress for 14 years, and I really loved the business. And Robot Monster was a movie I enjoyed making.

Barrett appeared in numerous television shows, including The Abbott and Costello Show, China Smith, Space Patrol, That's My Boy, The Lone Ranger, 77 Sunset Strip, and The Jack Benny Program.

Despite her love of acting, Barrett's career began to slow down in the mid 60s. In 1964, she retired from acting and worked in film distribution and publicity, eventually landing a job at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, working in the division that produced the awards for scientific and technical advances. Barrett stayed in that position from 1981 to 1995 when she retired from the film industry.[1] [2]

Personal life

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Barrett was married to actor Alan Wells between 1953 and 1956. Wells later married actress Barbara Lang, but on June 5, 1957, Lang sought an annulment, alleging that Wells had not received a final divorce from Barrett when he and Lang married.[8]

During a 1984 visit to Ireland, Barrett took up painting and upon her return home, enrolled in art classes.[4] In her later life, Barrett began to write poetry and followed the Centers for Spiritual Living;[2] in 2019 she released a book of spiritual poetry.[9] Barrett died of natural causes at her home in Palm Desert, California on April 30, 2021, at the age of 91.[10]

Filmography

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Year Title Role
1949 White Heat Cashier
The Story of Seabiscuit Nurse
1950 Rustlers on Horseback Mrs. Jack Reynolds
Chain Lightning Pilot
The Happy Years Dolly Travers
The Great Jewel Robber Marian Blaine
The Old Frontier Betty Ames
1951 Night Riders of Montana Julie Bauer
1952 Desperadoes' Outpost Kathy
1953 Robot Monster Alice
1955 A Life at Stake Madge Neilan
1957 Chain of Evidence Harriet Owens
1960 Seven Ways from Sundown Gilda
1961 The Last Time I Saw Archie Lola
You Have to Run Fast Fran
1962 Escape from Zahrain Nurse
1964 Taggart Lola Manners
2019 The 500 Foot Sister[permanent dead link‍] Rita Loud (voice)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bruce Eder (2013). "Claudia Barrett". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Claudia Barrett Obituary (1929 - 2021) the Desert Sun".
  3. ^ a b "Court Approves Imagene Williams Contract with Warner Bros. Studios". The Van Nuys News. California, Van Nuys. September 16, 1948. p. 43. Retrieved September 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ a b Fitzgerald, Michael G. (2002). Ladies of the Western: Interviews with Fifty-One More Actresses From the Silent Era to the Television Westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 14–19. ISBN 0-7864-2656-X. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Parla, Paul; Mitchell, Charles P. (October 1, 2009). Screen Sirens Scream!. McFarland. pp. 13–19. ISBN 978-0786445875. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  6. ^ "(photo caption)". The Daily Times. Ohio, New Philadelphia. September 15, 1948. p. 12. Retrieved September 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ Elmer Bernstein and Robot Monster Archived 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Actress Barbara Lang asks for annulment". The Los Angeles Times. June 6, 1957. p. 5. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  9. ^ Barrett, Claudia (September 30, 2019). Seasons of Life; Spirit Speaks: The Poetry and Reflections of a Grateful Heart. AquaZebra.
  10. ^ Flam, Charna (June 9, 2021). "Claudia Barrett, 'Robot Monster' femme fatale, dead at 91". New York Post. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
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