Barbara Britton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Britton

Barbara Britton (September 26, 1919 – January 17, 1980) was an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Western film roles opposite Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Gene Autry, and for her two-year tenure as inquisitive amateur sleuth Pam North on the television series Mr. and Mrs. North.

Early life

Barbara Maurine Brantingham was born September 26, 1919 in Long Beach, California. She attended Polytechnic High School and Long Beach City College, majoring in Speech with the intention of working as a speech and drama teacher. While in school she began to show an interest in acting and began working on local stage productions.

Career

In 1941, while appearing in a Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, a photo of Britton was used on the front page of a local newspaper. A talent scout took notice, and she was soon signed to a Paramount Pictures contract.[4] That same year, she appeared in her first two films: the William Boyd western Secret of the Wasteland and Louisiana Purchase starring Bob Hope. Her first major film appearance was in a small role in the John Wayne film Reap the Wild Wind (1942).

During the 1940s Britton starred in three films for which she is most recognized today, two of which co-starred Randolph Scott. The first was the 1945 film Captain Kidd with Scott, followed by The Virginian in 1946 opposite Joel McCrea. The third was the 1947 Randolph Scott film Gunfighters. She teamed with Scott again in the 1948 western Albuquerque, and that same year she starred opposite Gene Autry in Loaded Pistols. In total, she starred or appeared in 26 films during that decade.

Britton starred in the 1950s television show Mr. and Mrs. North, a Thin Man-like mystery show, with Richard Denning and Francis De Sales. She was probably best known for being the spokesperson for Revlon products in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in ads and commercials that included live spots on The $64,000 Question. She also portrayed Laura Petrie in Carl Reiner's Head of the Family, the 1959 pilot for the later Dick Van Dyke Show.

One of Britton's last roles was on the daytime TV soap opera One Life to Live in 1979.

Personal life

Reportedly, in 1944, Britton suffered from nervous exhaustion due to overwork and she was advised to seek the help of physician and psychoanalyst Dr. Eugene J. Czukor. Britton and Czukor, who was 22 years her senior, were married on April 2, 1945. At one time, the couple had a home on Victoria Drive in Laguna Beach, California. They moved to Manhattan, New York in 1957. They had two children, Ted and Christina, and their marriage lasted for 34 years until Britton's death. She died of pancreatic cancer in New York City on January 17, 1980 at the age of 60.

Honors and awards

In 1948, Britton was given a Key to the City of Long Beach, California. She received a Star on the Walk of Fame for Television at 1719 Vine Street in Hollywood on February 8, 1960.

Filmography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Britton#Filmography