Don 'Red' Barry
Acting
Born January 11, 1912 ยท Houston, Texas, USA
Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had. Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again). Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild. Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled. In 1980 he committed suicide by shooting himself.
Directed (1)
Acting (142)
Back Roads
1981
Goldie and the Boxer
1979
Undercover with the KKK
1979
A Cry For Justice
1979
Donovan's Kid
1979
The Crash of Flight 401
1978
Hooper
1978
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
1978
Buckstone County Prison
1978
The Swarm
1978
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
1978
Doctor Dracula
1978
Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys
1978
Orca
1977
From Noon Till Three
1976
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
1976
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
1976
Hustle
1975
Whiffs
1975
Boss Nigger
1975
Blazing Stewardesses
1975
Starsky & Hutch
1975
Punch and Jody
1974
Partners in Crime
1973
Incident on a Dark Street
1973
Junior Bonner
1972
The Eyes of Charles Sand
1972
Johnny Got His Gun
1971
One More Train to Rob
1971
Rio Lobo
1970
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
1970
Hunters Are for Killing
1970
Shalako
1968
The Shakiest Gun in the West
1968
Bandolero!
1968
Fort Utah
1967
Hostile Guns
1967
Red Tomahawk
1967
Alvarez Kelly
1966
The Magnificent Stranger
1966
Apache Uprising
1965
Town Tamer
1965
Fort Courageous
1965
War Party
1965
Convict Stage
1965
Law of the Lawless
1964
Iron Angel
1964
Twilight of Honor
1963
Walk on the Wild Side
1962
Buffalo Gun
1961
Ocean's Eleven
1960
Walk Like a Dragon
1960
The Big Operator
1959
Warlock
1959
The Last Mile
1959
Born Reckless
1958
Frankenstein 1970
1958
China Doll
1958
Gun Duel in Durango
1957
7 Men from Now
1956
I'll Cry Tomorrow
1955
The Twinkle In God's Eye
1955
Jesse James' Women
1954
Untamed Heiress
1954
Border Rangers
1950
Train To Tombstone
1950
Gunfire
1950
I Shot Billy the Kid
1950
Red Desert
1949
Tough Assignment
1949
Square Dance Jubilee
1949
The Dalton Gang
1949
Ringside
1949
Train to Alcatraz
1948
Lightnin' in the Forest
1948
Madonna of the Desert
1948
Slippy McGee
1948
That's My Gal
1947
The Plainsman and the Lady
1946
The Last Crooked Mile
1946
The Chicago Kid
1945
Bells of Rosarita
1945
My Buddy
1944
Outlaws of Santa Fe
1944
The Purple Heart
1944
California Joe
1943
Canyon City
1943
The Man from the Rio Grande
1943
The West Side Kid
1943
Black Hills Express
1943
Fugitive from Sonora
1943
Days of Old Cheyenne
1943
Carson City Cyclone
1943
Dead Man's Gulch
1943
The Sundown Kid
1942
The Traitor Within
1942
Outlaws of Pine Ridge
1942
The Sombrero Kid
1942
The Cyclone Kid
1942
Jesse James, Jr.
1942
Stagecoach Express
1942
Arizona Terrors
1942
Remember Pearl Harbor
1942
A Missouri Outlaw
1941
Death Valley Outlaws
1941
Kansas Cyclone
1941
Desert Bandit
1941
The Apache Kid
1941
Two Gun Sheriff
1941
The Phantom Cowboy
1941
Wyoming Wildcat
1941
Texas Terrors
1940
Frontier Vengeance
1940
The Tulsa Kid
1940
Sailor's Lady
1940
One Man's Law
1940
Adventures of Red Ryder
1940
Ghost Valley Raiders
1940
Jack Pot
1940
Days of Jesse James
1939
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
1939
Saga of Death Valley
1939
Calling All Marines
1939
Wyoming Outlaw
1939
S.O.S Tidal Wave
1939
Only Angels Have Wings
1939
Calling Dr. Kildare
1939
Panama Patrol
1939
The Duke of West Point
1938
Young Dr. Kildare
1938
The Crowd Roars
1938
Think It Over
1938
Sinners in Paradise
1938
Saleslady
1938
Navy Blue and Gold
1937
Dead End
1937
The Woman I Love
1937
When's Your Birthday?
1937
Beloved Enemy
1936
Night Waitress
1936
Bridal Bail
1934
Flying Down to Rio
1933