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Barbara Read

Barbara Read

Actor · Died December 11, 1963, aged 45 · Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada

Born in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada, Barbara Read was the daughter of a contractor. Under contract to Columbia, she was paid but never used for a single picture. She quit in disgust. She was later signed by Universal and was cast as one of the Craig sisters inThree Smart Girls (1936) along with Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey. This was Barbara's first and best remembered film. Her career was over by the time she married actor William Talman, of "Perry Mason" fame, in 1953. The couple had two children: Barbara ("Barbie") and William III ("Bobo"). The marriage was turbulent as both she and Talman suffered from alcohol problems. They divorced in 1960 with Barbara gaining custody of the children. Talman took over custody a year later when Barbara's alcoholism and mental/emotional problems became overbearing. Committed suicide at her Laguna Beach, California home when she turned on the gas jets of her stove and sealed the doors and windows. She left a suicide note blaming "ill health". Barbara Read bore a powerful likeness to Deanna Durbin, whose sister she was portraying in "Three Smart Girls". Date of Death: 11 December 1963, Laguna Beach, California (suicide)

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 29, 1917
Died
December 11, 1963 (aged 45)
From
Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Actor
Titles
6 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 5% in 30 days

What are Barbara Read's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 15th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
54%
Bonds
24%
Power
10%
Society
7%
Self
5%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 3
Hero
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Bittersweet
1
Contemplative
2
Melancholic
2
Joyful
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Barbara Read's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Barbara Read's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

22 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.

  • Santabear's First Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Story

  • Coroner Creek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Abbie Miles (as Barbara Reed)

  • Key Witness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Martha Higby (as Barbara Reed)

  • Ginger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Peggy Sullivan (as Barbara Reed)

  • The Missing Lady(1946)

    as Margo Lane

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Death Valley(1946)

    as Mitzi

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Behind the Mask(1946)

    as Margo Lane

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Shadow Returns(1946)

    as Margo Lane

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Rubber Racketeers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mary Dale

  • Too Many Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Linda Pearson

  • Curtain Call (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Helen Middleton

  • Married and in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Helen Yates

  • The Spellbinder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Janet Marlowe

  • Sorority House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Dotty Spencer

  • The Crime of Doctor Hallet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Claire Saunders

  • Midnight Intruder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Patricia Hammond

  • Merry Go Round of 1938 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Clarice Stockbridge

  • The Man Who Cried Wolf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Nan

  • The Road Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Lucy

  • Make Way for Tomorrow(1937)

    as Rhoda Cooper

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Mighty Treve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Aileen Fenno

  • Three Smart Girls(1936)

    as Kay Craig

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 73rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 22 titles from 1936 to 1986.

Biggest box office

Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

$6.7K worldwide

Highest rated

Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

Midcredits 98th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting21 of 22: 21 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score19thWriting1 of 22: 1 only writing, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s10 · acting1940s11 · acting1980s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Barbara Read's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 19th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 29th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

13thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

17thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

None of their 6 titles divides audiences: 3 are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most loved · actor

Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 63/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Barbara Read work with?

People who share at least 2 of Barbara Read's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George Callahan shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers