Barbara Read

Barbara French Read, also known as Barbara Reed, (December 29, 1917 – December 12, 1963) was a Canadian-American film actress of the 1930s and 1940s, who appeared in 21 films during her career.

Barbara Read
Read at age 18
Born	Barbara French Read (1917-12-29)December 29, 1917 Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada
Died	December 12, 1963(1963-12-12) (aged 45) Laguna Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1936–1948
Spouse(s)	William Paul III (1936–1936) (divorced) Bill Josephy (1947–1951) (2 children) (divorced) William Talman (1953–1960) (divorced) (2 children)[1]

Early life

Born Barbara French Read on December 29, 1917, the daughter of contractor John Howard Read and Nancy Elizabeth Collier,^[2] in Port Arthur, Ontario. Read moved to California in the mid-1930s. She got her first movie contract while living in Laguna Beach, California,^[3] she was watching a film production in Laguna when she was spotted and offered a screen test,^[4] after which she entered a six-month contract with the production company.^[4] When she failed to receive any roles because of her lack of experience, she joined the Laguna Beach Players theater, where she acted in a new play each month for two years.^[3]

Film career

Her first film appearance was one of the three principal girls in the 1936 comedy film Three Smart Girls, which also starred Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey. From 1937 through 1939, Read appeared in nine films, most notably starring in The Spellbinder, opposite Lee Tracy. From 1940 through 1948, she appeared in 11 films. Her most remembered role was that of Margo Lane, portrayed in three films from The Shadow series, starring opposite Kane Richmond. She and Richmond teamed together in The Shadow Returns, Behind the Mask, and The Missing Lady, all in 1946. Her last role was alongside Randolph Scott and Marguerite Chapman in the 1948 Western Coroner Creek.

Personal life

In September 1936, Read eloped to Mexico with a young artist named William Paul III, but they divorced two months later.^[5] Read married talent agent Bill Josephy in Santa Barbara on December 27, 1947. They had two boys, Damon Josephy and Quentin Josephy.^[6] She married actor William Talman in 1953 and had one daughter, Barbie, and one son, William Whitney Talman III. The couple divorced on August 23, 1960.^[7]

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1936	Three Smart Girls	Kay Craig
1937	The Man Who Cried Wolf	Nan
1937	Merry-Go-Round of 1938	Clarice Stockbridge
1937	The Road Back	Lucie
1937	Make Way for Tomorrow	Rhoda Cooper
1937	The Mighty Treve	Aileen Fenno
1938	The Crime of Doctor Hallet	Claire Saunders
1938	Midnight Intruder	Patricia Hammond
1939	The Spellbinder	Janet Marlowe
1939	Sorority House	Dotty Spencer
1940	Married and in Love	Helen Yates
1940	Curtain Call	Helen Middleton
1942	Rubber Racketeers	Mary Dale
1942	Too Many Women	Linda Pearson
1946	The Shadow Returns	Margo Lane
1946	The Missing Lady	Margo Lane
1946	Death Valley	Mitzi
1946	Behind the Mask	Margo Lane
1946	Ginger	Peggy Sullivan
1947	Key Witness	Martha Higby
1948	Coroner Creek	Abbe Miles