Barbara Bates

Barbara Bates

Known for: Acting
Biography: 1925-08-06
Deathday: 1969-03-18 (43 years old)

Biography

Barbara Jane Bates (August 6, 1925 – March 18, 1969) was an American singer and actress, best known for her portrayal of Phoebe in the 1950 drama film All About Eve and as Katy Morgan on It's a Great Life (1954–1956).


The eldest of three daughters, Bates was born in Denver, Colorado. While growing up in Denver, she studied ballet and worked as a teen fashion model. The shy teen was persuaded to enter a local beauty contest and won, receiving two round-trip train tickets to Hollywood, California. Two days before returning to Denver, Bates met Cecil Coan, a United Artists publicist, whom she would later marry.


In September 1944, 19-year-old Bates signed a contract with Universal Pictures after Cecil Coan introduced her to producer Walter Wanger. Soon after, she was cast as one of the "Seven Salome Girls" in the 1945 drama, Salome Where She Danced starring Yvonne De Carlo. Around this time, she fell in love with Coan, who was married with two sons and two daughters. In March 1945, Coan divorced his wife Helen Coan and secretly married Bates, on March 25, 1945, in Chihuahua, Mexico. Bates spent the next few years as a stock actress, landing bit parts in movies and doing cheesecake layouts for magazines such as Yank, the Army Weekly and Life. One of those photo sessions caught the eye of executives at Warner Bros., which signed her in 1947. Warner Bros. highlighted her "girl-next-door" image and her acting career took off. She appeared with some of the biggest stars of the day, including Bette Davis in June Bride and Danny Kaye in The Inspector General.


In late 1949, Bates auditioned for the small role of Phoebe in Fox's upcoming All About Eve. In competition for the part were Zsa Zsa Gabor and others, but Bates impressed the producers and was given the part. She made a short but important appearance as the devious schemer, Phoebe, at the end of the film. Bates's image is enshrined in the film's last scene, posing in front of a three-way mirror, while holding the award won by her idol Eve Harrington, played by Anne Baxter. After her appearance in All About Eve, Bates co-starred in Cheaper by the Dozen, and its sequel Belles on Their Toes, with Jeanne Crain and Myrna Loy. In 1951, she landed a role opposite MacDonald Carey and Claudette Colbert in the comedy Let's Make It Legal. Fox refused to lend out Bates for the role of the suicidal ballerina saved by Charlie Chaplin's aging vaudevillian in Limelight (1952). She co-starred with Donna Reed as the love interests of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the 1953 hit comedy The Caddy.


In January 1967, Bates's husband died of cancer. Devastated by his death, Bates grew more depressed, and she again became suicidal. Later that year, she returned to Denver and fell out of public view. For a time, Bates worked as a secretary, dental assistant, and hospital aide. In December 1968, she married for the second time, to a childhood friend, sportscaster William Reed. Despite her new marriage and location, Bates remained increasingly despondent and depressed.


On March 18, 1969, just months after her marriage to Reed, Barbara Bates died from suicide in her mother's garage by carbon monoxide poisoning. She was 43 years old. She is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Jefferson County, Colorado.

Filmography

all 34

Movies 30

TV Shows 4

Barbara BatesBarbara BatesBarbara Bates

Information

Known For
Acting

Gender
Female

Birthday
1925-08-06

Deathday
1969-03-18 (43 years old)

Birth Place
Denver, United States

Citizenships
United States

Also Known As
Barbara Jane Bates

Awards
The Smith College Medal

This article uses material from Wikipedia.

Last updated:

Lyle R. Wheeler
Barbara Bates,
Lyle R. Wheeler worked together with Barbara Bates in:
7 Movies
Thomas Little
Barbara Bates,
Thomas Little worked together with Barbara Bates in:
7 Movies
Perc Westmore
Barbara Bates,
Perc Westmore worked together with Barbara Bates in:
7 Movies
Charles LeMaire
Barbara Bates,
Charles LeMaire worked together with Barbara Bates in:
7 Movies
Douglas Kennedy
Barbara Bates,
Douglas Kennedy worked together with Barbara Bates in:
6 Movies
Ben Nye
Barbara Bates,
Ben Nye worked together with Barbara Bates in:
6 Movies
Lionel Newman
Barbara Bates,
Lionel Newman worked together with Barbara Bates in:
5 Movies
Bess Flowers
Barbara Bates,
Bess Flowers worked together with Barbara Bates in:
4 Movies
Sam Harris
Barbara Bates,
Sam Harris worked together with Barbara Bates in:
4 Movies
Karen Randle
Barbara Bates,
Karen Randle worked together with Barbara Bates in:
4 Movies
Elwood Bredell
Barbara Bates,
Elwood Bredell worked together with Barbara Bates in:
4 Movies
Roger Heman Sr.
Barbara Bates,
Roger Heman Sr. worked together with Barbara Bates in:
4 Movies
Everett Alton Brown
Barbara Bates,
Everett Alton Brown worked together with Barbara Bates in:
4 Movies
Bernard Mayers
Barbara Bates,
Bernard Mayers worked together with Barbara Bates in:
4 Movies
Fred Sersen
Barbara Bates,
Fred Sersen worked together with Barbara Bates in:
3 Movies
Harry M. Leonard
Barbara Bates,
Harry M. Leonard worked together with Barbara Bates in:
3 Movies
Oliver Cross
Barbara Bates,
Oliver Cross worked together with Barbara Bates in:
3 Movies
Cyril J. Mockridge
Barbara Bates,
Cyril J. Mockridge worked together with Barbara Bates in:
3 Movies
Zachary Scott
Barbara Bates,
Zachary Scott worked together with Barbara Bates in:
3 Movies
Ray Montgomery
Barbara Bates,
Ray Montgomery worked together with Barbara Bates in:
3 Movies
  • Barbara Bates
    Barbara Bates
  • Filmography
  • Information
  • Related Persons
Social Media
X
Facebook
Telegram
Download
iOS Application
Made in Ukraine πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦
Copyright Β© MovieFit 2018 – 2024
All external content remains the property of its respective owner.