Don 'Red' Barry
Acting
Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had. Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again). Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild. Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled. In 1980 he committed suicide by shooting himself.
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
as Devery's Foreman
Age 66 (now 68)
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
as Marshal
Age 64 (now 68)
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
as (archive footage)
Age 64 (now 68)
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
as Rusty
Age 58 (now 68)
The Shakiest Gun in the West
as Rev. Zachary Gant
Age 56 (now 68)
Two Gun Sheriff
as Jim "Sundown Kid" McKinnon / Sheriff Bruce McKinnon
Age 29 (now 68)
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
as Collins - Intern (uncredited)
Age 27 (now 68)
Navy Blue and Gold
as Mason (Southern Institute football player) (uncredited)
Age 25 (now 68)
Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II
as Robert Barnes
Age 64 (now 68)
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
as Tyrell Security Guard
Age 62 (now 68)
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
as Jenkins
Age 59 (now 68)
The Phil Silvers Show
as Capt. Carter (uncredited)
Age 43 (now 68)
The Wonderful World of Disney
as Sheriff (uncredited)
Age 42 (now 68)
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
as Clerk
Age 40 (now 68)
Gathering insights...
Also Known As
Donald Barry De Acosta, Donald Barry, Donald 'Red' Barry, Milton Poimboeuf, Donald M. Barry
IMDB
nm0057983