Barbara Kent (née Cloutman; December 16, 1907 – October 13, 2011) was a Canadian film actress, prominent from the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era to the early

talkies A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

of the 1920s and 1930s. In 1925, Barbara Kent won the Miss Hollywood Beauty Pageant.

Career

Barbara Cloutman was born on December 16, 1907, in Gadsby, Alberta, Canada, to Lily Louise Kent and Jullion Curtis Cloutman. Sources differ on surname as Klowtmann or Cloutman and birth year as 1907 or 1906. In 1925, she graduated from

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. His ...

and went on to win the Miss Hollywood Pageant. It was also the year in which she began her

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

career with a small role for

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

, which signed her to a

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

. A petite brunette who stood less than five feet tall, Kent became popular as a

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

opposite such stars as Reginald Denny. She made a strong impression as the heroine pitted against

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

's ''

femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

'' in '' Flesh and the Devil'' in 1926 after Universal had lent the actress to

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

to make the film. Kent then attracted the attention of audiences and censors in the 1927 production '' No Man's Law'' by appearing to swim nude. She actually wore a flesh-colored moleskin bathing suit in scenes that were considered very daring at the time. The popularity of that film led to her selection as one of the

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

for 1927. She made a smooth transition into talking pictures opposite

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...

in the 1929 comedy '' Welcome Danger''. Kent was also featured with Lloyd in his iconic '' Feet First''. Over the next few years, she remained popular and received critical praise in 1933 for her role in the film version of ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

''. In 1932 she starred in " The Perfect Alibi," based on a play by

A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-th ...

, at the

co-founded Beverly Hills Little Theatre for Professionals. Kent married

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds work for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, dancers, and other professionals in various entertainm ...

Harry Edington in

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

later that same year, on December 16, 1932 — her 25th birthday.

Personal life

Kent had a great love for the outdoors. Always active, she enjoyed golf, fly fishing, hunting, and gardening. She was a longtime member of Marakkesh, Sunland, and Thunderbird Country Clubs. She was known as a talented cook and loved entertaining friends and family. Following the death of her husband Harry in 1949, Kent retreated from public life. She married again in 1954, to Jack Monroe, a Lockheed aircraft engineer. Her second husband gave her flying lessons, and Kent continued to fly light aircraft until her 85th birthday, and was still playing golf well into her mid-90s. The couple resided initially in

Sun Valley, Idaho Sun Valley is a resort city in the western United States, in Blaine County, Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in the Wood River valley. The population was 1,783 at the 2020 census. The elevation of Sun Valley (at the Lodge) is above se ...

, but later relocated to Palm Desert, California. There Kent lived until her death, at the age of 103, on October 13, 2011.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Barbara Kent
on BFI Online *
Barbara Kent
at Virtual History ;

Public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

films * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Barbara 1907 births 2011 deaths Actresses from Alberta American film actresses American silent film actresses Canadian women centenarians Canadian film actresses Canadian silent film actresses Canadian emigrants to the United States People from the County of Stettler No. 6 People from Palm Desert, California Hollywood High School alumni 20th-century American actresses 20th-century Canadian actresses American women centenarians People from Sun Valley, Idaho

Career

Personal life

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links