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” […]

Frances Bavier (1902 - 1989)

Actress, most noted for her performance as “Aunt Bee” on the Andy Griffith Show TV series. She appeared in 10 films and 4 television series. Born in New York City, she began her acting career in April 1925, on Broadway, in the play “The Poor Nut.” During World War II, she travelled with the USO […]

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 […]

Laurie Bartram (1958 - 2007)

Actress. Also known as Laurie Brighton. A native of st. Louis, Missouri, she is best known for her role as Brenda in the cult horror film, “Frday The 13th” (1980). Before turning to acting. Miss Bartram was trained as a classical ballet dancer for many years. Her other roles included in the 1974 horror film, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Judith Barsi (1978 - 1988)

Child Actress, Murder Victim. Born Judith Eva Barsi, the only child to Jozsef and Maria Benko Barsi, Hungarian immigrants who had fled their homeland during the 1956 Hungarian uprising against the Soviet occupation. They immigrated to the USA, and settled in Los Angeles, California shortly before the birth of their daughter. Her father soon found […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Majel Barrett (1932 - 2008)

Actress. The wife of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the “Star Trek” science fiction television and motion picture franchise, she is best known for her roles in the franchise as “Nurse Chapel” in the original 1960s television series, and as “Lwaxana Troi” in the 1980s and 1990s series “Star Trek: Next Generation” and “Deep Space […]

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 […]

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), […]

Madeleine Barbulee (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), […]

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.”

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 […]

Kandi Barbour (1956 - 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 […]

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 […]

Theda Bara (1885 - 1955)

Theda Bara Actress. She appeared in 47 films, from 1914 to 1926, but was unable to make the transition to sound film. She was considered one of the most successful and glamorous stars of the 1910s. She was the original “Vamp”. Born under the name Theodosia Goodman, in Cincinnati, Ohio, she was close to her […]

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 […]

Vilma Banky (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 […]

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 II, and her father, William Brockman Bankhead, served as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Her uncle was US Senator John H. Bankhead and her aunt Marie Bankhead Owen became Director of the Alabama […]

Marion Aye (1903 - 1951)

Actress. A noted beauty of the early 1920s, she had a brief career in silent films. Raised in Chicago, she was signed by producer Mack Sennett who had an eye for girls that looked good in swimsuits and made her silver screen bow in the 1919 short “Hearts and Flowers”. Marion went on to roles […]

Agnes Ayers (1898 - 1940)

Actress. While a teenager, Agnes Ayres made her film debut at the Essanay Studios in Chicago. In 1920 she signed a contract with Paramount studios and began starring in various films, mostly under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille. 1921 was a busy year for her as she acted in the films “The Affairs of […]

Effie Bancroft (2024 - 2024)

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 […]

Phyllis Avery (1924 - 2011)

Actress. Born in New York City, daughter of screenwriter Stephen Morehouse Avery, she marked her professional acting debut at the age of twelve on the Broadway stage in the musical “Orchids Preferred” (1937), followed by “Three Waltzes” (1937 to 1938) and “Charley’s Aunt” (1940 to 1941). She broadened her skills at the American Academy of […]

Keiko Awaji (1933 - 2014)

Actress. She will perhaps be best remembered by international movie audiences for playing Kimiko in the picture “The Bridges at Toko-Ri” (1954). Born Ayako Ida, she left high school early and became a member of the Shochiku Kageki Dan (or the SKD) She marked her motion picture debut in “Stray Dogs” (1949) and would go […]

Vivian Austin (1920 - 2004)

Actress. Best remembered for her role as the female lead in the serial “The Adventures of Red Ryder”. Her big break came in 1940 when she was selected to play along side Don Barry in “Red Ryder”. Soon after, she signed a contract with Universal Pictures and her first movie was “Moonlight in Vermont”. She […]

Doe Avedon (1925 - 2011)

Actress, Model. She parlayed marriage to a photographer into a brief but spectacular career in the pages of fashion magazines as well as into time on stage and screen, and in the process inspired the 1957 “Funny Face”. Born Dorcas Marie Newell to an upper level servant family, she was orphaned at 12 and subsequently […]