Leslie Barrett (October 30, 1919 – June 8, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned Broadway, feature films and television from 1937 to 1998.

Biography

Leslie Klein was born on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

, New York City on October 30, 1919. His parents were Cecil and Theresa ( Leonhardt) Klein. He attended George Washington High School. He changed his name to Leslie Barrett in 1937. He had two marriages: the first to Diana Newman Barth, which ended in divorce, and the second to actress Ruth Livingston.

Career

Barrett made his professional acting debut on January 12, 1937, under the name Leslie Klein at what was then known as the Guild Theatre. He first performed under his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

upon succeeding Billy Halop in a production of '' Dead End'' at the Belasco Theatre. Barrett appeared in numerous original Broadway productions throughout his career, including ''The Primrose Path'' in 1939, '' Rhinoceros'' in 1961, and ''

The Dresser ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' in 1981. In 1952, Barrett and Paul Curtis formed the

American Mime Theatre The American Mime Theatre is a professional performing company and training school based in New York City. It was founded in 1952 by Paul J. Curtis (August 29, 1927– April 28, 2012). It is the oldest continuing professional mime Multipurpose In ...

. He was an accomplished Shakespearean actor. He joined the Shakespeare Theatre Workshop under the direction of Joseph Papp in April 1955. He appeared in '' Much Ado About Nothing'' and ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' at the Westport Country Playhouse later that year, and '' The Taming of the Shrew'' at the Walnut Street Theatre in 1974. Barrett appeared on television as early as 1949. He appeared in four (4) episodes of '' The Philco Television Playhouse'' from 1949-53. In 1960, he performed in an episode of '' The Twilight Zone'' and on NBC's '' Startime'' in the

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

- directed ''Incident at a Corner''. In 1964, he appeared in an episode of '' East Side/West Side''. In 1962, he appeared in an episode of '' Dennis the Menace'' playing the new principal "Mr. Spivey". He played Judge Hanley who presided over the trial of Victoria Winters for witchcraft on the soap opera '' Dark Shadows''.''The Dark Shadows Almanac: Millennium Edition'', