
Don 'Red' Barry
Born: 1912-01-11
Place of Birth: Houston, Texas, USA
Biography
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.
Known For

Frankenstein 1970

Ocean's Eleven

Warlock

Orca

Kansas Cyclone

Red Desert

Days of Old Cheyenne

Convict Stage

Shalako

The Swarm

Carson City Cyclone

Wyoming Outlaw

Beloved Enemy

War Party

Back Roads

Bandolero!

Hooper

The Last Crooked Mile

California Joe

Alvarez Kelly

Stagecoach Express

Fugitive from Sonora

Wyoming Wildcat

Think It Over

Doctor Dracula

Rio Lobo

Ringside

Only Angels Have Wings

The Last Mile

Arizona Terrors

Hostile Guns

Bridal Bail

Junior Bonner

Saleslady

Hustle

Jack Pot

Canyon City

Night Waitress

Red Tomahawk

Calling Dr. Kildare

Starsky & Hutch

The West Side Kid

Ghost Valley Raiders

Walk on the Wild Side

Gunfire

Fort Utah

Panama Patrol

The Crowd Roars

Blazing Stewardesses

Iron Angel

Square Dance Jubilee

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Sinners in Paradise

Dead Man's Gulch

Johnny Got His Gun

Undercover with the KKK

Town Tamer

I'll Cry Tomorrow

Twilight of Honor

The Traitor Within

Donovan's Kid

Boss Nigger

Dead End

Jesse James, Jr.

From Noon Till Three

Jesse James' Women

The Magnificent Stranger

Seven Men from Now

Young Dr. Kildare

Sailor's Lady

Flying Down to Rio

Two Gun Sheriff

The Woman I Love

Death Valley Outlaws

Hot Lead & Cold Feet

Walk Like a Dragon

Outlaws of Pine Ridge

Calling All Marines

One More Train to Rob

The Purple Heart

Remember Pearl Harbor

The Shakiest Gun in the West

Law of the Lawless

The Dalton Gang

Lightnin' in the Forest

The Crash of Flight 401

Madonna of the Desert

Apache Uprising

The Phantom Cowboy

Whiffs

Buckstone County Prison

Punch and Jody

Saga of Death Valley

Gun Duel in Durango

The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County

Buffalo Gun

Partners in Crime

Fort Courageous

A Missouri Outlaw

Hunters Are for Killing

Navy Blue and Gold

S.O.S Tidal Wave

Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid

The Eyes of Charles Sand

China Doll

The Chicago Kid

My Buddy

Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys

I Shot Billy the Kid

Outlaws of Santa Fe

Goldie and the Boxer

Tough Assignment

Untamed Heiress

Days of Jesse James

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West

The Secret of Dr. Kildare

Black Hills Express

The Cyclone Kid

Bells of Rosarita

Adventures of Red Ryder

The Big Operator

Born Reckless

The Twinkle In God's Eye

The Man from the Rio Grande

Incident on a Dark Street

Train To Tombstone

The Sundown Kid

When's Your Birthday?

Desert Bandit

The Tulsa Kid

A Cry For Justice

The Plainsman and the Lady

The Apache Kid

Border Rangers

Slippy McGee

Texas Terrors

The Sombrero Kid

Frontier Vengeance

The Duke of West Point
