Jeannette Batti (1921 - 2011)

Actress. She was seen in numerous French film and television features over a long career. Born Henriette Eugenie Genot, she made her silver screen bow as Lulu in 1945’s “The King of the Free Riders”. Jeannette eventually had roughly three dozen movie roles including Mona in the 1946 “Macadam”, Claudia in “Paris is Always Paris” […]

Arletty-Leonie Bathiat (1898 - 1992)

Noted French Actress on Stage and Screen. She is best remembered for her films: “Les Perles de la Couronne” (1937), “Hôtel du Nord” (1938), “Le Jour se Lève” (1939), “Madame Sans-Gêne” (1941), “Les Enfants du Paradis” (1945), “Le Grand Jeu” (1954), “Huis Clos” (1954) and “Les Petits Matins” (1962). She was cremated. (bio by: José […]

Jeanne Bates (1918 - 2007)

Actress. She began her career in radio soap operas and signed to Columbia Pictures in 1942. In 1943 she debuted in the Boston Blackie mystery “The Chance of a Lifetime”,  followed by starring as heroine in “The Phantom”. Her notable film credits include “Death of a Salesman” (1951), “Blood Arrow” (1958), “Eraserhead” (1977), “Die Hard […]

Alexandra Bastedo (1946 - 2014)

Actress. A glamorous blonde who earned numerous credits over a long career, she shall be remembered as Sharron Macready, a secret agent on the late 1960s science fiction series “The Champions”. Raised in Brighton, she wanted to be a veterinarian from the time she was three but while still in her teens was ‘discovered’ and […]

Betty Bascomb (1914 - 2003)

Actress. Born in London, England, she began performing in traveling shows and made her film debut in “Bad Bascomb” (1946). Her other movies included “It Always Rains On Sunday” (1948), “Tread Softly” (1952), “Father Brown” (1954), “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1956), Your Money Or Your Wife” (1960) and “Dr. Crippen” (1962),. She also […]

Laurie Lee Bartram (1958 - 2007)

American Actress. She was an actress and ballet dancer who started in 1973. She is perhaps best known for her role as the camp counselor Brenda in the original film Friday the 13th, a performance where she was praised as one of the more “likeable” characters in the film. She also appeared in the soap […]

Lyle Barton (1889 - 1971)

Actress. Appeared in motion pictures from the 1920s to the 1940s. Also known as Lyle Tayo, she appeared in several “Our Gang” comedies in the early 1930s, usually playing a mother or aunt to one of the kids. She worked with comedy legends Laurel and Hardy in some of their films, as well. Her grave […]

Georgiana Emma Drew Barrymore (1854 - 1893)

Actress. She debutted in “The Ladies’ Battle” at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia in 1872. She subsequently appeared in “As You Like It,” “Frou-Frou,” “The School for Scandal,” “The Senator”. She married actor Maurice Barrymore (Blythe) in 1876, and was the mother of stage and film stars Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore. She died […]

Viola Barry (1894 - 1964)

Actress. She was born Gladys Viola Wilson in Evanston, Illinois the daughter of Jackson Stitt Wilson. She moved with her family to Berkeley, California. In 1910, Barry signed with the Belasco Theater Company to be their new ingénue. Prior to this, she had four years of stage experience, two of these with Benson’s Shakespearean Company […]

Bessie Barriscale (1884 - 1965)

Silent movie actress. Cousin of actresses Edith Taliaferro and Mabel Taliaferro, Barriscale was a major star for producer Thomas Ince in the 1910s. She co-starred with her actor/director husband Howard Hickman in several productions, and was still a star in the 1920s. In the 1930s she was usually playing somebody’s mother or maid. Mary Pickford […]

Wendy Barrie (1912 - 1978)

British Actress. Her godfather was the Scottish novelist-playwright J.M. Barrie, in whose “Peter Pan” there was a character called Wendy. Her films include “The Hound of the Baskervilles”  (1939) and  best remembered for her portrayal of Jane Seymour (Royal Wife No. 3) in  ‘The Private Life of Henry VIII’ (1933). She was the hostess of […]

Linda Barrett (1910 - 1986)

Actress. Appeared in the 1963 cult classic film “Shock Corridor.” Married to actor Victor Sutherland. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Victor Sutherland (1889 – 1968)* *Calculated relationship

Lita Baron (1923 - 2015)

Actress. Born Isabel Beth Castro, her family relocated to Michigan when she was five years old. Lita began her career in entertainment as a singer and dancer with bandleader Xavier Cugat. This led to her film debut in “That’s My Baby!” (1944) and she followed this with a string of pictures including “Pan-Americana” (1945), “The […]

Binnie Barnes (1903 - 1998)

Actress. Born in London, England, she was a versatile performer in comedies or dramas. She began appearing in short films in 1929 and made her first full length feature in “A Night in Montmartre” (1931). She remained active for over 40 years appearing in many films to include “The Private Life of Henry VIII” (1934), […]

Lynn Bari (1913 - 1989)

Actress. She is remembered for her portray of sultry, statuesque man-killers in over 100 20th Century Fox films from the early 1930s through the 1940s. During World War II, she was a favorite American soldier’s pin-up girl with names like “The Woo Woo Girl” and “The Girl with the Million Dollar Figure.” Her film and […]

