Joanna Barnes (November 15, 1934 – April 29, 2022) was an American actress and writer.

Early life and education

Barnes was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the eldest daughter of John Pindar Barnes and Alice Weston Mutch. She had two younger sisters, Alice and Judith, with whom she grew up in the suburb of Hingham.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters'' McFarland & Company, Inc., pp. 31-32; Joanna Barnes attended

Milton Academy Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered ...

and then

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

, from which she graduated in 1956 as a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. She majored in English. Barnes received the college's award for poetry, the immediate successor to

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...

for this recognition. Her research for a magazine article about making movies led to a career change to acting.

Career

Television

Barnes' initial appearance on television was in the episode "The Man Who Beat Lupo" on ''

Ford Theatre ''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...

''. She made guest appearances on many television series, including the ABC/Warner Bros. programs ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television Private investigator#PIs in fiction, private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith (actor), Roger Smith, Richard Long (actor), Richard Long (fr ...

'' and ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

'', CBS's '' Have Gun - Will Travel'', ''What's My Line'' (11/28/1965), and the crime drama ''

Richard Diamond, Private Detective ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960. Radio Dick Powell starred in the ''Richard Diamond, Private Detec ...

''. In 1960–61, she guest-starred on ''The Untouchables'' episode "90 Proof Dame" as the wife of a French exporter of brandy. Barnes appeared as Kate Henniger, with

Bing Russell Neil Oliver "Bing" Russell (May 5, 1926 – April 8, 2003) was an American actor and Class A minor-league baseball club owner. He was the father of Hollywood actor Kurt Russell and grandfather of ex–major league baseball player Matt Franco ...

and

Arthur Space Charles Arthur Space (October 12, 1908 – January 13, 1983) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was best known as Doc Weaver, the veterinarian, in thirty-nine episodes of the CBS television series '' Lassie''. Early years Bor ...

in the 1958 episode "Ghost Town" of the ABC/WB Western series '' Colt .45'', starring

Wayde Preston Wayde Preston (born William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929 – February 6, 1992) was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Warner Bros. Western (genre), Western ...

. In 1959, she portrayed Lola in the NBC detective series '' 21 Beacon Street''. In the 1960s, Barnes worked for producer

Martin Ransohoff Martin Nelson Ransohoff (July 7, 1927 – December 13, 2017) was an American film and television producer, and member of the Ransohoff family. Early life and education Ransohoff was born on July 7, 1927 in New Orleans, LouisianaThe Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family from ...

'' ("Elly Goes to School" and "The Clampett Look") and was billed as special guest-star. Barnes played

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series ''Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

's former wife on the 1965–1966 CBS series ''

The Trials of O'Brien ''The Trials of O'Brien'' is a 1965 television series starring Peter Falk as sordid, Shakespeare-quoting lawyer Daniel O'Brien, and featuring Elaine Stritch as his secretary and Joanna Barnes as his ex-wife. The series ran for 22 episodes on C ...

'' and was host of the ABC daytime talk show ''Dateline: Hollywood'' in 1967. She was also a frequent panellist in the early years of the syndicated version of ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

''. On December 19, 1972, Barnes appeared on ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 a ...

'' with

Joan Fontaine Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland (October 22, 1917 – December 15, 2013), known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was a British-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared ...

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor (, ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva Gabor, Eva and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the 1933 Mis ...

and Dan Martino (founder of the Dan Martino School for Men).

Film

Roger Moore Joanna Barnes Trials of OBrien 1965

Barnes moved to Los Angeles soon after finishing her education, and took up a contract with

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

. She went on to have roles in more than 20 films. Among her most remembered roles is the snooty Gloria Upson in the film ''

Auntie Mame ''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father. The book is often desc ...

'' (1958), which earned her a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nomination for New Star of the Year. Barnes became the 13th actress to play

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

when she appeared in '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1959), with Denny Miller as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

. In Disney's original 1961 version of '' The Parent Trap'' starring

Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...

, Barnes played gold-digger Vicki Robinson, who temporarily comes between

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural ...

and

Brian Keith Brian Keith (born Robert Alba Keith, November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film '' The Parent T ...

. In the 1998 remake starring

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...

, she played Vicki Blake, the mother of the child-hating gold-digger and fiancée Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix). In 1967, she appeared in ''

The War Wagon ''The War Wagon'' is a 1967 American Western (genre), Western heist film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. Released by Universal Pictures, it was produced by Marvin John Schwartz, Marvin Schwartz and adapted by ...

'', a western movie starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

and

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

Writing

Barnes was also a writer and columnist. In 1973, she told newspaper columnist Dick Kleiner that she liked writing because "it is something you do yourself. With acting, if you win an Oscar or an Emmy, you have to thank everybody. If you write a book, it is completely your own." She wrote a book, ''Starting from Scratch'', about home decorating and several novels, including ''The Deceivers'' (1970), ''Who Is Carla Hart?'' (1973), ''Pastora'' (1980), and ''Silverwood'' (1985). She wrote a weekly book review for the ''Los Angeles Times'', and her column "Touching Home" was carried by ''The Chicago Tribune'' and the New York News Syndicate.

Death

Barnes died at her home in

Sea Ranch, California Sea Ranch is an unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, United States that was developed as planned community beginning in the 1960s. It is known for its distinctive timber-frame structures designed by several noted American arc ...

, on April 29, 2022, aged 87. (Some sources erroneously gave her age at death as 89, although the 1940 U.S. census gives her age as of May 9, 1940 as 5 years.)

Select filmography

References

External links

* *
Speaking of Stories: Joanna Barnes bio

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Joanna 1934 births 2022 deaths American columnists American women columnists American women novelists American film actresses American television actresses Milton Academy alumni Smith College alumni People from Hingham, Massachusetts Actresses from Boston Actresses from Los Angeles 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American novelists Writers from Boston Writers from Los Angeles 20th-century American women writers Western (genre) television actors Novelists from Massachusetts American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women