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.
Movie | Hunters Are for Killing | Hank Phillips | 1987-02-14 |
Movie | Back Roads | Pete | 1981-03-13 |
Series | The Dream Merchants | Capt. Casey | 1980-05-12 |
Movie | Donovan's Kid | Sheriff at Stagecoach | 1979-01-07 |
Series | 240-Robert | Unknown | 1979-08-28 |
Movie | Undercover with the KKK | Ben Wright | 1979-10-23 |
Series | Knots Landing | Unknown | 1979-12-27 |
Movie | Goldie and the Boxer | Radio Announcer | 1979-12-30 |
Movie | Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid | Devery's Foreman | 1978-05-26 |
Movie | Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys | 1978-02-01 | |
Movie | Buckstone County Prison | Warden Coley | 1978-07-01 |
Movie | Doctor Dracula | Elliot (as Donald Barry) | 1978-03-02 |
Movie | Hot Lead & Cold Feet | Bartender | 1978-07-05 |
Movie | Hooper | Sheriff | 1978-07-28 |
Movie | The Crash of Flight 401 | Helicopter Pilot | 1978-10-29 |
Movie | The Swarm | Pete Harris | 1978-07-14 |
Movie | Orca | Dock Worker | 1977-07-22 |
Series | CHiPs | Truck Driver | 1977-09-15 |
Movie | The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West | Marshal | 1976-08-01 |
Movie | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch | (archive footage) | 1976-05-01 |
Series | The Bionic Woman | Unknown | 1976-01-14 |
Series | Big John, Little John | Unknown | 1976-09-11 |
Movie | From Noon Till Three | Red Roxy | 1976-08-13 |
Series | Quincy, M.E. | Unknown | 1976-10-03 |
Series | Charlie's Angels | Harry Silvers | 1976-09-22 |
Movie | Blazing Stewardesses | Mike Trask | 1975-06-01 |
Movie | Starsky & Hutch | Doctor in Morgue | 1975-05-01 |
Movie | Boss Nigger | (as Don Red Barry) | 1975-08-17 |
Series | Baretta | Unknown | 1975-01-17 |
Movie | Whiffs | Sgt. Post | 1975-10-15 |
Series | Barbary Coast | Unknown | 1975-09-08 |
Movie | Hustle | Airport Bartender | 1975-12-25 |
Series | Starsky & Hutch | Doctor in the morgue (uncredited) | 1975-09-10 |
Series | Little House on the Prairie | Unknown | 1974-09-11 |
Series | Petrocelli | Unknown | 1974-09-11 |
Series | Kolchak: The Night Stalker | Unknown | 1974-09-13 |
Series | Police Woman | Unknown | 1974-09-13 |
Series | The Rockford Files | Shorty McCall | 1974-09-13 |
Movie | Punch and Jody | Franz Butz / Delbert Clyde Butz | 1974-11-26 |
Movie | Incident on a Dark Street | Miles Henderson | 1973-01-13 |
Series | Hawkins | Ben | 1973-03-13 |
Series | Police Story | Unknown | 1973-03-20 |
Movie | Partners in Crime | Bartender | 1973-03-24 |
Movie | The Eyes of Charles Sand | Trainer | 1972-02-29 |
Series | Emergency! | Dave Grogan | 1972-01-22 |
Movie | Junior Bonner | Homer Rutledge | 1972-08-02 |
Series | The Rookies | Unknown | 1972-09-11 |
Series | Ghost Story | Charlie Durham | 1972-09-15 |
Series | The Waltons | Deputy Sheriff | 1972-09-14 |
Movie | Johnny Got His Gun | Jody Simmons | 1971-08-04 |
Series | McMillan and Wife | Sam | 1971-09-29 |
Series | Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law | Jenkins | 1971-09-16 |
Movie | The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County | Rusty | 1970-04-01 |
