Barbara Worth ( born Verna Dooley; 1906–1955) was an American

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

Early years

Barbara Worth was born Verna Dooley in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, the daughter of James H. Dooley, a

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...

commercial agent. She attended both Ohio State and a private school in Charleston, South Carolina.

Career

Worth's entry into films came via a project of Universal Pictures Corporation. In 1925, she was one of 14 young women "comparatively unknown to the screen" who were selected for the Universal Stock Company, which trained them via "small parts and bits." Her film career included 12 features.

Personal life

In 1926, Worth married Tamar Lane, who was editor and publisher of ''Film Mercury''.

Filmography

Actress

* ''

An Old Sweetheart of Mine ''An Old Sweetheart of Mine'' is a 1923 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Harry Garson and starring Elliott Dexter, Helen Jerome Eddy, and Lloyd Whitlock. Cast * Elliott Dexter as John Craig * Helen Jerome Eddy as Mary Ellen A ...

'' (1923) * ''

Broken Hearts of Hollywood ''Broken Hearts of Hollywood'' is a 1926 American silent comedy drama film released by Warner Bros. and directed by Lloyd Bacon. It is unknown, but the film might have been released with a Vitaphone soundtrack. A print of the film exists. Plot ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Prairie King ''The Prairie King'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring Hoot Gibson. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Cast * Hoot Gibson as Andy Barden * Barbara Worth as Edna Jordan * Char ...

'' (1927) * ''

Fast and Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, a ...

'' (1927) * ''

On Your Toes ''On Your Toes'' (1936) is a musical with a book by Richard Rodgers, George Abbott, and Lorenz Hart, music by Rodgers, and lyrics by Hart. It was adapted into a film in 1939. While teaching music at Knickerbocker University, Phil "Junior" Dol ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Fearless Rider ''The Fearless Rider'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Edgar Lewis and written by Basil Dickey and Gardner Bradford. The film stars Fred Humes, Barbara Worth, Ben Corbett, Gilbert Holmes, Buck Connors and William Steele. Th ...

'' (1928) * ''

Plunging Hoofs ''Plunging Hoofs'' is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by Henry MacRae and written by George Morgan and Gardner Bradford. The film stars Starlight the Horse, Rex the Wonder Horse, Jack Perrin, Barbara Worth, J. P. McGowan and D ...

'' (1929) * '' The Prince of Hearts'' (1929) * ''

The Bachelor's Club ''The Bachelor's Club'' is a 1921 British silent comedy film directed by A. V. Bramble and starring Ben Field, Ernest Thesiger and Mary Brough. It was based on the 1891 novel ''The Bachelor's Club'' by Israel Zangwill. Cast * Ben Field as ...

'' (1929) * '' Fury of the Wild'' (1929) * '' Below the Deadline'' (1929) * ''

Valley of Badmen ''Valley of Badmen'' is a 1931 American Western film directed by Jack Irwin and starring Buddy Roosevelt, Barbara Worth and Tom London. Cast * Buddy Roosevelt as Jim Simpson * Tom London as Horton * Barbara Worth as Barbara Anderson * Slim W ...

'' (1931) * ''

Lightnin' Smith Returns ''Lightnin' Smith Returns'' is a 1931 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Jack Irwin and starring Buddy Roosevelt, Barbara Worth and Tom London. Cast * Buddy Roosevelt as John Smith * Barbara Worth as Helen Parker * Tom London ...

'' (1931) * ''

Fighting Trooper ''Fighting Trooper'' is a 1934 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor. The film is also known as ''The Trooper'' in the United Kingdom. Cast *Kermit Maynard as NWMP Trooper Burke *Barbara Worth as Diane La Farge *LeRoy Mason as Andre La ...

'' (1934) * '' Racing Luck'' (1935) * '' Reckless'' (1935) * ''

Men of Action ''Men of Action'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Alan James from a screenplay by Forrest Sheldon, John W. Krafft, and Barry Barringer based on Peter B. Kyne's story, "The New Freedom." The film stars Frankie Darro, Roy Mason, and Ba ...

'' (1935) * ''

I Live My Life ''I Live My Life'' is a 1935 American comedy-drama film starring Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne, and Frank Morgan, and is based on the story "Claustrophobia" by A. Carter Goodloe. Plot summary Kay Bentley (Joan Crawford), a bored socialite seeks a ...

'' (1935)

Screenwriter

* '' Dragnet'' (1947) * '' The Counterfeiters'' (1948) * '' Zamba'' (1949)

References

Bibliography

*Michael R. Pitts. ''Poverty Row Studios, 1929-1940: An Illustrated History of 55 Independent Film Companies, with a Filmography for Each''. McFarland & Company, 2005.

External links

* 1906 births 1955 deaths Screenwriters from Ohio American film actresses Actresses from Columbus, Ohio 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American screenwriters {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub