Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998[3]), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973.

Binnie Barnes
Barnes in 1935
Born
Gertrude Maud Barnes

(1903-03-25)25 March 1903
Islington, London, England
Died27 July 1998(1998-07-27) (aged 95)
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
OccupationActress
Years active1923–1973
Spouses
  • Samuel Joseph
    (m. 1931; div. 1936)
  • (m. 1940; died 1992)
Children3[1]
RelativesRayford Barnes (nephew)[2]

Early life

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Barnes was born in Islington, London, the daughter of Rosa Enoyce and George Barnes, a policeman;[4] 16 children were in her family. Before moving to Hollywood to become an actress, Barnes worked a series of jobs, such as chorus girl, nurse, and dance hostess.

Career

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Trailer for The Spanish Main (1945)

Barnes began her acting career in films in 1923, appearing in a short film made by Lee De Forest in his Phonofilm sound-on-film process. Her film career continued in Great Britain, most notably in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) as Katherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife. Barnes' main qualm in accepting roles as an actress was that she not play submissive roles. Barnes once remarked, "One picture is just like another to me, as long as I don't have to be a sweet woman".[5] Later, her career continued in Hollywood, until 1973, when she appeared in the comedy 40 Carats, her last acting role.

Personal life

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Barnes's first husband was London art dealer Samuel Joseph. Her second marriage was to film producer Mike Frankovich, and later she was a naturalised United States citizen. The couple adopted three children.[6]

Binnie Barnes died on 27 July 1998 of natural causes, aged 95, in Beverly Hills. She was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.[7]

Hollywood Walk of Fame

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For her contributions to the film industry, Barnes received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 1501 Vine Street.[8]

Complete filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Binnie Barnes; Film Actress of '30s and '40s – latimes". Articles.latimes.com. 10 February 1994. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  2. ^ Lentz, Harris (June 2001). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000. McFarland. p. 16. ISBN 9780786410248 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Donnelly, Paul (2003). Fade to black : a book of movie obituaries (Rev. and updat. ed.). London [u.a.]: Omnibus. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7119-9512-3.
  4. ^ American Jews: Their Lives and Achievements; a Contemporary Biographical Record. 1947. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  5. ^ Shattuck, Kathren (30 July 1998). "Binnie Barnes, 95, Actress Known for Her Feisty Roles". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  6. ^ Personal life, nytimes.com; accessed 1 December 2015.
  7. ^ The Archaeology of Hollywood
  8. ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame – Binnie Barnes". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
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