59
Age
36
Movies
12
TV Shows
7.3
Rating
Barbara Britton (born Barbara Maurine Brantingham; September 26, 1919 – January 17, 1980) was an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Western film roles opposite Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Gene Autry and for her two-year tenure as inquisitive amateur sleuth Pam North on the television and radio series Mr. and Mrs. North.
59
Died at
36
Movies
12
TV Shows
7.3
Avg Rating
Barbara Britton (born Barbara Maurine Brantingham; September 26, 1919 – January 17, 1980) was an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Western film roles opposite Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Gene Autry and for her two-year tenure as inquisitive amateur sleuth Pam North on the television and radio series Mr. and Mrs. North.
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
Barbara Britton (born Barbara Maurine Brantingham; September 26, 1919 – January 17, 1980) was an American film and television actress. She is best known for her Western film roles opposite Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Gene Autry and for her two-year tenure as inquisitive amateur sleuth Pam North on the television and radio series Mr. and Mrs. North.
In 1941, while appearing in a Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, a photo of Britton was used on the front page of a local newspaper. A talent scout took notice, and she was soon signed to a Paramount Pictures contract. (Another source says that a talent scout spotted her as the lead in the production of The Old Maid at her college, and "three weeks later she was signed by Paramount Pictures as a stock player.")
That same year, she appeared in her first two films: the William Boyd Western Secrets of the Wasteland and Louisiana Purchase starring Bob Hope. Her first major film appearance was in a small role in the John Wayne film Reap the Wild Wind (1942).
During the 1940s Britton starred in three films for which she is most recognized today, two of which co-starred Randolph Scott. The first was the 1945 film Captain Kidd with Scott, followed by The Virginian in 1946 opposite Joel McCrea. The third was the 1947 Randolph Scott film Gunfighters. She teamed with Scott again in the 1948 Western Albuquerque, and that same year she starred opposite Gene Autry in Loaded Pistols. In total, she starred or appeared in 26 films during that decade.
Britton starred in the 1950s television show Mr. and Mrs. North, a Thin Man-like mystery show, with Richard Denning and Francis De Sales. She was probably best known for being the spokesperson for Revlon products in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in advertisements and commercials that included live spots on The $64,000 Question. She also portrayed Laura Petrie in Carl Reiner's Head of the Family, the 1959 pilot for the later Dick Van Dyke Show.
One of Britton's last roles was on the daytime television soap opera One Life to Live in 1979.
Gender
Female
Birthday
September 26, 1920
Died
January 17, 1980
Birthplace
Long Beach, California, USA
Also Known As
Ride the Man Down
1952
Louisiana Purchase
1941
Caroline?
1990
The Fabulous Suzanne
1946
I Shot Jesse James
1949
Secret of the Wastelands
1941
Bwana Devil
1952
The Bandit Queen
1950
Young and Willing
1943
Albuquerque
1948
The Virginian
1946
Wake Island
1942
Loaded Pistols
1948
Gunfighters
1947
Reap the Wild Wind
1942
The Untamed Breed
1948
So Proudly We Hail
1943
Dragonfly Squadron
1954
Ain't Misbehavin'
1955
Night Freight
1955
+ 16 more movies