Movie | Rio Lobo | Feeny - Bartender (uncredited) | 1970-04-01 |
Series | The Immortal | Unknown | 1970-09-24 |
Series | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Abner Dickens | 1969-09-23 |
Movie | Bandolero! | Jack Hawkins | 1968-06-01 |
Series | The Outsider | Unknown | 1968-09-18 |
Series | It Takes a Thief | Airline Captain (as Donald Barry) | 1968-01-09 |
Movie | The Shakiest Gun in the West | Rev. Zachary Gant | 1968-07-10 |
Series | Land of the Giants | Dr. Zoral | 1968-09-22 |
Movie | Shalako | Buffalo | 1968-09-26 |
Series | Adam-12 | Mr. Hobbs | 1968-09-21 |
Series | Ironside | Unknown | 1967-03-28 |
Series | Dragnet | James Fremont | 1967-01-12 |
Movie | Red Tomahawk | Bly | 1967-01-01 |
Movie | Hostile Guns | Ed Johnson | 1967-07-01 |
Movie | Fort Utah | Harris | 1967-09-01 |
Series | Mannix | Mr. Barlow | 1967-09-16 |
Series | Hondo | Unknown | 1967-09-08 |
Series | Cimarron Strip | Unknown | 1967-09-07 |
Series | Batman | Tarantula | 1966-01-12 |
Movie | The Magnificent Stranger | Grist | 1966-08-26 |
Series | T.H.E. Cat | Stoddard | 1966-09-16 |
Series | Pistols 'n' Petticoats | Unknown | 1966-09-17 |
Movie | Alvarez Kelly | Lt. Farrow | 1966-10-06 |
Movie | Fort Courageous | Captain Harvey | 1965-05-01 |
Movie | War Party | Sgt. Chaney | 1965-03-01 |
Movie | Convict Stage | Marshal Jethro Karnin | 1965-01-01 |
Movie | Town Tamer | Tex | 1965-07-07 |
Series | The Legend of Jesse James | Daniels | 1965-09-13 |
Movie | Apache Uprising | Henry Belden | 1965-12-29 |
Series | The F.B.I. | Davy Harrods | 1965-09-19 |
Series | The Wild Wild West | Rainey | 1965-09-17 |
Series | Laredo | Sam Dixie | 1965-09-16 |
Series | F Troop | Col. Donnely | 1965-09-14 |
Movie | Law of the Lawless | Red | 1964-05-13 |
Movie | Iron Angel | Reb | 1964-02-01 |
Series | Mickey | Unknown | 1964-09-16 |
Series | Daniel Boone | Amos Brown | 1964-09-24 |
Series | Broadside | Colonel Stark | 1964-09-20 |
Series | The Munsters | Ted | 1964-09-24 |
Series | The Fugitive | The Checker | 1963-09-17 |
Series | Arrest and Trial | Unknown | 1963-09-15 |
Series | Mr. Novak | Anthony Gallo | 1963-09-24 |
Movie | Twilight of Honor | Judson Elliot | 1963-11-13 |
Movie | Walk on the Wild Side | Dockery | 1962-03-20 |
Series | Sam Benedict | Unknown | 1962-09-15 |
Series | The Virginian | Jake | 1962-09-19 |
Series | McHale's Navy | Capt. Kittridge | 1962-10-11 |
Movie | Buffalo Gun | Murdock | 1961-07-01 |
Movie | Walk Like a Dragon | Cabot | 1960-06-01 |
Movie | Ocean's Eleven | McCoy (uncredited) | 1960-08-10 |
Series | The Roaring 20's | Unknown | 1960-10-15 |
Series | Checkmate | Kyle Horgan | 1960-09-17 |
Series | Surfside 6 | Lt. Snedigar | 1960-10-06 |
Movie | Warlock | Edward Calhoun (uncredited) | 1959-05-15 |
Movie | The Big Operator | Detective Sergeant | 1959-08-01 |
Series | Rawhide | Grut | 1959-01-09 |
Movie | The Last Mile | Drake (as Donald Barry) | 1959-02-18 |
Series | Laramie | Unknown | 1959-09-15 |
Series | The Deputy | Utah | 1959-09-12 |
Series | Bourbon Street Beat | Unknown | 1959-10-05 |
Series | Hawaiian Eye | Harry Cannon | 1959-10-07 |
Series | Bonanza | Temple | 1959-09-12 |
