Barbara Perry (June 22, 1921 – May 5, 2019) was an American actress, singer and dancer who worked for 84 years in

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 ...

and on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

Career

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

-born Perry began her film career in 1933, when she appeared in ''

Counsellor at Law ''Counsellor at Law'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Elmer Rice is based on his 1931 Broadway play of the same title. Plot The story focuses on several days in a critical juncture in the lif ...

''. She also had a small part in ''

The Mystery of Edwin Drood ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' is the final novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published in 1870. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, it focuses more on Drood's uncle, John Jasper, a precentor, choirm ...

'' in 1935. She performed on Broadway in various productions, including playing Anna in ''Rumple'' in 1957. In 1950 she was Mrs. Larry in ''Happy as Larry'' on Broadway. By the mid-1950s to the early-1960s, she had studied acting at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

in London, England, while performing opposite George Formby, Warde Donovan, and Sara Gregory in ''Zip Goes a Million'' at the Hippodrome and Palace Theatres, and upon her return to the USA had started appearing in numerous television series such as ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'',''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her Pediatrics, pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage childr ...

'', ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American sitcom television series that was aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The series ...

'', ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...

'', and ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions"Calv ...

'', where she played Buddy Sorrell's wife Pickles, before being replaced by

Joan Shawlee Joan Shawlee ( Fulton; March 5, 1926 – March 22, 1987) was an American film and television actress. She is known for her recurring role as Fiona "Pickles" Sorrell in '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'', a career-defining turn in Billy Wilder's comed ...

. In 1981, Perry wrote and performed in ''Passionate Ladies'', a one-woman Broadway show at the Bijou Theatre. Her other Broadway plays included ''Swan Song'' (1946), ''If the Shoe Fits'' (1946), ''Happy as Larry'' (1950), and ''Rumple'' (1957). She also played Thelma Brockwood on ''

The Hathaways The Hathaways may refer to: * ''The Hathaways'' (TV series), a 1961–1962 American sitcom * ''The Hathaways'' series, a historical romance novel series by Lisa Kleypas See also *'' The Haunted Hathaways'', a 2013–2015 American television si ...

''. Perry's last known role was in the television series ''

Baskets A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers, and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horse ...

''.

Personal life

Perry was first married to Bennett Warren James, with whom she had a daughter, from 1953–1965. The union ended in divorce. Her second marriage was to animator

Art Babbitt Arthur Harold Babitsky (October 8, 1907 – March 4, 1992), better known as Art Babbitt, was an American animator, best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He received over 80 awards as an animation director and animator, and a ...

on April 14, 1967, in Hollywood, California, until his death in 1992. They had no children.

Death

Barbara Perry died on May 5, 2019, in Los Angeles at the age of 97.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Barbara Perry
at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

Barbara Perry
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Barbara 1921 births 2019 deaths American female dancers American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Actresses from Norfolk, Virginia Dancers from Virginia 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American actresses Broadway theatre people 21st-century American actresses