Barbara Luddy (May 25, 1908 – April 1, 1979) was an American actress best known for her voiceover work for
Walt Disney Studios in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Early life
Born in
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is the List of cities and towns in Montana, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...
on May 25, 1908, Luddy was the daughter of Will
[ and Molly Luddy of ]Helena, Montana
Helena (; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat, seat of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Lewis and Clark County.
Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold ...
.[ ] She sang in Vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
as a child.[DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 170.] She attended Ursuline Convent in Great Falls, Montana.[ ]
Career
Stage
In 1929, Luddy toured with Leo Carrillo in Australia as part of a touring company that presented the play ''Lombardi, Ltd.'' A review in the Sydney Morning Herald cited Luddy's work portraying a mannequin as "a role in which Miss Barbara Luddy made a great hit by her pert audacity and vivaciousness."
Radio
Luddy was a member of the dramatic cast of the '' Chicago Theater of the Air''.[Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 74.] One of Luddy's better known roles on radio was being a regular performer on '' The First Nighter Program'' from 1936 until the series ended in 1953. In 1937, she and fellow ''First Nighter'' actor Les Tremayne
Lester Tremayne (16 April 1913 – 19 December 2003) was a British-born American actor who performed in Vaudeville, film, theatre, radio and television.
Early life
Tremayne was born in Balham, London. He moved with his family at the age o ...
set what a contemporary newspaper article called "a precedent ... when these signed long term contracts calling for their exclusive services" on the program."
She also played Veronica Gunn in the comedy ''Great Gunns''. In soap operas, she played Judith Clark in '' Lonely Women'' Carol Evans Martin in ''The Road of Life'', and Janet Munson in ''Woman in White''.[
]
Film
Luddy's film career began with silent pictures in the late 1920s. She is perhaps best remembered for her voice work in Disney animated films such as ''Lady and the Tramp
''Lady and the Tramp'' is a 1955 American Animated film, animated Musical film, musical romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Ward Greene's 1945 ''Cosmopolitan (magazine) ...
'' (in which she played the titular Lady), ''Sleeping Beauty
"Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...
'', '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'', ''Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
'' and the Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes including ''Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
''Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree'' is a 1966 American animation, animated musical film, musical fantasy film, fantasy short film based on the first two chapters of ''Winnie-the-Pooh (book), Winnie-the-Pooh'' by A. A. Milne. The film was produ ...
'', ''Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day
''Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day'' is a 1968 American animated musical fantasy short film based on the third, fifth, ninth, and tenth chapters of ''Winnie-the-Pooh'' and the second, eighth, and ninth chapters from '' The House at Pooh Corn ...
'', and '' Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too'',[ ] all of which were edited into the composite feature '' The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh''.
Her other film credits include ''Terrified'' (1962) and the TV film ''Lost Flight'' (1969).
Television
Luddy guest starred in episodes of such television programs as ''Hazel
Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
'', '' Dragnet'', ''Adam-12
''Adam-12'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb and produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pe ...
'', and '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker''.
Personal life and death
Luddy married R. Ned LeFevre, an actor and announcer, on September 18, 1942.lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...
in Los Angeles, California, on April 1, 1979, at the age of 70.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luddy, Barbara
1908 births
1979 deaths
Actresses from Montana
American radio actresses
American silent film actresses
People from Great Falls, Montana
Deaths from lung cancer in California
20th-century American actresses
Disney people