Joan Barry (British actress)

For the American actress, see Joan Barry (American actress).

Joan Barry
photo by Dorothy Wilding
Born
Ina Florence Marshman Bell

(1903-11-05)5 November 1903
Carlisle, England
Died10 April 1989(1989-04-10) (aged 85)
Marbella, Spain
OccupationActress
Years active1922–1932
Spouses
Henry Hampson
​
​
(m. 1934; div. 1936)​
Henry Frederick Tiarks III
​
​
(m. 1936)​
Children2, including Henrietta Russell, Duchess of Bedford

Joan Barry (born Ina Florence Marshman Bell; 5 November 1903 – 10 April 1989) was a British actress, whose career straddled the development of talkies.[1][2]

Family

She was daughter of Francis Marshman Bell, who went to Sydney, Cumberland County, New South Wales, and wife Norah Cavanagh.

Biography

Born in Carlisle, Cumbria, although some sources claim she was born three years earlier in London, Middlesex, she had her first role at the age of 15. Barry appeared at St James's Theatre, London when seventeen. She memorably dubbed the voice of Anny Ondra in the early Alfred Hitchcock thriller Blackmail (1929).[3] The limited sound technology available at the time meant that Barry had to dub the Czechoslovak actress in real time as she performed the role.[4]

Barry appeared on-screen for Hitchcock in Rich and Strange two years later.[2] She continued to appear in a mixture of leading and top supporting roles (most memorably in Rome Express (1932)) until she retired to start a family.

Marriages and issue

She retired from the screen after her first marriage in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales in 1934. On 3 October 1936 she married her second husband, Henry Frederick Tiarks III (Woodheath, Chislehurst, London, Middlesex, 8 September 1900 – Marbella, 2 July 1995),[5] son of banker Frank Cyril Tiarks and himself a wealthy merchant banker with Schroders also marrying for the second time, having married firstly on 27 April 1930 and divorced in 1936 to Lady Millicent Olivia Mary Taylour of the Marquesses of Headfort, who died on 24 December 1975. They had two children. One of them, Edward Henry Tiarks, died when he was only six months old in 1943.[6] The other, Henrietta Joan Tiarks, married Robin Russell, the Marquess of Tavistock, who eventually became the 14th Duke of Bedford. She is now Henrietta, Dowager Duchess of Bedford.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1922 The Card Nellie Cotterill
1923 Hutch Stirs 'em Up Joan
1925 The Happy Ending Molly Craddock
1928 The Rising Generation Peggy Kent
1929 Blackmail Alice White Voice, Uncredited
1929 Atlantic Betty Tate-Hughes
1931 The Outsider Lalage Sturdee
1931 A Man of Mayfair Grace Irving
1931 Rich and Strange Emily Hill
1932 Ebb Tide Mary
1932 Women Who Play Fay
1932 The First Mrs. Fraser Elsie Fraser
1932 Sally Bishop Sally Bishop
1932 Rome Express Mrs. Maxted
1933 Mrs. Dane's Defence Felicia / Mrs. Dane (final film role)

References

  1. ^ "Joan Barry". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b Sandra Brennan. "Joan Barry – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie". AllMovie.
  3. ^ David Absalom. "Joan Barry". britishpictures.com.
  4. ^ MacNab, Geoffrey (30 January 2000). Searching for Stars. ISBN 9781441184252.
  5. ^ Sasha. "Best of News". Getty Images.
  6. ^ "Joan Barry". IMDb.
  • "Burke's Peerage and Baronetage"