Series | Peter Gunn | Unknown | 1958-09-22 |
Movie | Frankenstein 1970 | Douglas Row | 1958-07-20 |
Movie | China Doll | MSgt. Hal Foster | 1958-06-06 |
Series | Bronco | Unknown | 1958-09-23 |
Series | Bat Masterson | Luke Short | 1958-10-08 |
Movie | Born Reckless | Bill Okie | 1958-11-02 |
Series | Lawman | Jess Schaeffer | 1958-10-05 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Frank Sully | 1958-10-10 |
Movie | Gun Duel In Durango | Larry | 1957-05-01 |
Series | Have Gun, Will Travel | Tom Goodfellow | 1957-09-14 |
Series | Maverick | Unknown | 1957-09-22 |
Series | Perry Mason | Red Doyle | 1957-09-21 |
Series | Sugarfoot | Arkansas Ferguson | 1957-09-17 |
Movie | 7 Men from Now | Clete | 1956-08-04 |
Series | Sergeant Preston of the Yukon | Unknown | 1955-09-29 |
Series | Cheyenne | Shorty Jones | 1955-09-20 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Dobson | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Screen Director's Playhouse | Soldier | 1955-10-05 |
Movie | The Twinkle In God's Eye | Dawson | 1955-10-13 |
Movie | I'll Cry Tomorrow | Jerry | 1955-12-25 |
Movie | Untamed Heiress | 'Spider' Mike Lawrence (as Donald Barry) | 1954-03-31 |
Movie | Jesse James' Women | Jesse James | 1954-09-04 |
Series | The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet | Clerk | 1952-10-03 |
Series | Dragnet | Unknown | 1951-12-16 |
Movie | Gunfire | Frank James / Bat Fenton | 1950-08-12 |
Movie | Train To Tombstone | Len Howard | 1950-09-16 |
Movie | I Shot Billy the Kid | William H. Bonney / Billy the Kid (as Don Barry) | 1950-07-27 |
Series | Lux Video Theatre | Andy | 1950-10-02 |
Movie | Border Rangers | Bob Standish posing as the Rio Kid (as Don Barry) | 1950-10-05 |
Movie | The Dalton Gang | Larry West | 1949-10-20 |
Movie | Ringside | Mike O'Hara, "King Cobra" | 1949-07-14 |
Movie | Tough Assignment | Dan Reilly | 1949-11-15 |
Movie | Square Dance Jubilee | Don Blake | 1949-11-11 |
Movie | Red Desert | Pecos Jones (as Don Barry) | 1949-12-17 |
Movie | Slippy McGee | Slippy McGee | 1948-01-15 |
Movie | Madonna of the Desert | Tony French (as Donald Barry) | 1948-02-23 |
Movie | Train to Alcatraz | Doug Forbes (as Donald Barry) | 1948-06-28 |
Movie | Lightnin' in the Forest | Stan Martin | 1948-03-25 |
Movie | That's My Gal | Benny Novak | 1947-05-15 |
Movie | The Last Crooked Mile | Tom Dwyer | 1946-08-09 |
Movie | The Plainsman and the Lady | Feisty | 1946-11-11 |
Movie | Bells of Rosarita | Don Barry | 1945-06-19 |
Movie | The Chicago Kid | Joe Ferrill | 1945-06-29 |
Movie | Outlaws of Santa Fe | Bob Conroy | 1944-04-04 |
Movie | The Purple Heart | Lt. Peter Vincent (as Donald Barry) | 1944-02-25 |
Movie | My Buddy | Eddie Ballinger (as Donald Barry) | 1944-10-12 |
Movie | Fugitive from Sonora | Parson Dave Winters / Ted Winters aka Keeno Phillips | 1943-06-30 |
Movie | Days of Old Cheyenne | Clint Ross | 1943-03-15 |
Movie | Carson City Cyclone | Gilbert Phalen | 1943-03-03 |
Movie | Dead Man's Gulch | Tennessee Colby | 1943-02-12 |
Movie | The West Side Kid | Johnny April (as Donald Barry) | 1943-08-23 |
Movie | Black Hills Express | Lon Walker | 1943-08-15 |