Clarice Roma Bard (1919 - 1947)

Stage and screen actress. Wife of actor Ben Bard until her death. She died following a long illness.  Family links:  Spouse:  Ben Bard (1893 – 1974)* *Calculated relationship

Joan Barclay (1914 - 2002)

Actress. Born Mary Elizabeth Greear, she made her screen debut in “The Gaucho,” which starred Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Later she co-starred in several B-Westerns including: “Six-Gun Rhythm” with Tex Fletcher; and “Riding the Wind.” Also she was the heroine in serials such as “The Shadow of Chinatown” and “Blake of Scotland Yard.”  (bio by: MC) […]

Madeleine Barbulée (1910 - 2001)

Actress. She was born in Nancy, France. In her long career that spanned more than fifty years, she appeared in over 125 films. She began her career on stage, become a leading lady in Comédie des Enfants in the 1940s. On cinema, she is best remembered in “Rome-Express” (1949), “The Diary of Major Thompson” (1955), […]

Kandi Barbour (1959 - 2012)

Adult Film Star, Model. Born Linda Jean Smith, she was a major adult film actress of the 1970s and 1980s. She starred in over 40 adult films during her career, including several soft-core releases and multiple hardcore compilations. By the mid 1970s she had appeared in the pages of every major men’s magazines, in addition […]

Fedora Barbieri (1920 - 2003)

Opera Singer, Actress. Born in Trieste, Italy, she was an mezzo-soprano with one of the longest careers in opera history. She made her official debut in Florence in 1940 and quickly established her reputation performing in opera houses in Europe, South America, America and Asia, until 1999. Considered a formidable actress as well as a […]

Jill Banner (1946 - 1982)

Actress. She is best known for her role as Virginia in the 1964 cult film “Spider Baby”. Born Mary Kathyrn Molumby in Bremerton,  Washington,  she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School in 1964. Her other films include “C’mon Let’s Live a Little”,  “The President’s Analyst”,  “Candy”,  “The Stranger Returns”,  “Shadow Over Elvron”, and “Hunters are […]

Vilma Bánky (1901 - 1991)

Actress. Born Konsics Bánky Vilma in Nagydorog near Budapest Hungary. Her father was a bureau chief under the Franz Josef Austro-Hungarian Empire. She was raised and educated in Budapest and had 2 younger siblings-a brother, Guyla and a sister, Agnes. Renown for her beauty and grace her friends suggested she take up acting. A Hungarian […]

Joan Banks (1918 - 1998)

Actress. Born in Petersburg, West Virginia, she became a regular on the 1930s radio series “Gangbusters”, where she met and married actor Frank Lovejoy. For feature films, she appeared in dramas with her husband in “Cry Danger” (1951) and “Washington Story” (1952). She became better known as a supporting actor on various television series such […]

Tallulah Bankhead (1902 - 1968)

Actress. Tallulalh Bankhead was born into a very notable family in Huntsville, Alabama.  Her grandfather was US Senator John Hollis Bankhead, and her father, William Brockman Bankhead, served as Speaker of the House of Representatives.  Her uncle was US Senator John Hollis Bankhead II and her aunt Marie Bankhead Owen became Director of the Alabama […]

Effie Marie Bancroft (1970 - 1970)

Actress. Theatre Manager. Born Effie Marie Wilton in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, the daughter of actors, she appeared on the stage with her parents throughout her childhood. She made her London debut in 1856 at the Lyceum Theatre in ‘Belphegor.’ Her early career saw great popularity playing the boy roles in several productions including Pippo, in […]

Martha Bamattre (1891 - 1970)

Actress. Born in Switzerland, she was most noted for her roles as the French peasant woman in “Battleground” (1949) and as Mathilde Mattieu in “An American in Paris” (1951). Her other credits included “Bolero” (1934), “Champagne Waltz” (1937), “Reunion in France” (1942), “Thunderbirds” (1952) and “To Catch a Thief” (1955). (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)

Sandy Balson (1930 - 2015)

Actress. A pretty blonde, she is remembered for her roles in numerous screen features of the 1970s. Though little is recorded of her early life, she was born Sandra Perley and made her television debut in a 1969 episode of “The Outsider”. Sandy went on to appear in such fare of the day as “Longstreet” […]

Mabel Ballin (1887 - 1958)

Actress. She started acting during World War I. Ballin played several roles and she was very popular at the time. Best remembered as ‘Jane Withersteenin’ in “Riders of the Purple Sage” (1925) with Tom Mix. (bio by: MC)

Suzan Ball (1934 - 1955)

Actress.  Suzan Ball was the oldest child of Howard Ball and Marleah “Molly” O’Leary. Although given the name “Susan”, she changed the spelling to “Suzan” early in her career.  Her family relocated from New York, to Detroit, Michigan, to Miami, Florida before settling in Hollywood, California in 1941. Starting as a mere teenager, she sang […]

Mireille Balin (1909 - 1968)

Actress. She is best remembered for playing ‘Gaby Gould’ in “Pépé le Moko.” Other credits include: “Threats,” “The Siege of the Alcazar” and “Immediate Call.” (bio by: MC)