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Mona Barrie(1905-1964)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Mona Barrie
Sometimes described as a poor man's Kay Francis, brunette, hazel-eyed Mona Barrie possessed neither quite the looks nor the personality required to become a major player in 1930's Hollywood. Nonetheless, the London-born and Australian-educated former childhood ballerina (born Mona Barlee, daughter of veteran comedian Phil Smith) enjoyed a fairly substantial career as a versatile 'second lead' for more than two decades. Soon after being spotted by a talent scout on a Fifth Avenue bus in New York, Mona signed with Fox in 1932 and was immediately cast as one of two female leads in Sleepers East (1934), a failed attempt by Fox to remake MGM's all-star mega hit Grand Hotel (1932) as a train-bound crime drama. That same year, she also played a supporting role in the post-Civil War romance Carolina (1934), which established the fact that she wore elaborate gowns exceedingly well. The New York Times (January 9, 1935) caustically commented about her role in Mystery Woman (1935): "The players go through the required motions with a minimum of effort, except perhaps for Mona Barrie, who must have had to spend a great deal of time and energy being fitted for the extensive wardrobe she displays". In fact, Mona was voted by several newspapers as one of the best dressed women in Hollywood and acclaimed by the designer Royer for her innate fashion sense.

During her tenure at Fox, Mona's varied career encompassed an entry into the Charlie Chan series, as well as starring roles in the mystery-comedy Ladies Love Danger (1935) and the action adventure Storm Over the Andes (1935), opposite Antonio Moreno. There were others. However, none of these second features generated much publicity or box office success and Mona took a chance, walked out on her contract and was out of work for six months. Picked up by Warner Brothers, she bought a house in Beverly Hills, complete with swimming pool and croquet lawn. Loaned out to MGM, she at last appeared in distinguished company, alongside Joan Crawford and Clark Gable in Love on the Run (1936). In the course of the next decade, as before, Mona made the most of her limited opportunities, often typically cast as 'the other woman', as perfunctory western heroines, the occasional villainess or glamorous clothes horse, or even popping up as Franklin Pangborn's wife in W.C. Fields's madcap farce Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). There were some good reviews, too, for films like Skylark (1941) and Cairo (1942). By the end of the 40's, the law of diminishing returns began to apply, with ever fewer roles on offer. After an uncredited bit in Warner's Plunder of the Sun (1953), Mona called it a day and retired from films. She maintained her residence in Los Angeles, where she died in June 1964, aged just 54.
BornDecember 18, 1905
DiedJune 27, 1964(58)
BornDecember 18, 1905
DiedJune 27, 1964(58)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win total

Photos41

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Known for

James Cagney and Evelyn Daw in Something to Sing About (1937)
Something to Sing About
6.2
  • Stephanie 'Steffie' Hajos
  • 1937
Brian Aherne, Claudette Colbert, and Ray Milland in Skylark (1941)
Skylark
6.1
  • Charlette Gorell
  • 1941
Robert Young, Jeanette MacDonald, Reginald Owen, and Ethel Waters in Cairo (1942)
Cairo
6.1
  • Mrs. Morrison
  • 1942
Mona Barrie, Warner Baxter, Alice Faye, and Jack Oakie in King of Burlesque (1936)
King of Burlesque
6.2
  • Rosalind Cleve
  • 1936

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress



  • Glenn Ford and Diana Lynn in Plunder of the Sun (1953)
    Plunder of the Sun
    6.4
    • Tourist (uncredited)
    • 1953
  • Cleo Moore in Strange Fascination (1952)
    Strange Fascination
    6.1
    • Diana Fowler
    • 1952
  • The First Time (1952)
    The First Time
    6.1
    • Cassie Mayhew
    • 1952
  • Ted Donaldson and Flame in My Dog Rusty (1948)
    My Dog Rusty
    5.6
    • Dr. Toni Cordell
    • 1948
  • Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, and Zachary Scott in Cass Timberlane (1947)
    Cass Timberlane
    6.3
    • Avis Elderman
    • 1947
  • Adele Jergens and Marc Platt in When a Girl's Beautiful (1947)
    When a Girl's Beautiful
    6.8
    • Cordova
    • 1947
  • Hillary Brooke, Leonard Penn, and Phillip Reed in I Cover Big Town (1947)
    I Cover Big Town
    6.2
    • Dora Hilton
    • 1947
  • Leslie Brooks and Richard Dix in The Secret of the Whistler (1946)
    The Secret of the Whistler
    6.3
    • Linda Vail
    • 1946
  • Ludwig Donath, Michael Duane, and Anita Louise in The Devil's Mask (1946)
    The Devil's Mask
    5.9
    • Louise Mitchell
    • 1946
  • Mona Barrie, Warner Baxter, Martin Kosleck, Marvin Miller, and Adelle Roberts in Just Before Dawn (1946)
    Just Before Dawn
    6.3
    • Harriet Travers
    • 1946
  • Erich von Stroheim, Richard Arlen, and Vera Ralston in Storm Over Lisbon (1944)
    Storm Over Lisbon
    5.6
    • Evelyn
    • 1944
  • Mona Barrie, Tala Birell, Marguerite Chapman, Margaret Hayes, Ann Savage, and Warren William in One Dangerous Night (1942)
    One Dangerous Night
    6.4
    • Jane Merrick
    • 1942
  • Mona Barrie, Rex Bell, Raymond Hatton, and Buck Jones in Dawn on the Great Divide (1942)
    Dawn on the Great Divide
    5.8
    • Sadie Rand
    • 1942
  • Robert Young, Jeanette MacDonald, Reginald Owen, and Ethel Waters in Cairo (1942)
    Cairo
    6.1
    • Mrs. Morrison
    • 1942
  • Irene Dunne and Patric Knowles in Lady in a Jam (1942)
    Lady in a Jam
    6.2
    • Woman at Auction (uncredited)
    • 1942

Soundtrack



  • Mona Barrie, Rex Bell, Raymond Hatton, and Buck Jones in Dawn on the Great Divide (1942)
    Dawn on the Great Divide
    5.8
    • performer: "Rock of Ages" (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Kathryn Adams, Mona Barrie, Wallace Ford, and Donald Woods in Love, Honor and Oh-Baby! (1940)
    Love, Honor and Oh-Baby!
    6.3
    • performer: "Wasn't It You"
    • 1940

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Mona Barlee
  • Born
    • December 18, 1905
    • London, England, UK
  • Died
    • June 27, 1964
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouses
      Paul Macklin Bolton1938 - June 27, 1964 (her death)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article
    • 4 Pictorials

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • Nickname
    • Mona Barlee

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