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Mona Barrie

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Mona Barrie
Mona Barrie in 1936
Born
Mona Barlee Smith

(1909-12-18)18 December 1909
London, England
Died27 June 1964(1964-06-27) (aged 54)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeKnox United Church Cemetery, Agincourt, Toronto
OccupationActress
Years active1932–1953
Spouse(s)
Charles Harold Rayson
​
​
(m. 1928; div. 1931)​

Paul Macklin Bolton
​
​
(m. 1938)​

Mona Barrie (born Mona Barlee Smith;[1] 18 December 1909 – 27 June 1964) was an English-born actress, active on stage in Australia before establishing a career in the US, and in Hollywood films.

Career

Born Mona Barlee Smith in London to comedian Phil Smith and variety performer Jessie Barlee, she lived in Australia from 1913, and made her professional debut as Mona Barlee on stage in a 1922 J. C. Williamson production of The Merry Widow.[2] For the next ten years she performed for J.C. Williamson's, mostly in musical comedies and earning a popular reputation, appearing with numerous Australian based variety stars including Roy Rene. She also appeared in her first film, His Royal Highness, with Australian comedian George Wallace.[3] In 1933 she emigrated to New York, was given a test for films and this led to signing with Fox Film Corporation. She made her first US film Sleepers East using the stage name Mona Barrie.[4]

While her lack of a glamorous beauty resulted in her generally being cast in important but secondary roles, during a film career spanning almost twenty years she appeared in more than fifty films. She co-starred in 1942's Dawn on the Great Divide, the last film Buck Jones made before he died in the Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston, Massachusetts. Barrie also performed at various playhouses across the U.S, debuting on Broadway in 1937 as Lady Agatha in Arthur Schwartz's Virginia.[5]

For her contributions to the film industry, Barrie received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 6140 Hollywood Boulevard.[6]

Personal life

She married Charles Harold Rayson in Melbourne, Australia, in July 1928, however the marriage was not a success and a divorce was granted in 1931.[7] In 1938 she married Canadian Paul Macklin Bolton. Both unions were childless.

Barrie died in 1964 in Los Angeles, aged 54, from undisclosed causes. She and Bolton are interred together in the Knox United Church Cemetery in Agincourt, Toronto.[8]

Family

Barrie's sister, Rene Barlee, was a variety artist in Australia in the 1920s, while her brother, Roly Barlee, was chief announcer for Melbourne radio station 3UZ.[3][9]

Partial filmography

References

  1. ^ Wilson, Scott (19 August 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ Biographer Dr. Clay Djubal believes this suggests a 1906 date of birth as more likely than 1909.
  3. ^ a b Dr Clay Djubal. "Mona Barlee Research notes" (PDF). Australian Variety Theatre Archive. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Fox's Newest Actress Set .Mona Barrie Handed Her First Role..." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 18 October 1933. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  5. ^ Brooks Atkinson (3 September 1937). THE PLAY: 'Virginia' Opens the Season With a Large Musical Drama at the Center Theatre Theatre Units' Plays Tonight. p. 13. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame - Mona Barrie". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  7. ^ The Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854-1954), 4 June 1931, Page 11 "DIVORCE COURT"; accessed 10 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Hollywood Star Walk - Mona Barrie". Los Angeles Times. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  9. ^ Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic.: 1869-1954), 25 October 1941, Page 9, "The Voice Behind the 'Mike'"; accessed 10 January 2017.
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