Movie | Canyon City | Terry Reynolds posing as the Nevada Kid | 1943-11-24 |
Movie | California Joe | Joe Weldon | 1943-12-29 |
Movie | The Man from the Rio Grande | Lee Grant | 1943-10-18 |
Movie | Jesse James, Jr. | Johnny Barrett | 1942-03-25 |
Movie | Stagecoach Express | Dave Gregory | 1942-03-06 |
Movie | The Cyclone Kid | Johnny "Cyclone Kid" Dawson | 1942-05-31 |
Movie | Remember Pearl Harbor | Pvt. Steve 'Lucky' Smith | 1942-01-02 |
Movie | Arizona Terrors | Jim Bradley | 1942-01-13 |
Movie | The Sombrero Kid | Jerry Holden | 1942-07-31 |
Movie | The Traitor Within | Sam Starr (as Donald M. Barry) | 1942-12-16 |
Movie | The Sundown Kid | Red Tracy | 1942-12-28 |
Movie | Outlaws of Pine Ridge | Chips Barrett | 1942-10-27 |
Movie | Two Gun Sheriff | Jim "Sundown Kid" McKinnon / Sheriff Bruce McKinnon | 1941-04-09 |
Movie | The Phantom Cowboy | Jim Lawrence | 1941-02-14 |
Movie | Wyoming Wildcat | Bill Gannon | 1941-01-06 |
Movie | The Apache Kid | Pete Dawson aka The Apache Kid | 1941-04-11 |
Movie | Desert Bandit | Bob Crandall, Texas Ranger | 1941-05-24 |
Movie | Kansas Cyclone | Jim Randall | 1941-06-24 |
Movie | A Missouri Outlaw | Cliff Dixon | 1941-11-25 |
Movie | Death Valley Outlaws | Johnny Edwards | 1941-09-26 |
Movie | Adventures of Red Ryder | Red Ryder | 1940-06-28 |
Movie | Jack Pot | Bryan (uncredited) | 1940-03-09 |
Movie | Ghost Valley Raiders | Tim Brandon aka The Tolusa Kid (as Donald Barry) | 1940-03-23 |
Movie | One Man's Law | Jack Summers | 1940-06-29 |
Movie | Sailor's Lady | Second Paymaster | 1940-07-05 |
Movie | Frontier Vengeance | Jim Sanders | 1940-10-10 |
Movie | Texas Terrors | Bob Millbourne aka Robert Mills | 1940-11-22 |
Movie | The Tulsa Kid | Tom Benton aka Tulsa Kid | 1940-08-16 |
Movie | Only Angels Have Wings | Tex | 1939-05-15 |
Movie | Calling Dr. Kildare | Collins | 1939-04-28 |
Movie | Panama Patrol | Loring | 1939-03-20 |
Movie | S.O.S Tidal Wave | Curly Parsons | 1939-06-02 |
Movie | Calling All Marines | 'Blackie' Cross | 1939-09-20 |
Movie | Days of Jesse James | Jesse James | 1939-12-20 |
Movie | Wyoming Outlaw | Will Parker | 1939-06-27 |
Movie | The Secret of Dr. Kildare | Collins - Intern (uncredited) | 1939-11-24 |
Movie | Saga of Death Valley | Jerry | 1939-11-17 |
Movie | Sinners in Paradise | Jessup | 1938-05-19 |
Movie | Think It Over | Henchman | 1938-07-24 |
Movie | Saleslady | Babcock | 1938-01-27 |
Movie | The Duke of West Point | Grady | 1938-12-29 |
Movie | The Crowd Roars | Pete Mariola | 1938-08-06 |
Movie | Young Dr. Kildare | Dr. Collins (uncredited) | 1938-10-14 |
Movie | When's Your Birthday? | Marty - Gunman (uncredited) | 1937-02-19 |
Movie | The Woman I Love | Michel | 1937-04-15 |
Movie | Dead End | Dr. Flynn, Intern (Uncredited) | 1937-08-27 |
Movie | Navy Blue and Gold | Mason (Southern Institute football player) (uncredited) | 1937-11-19 |
Movie | Night Waitress | Mario Rigo | 1936-12-18 |
Movie | Beloved Enemy | Mike, I.R.A. Patriot (Uncredited) | 1936-12-25 |
Movie | Bridal Bail | Movie Usher | 1934-02-09 |
Movie | Flying Down to Rio | Dancer (uncredited) | 1933-12-22 |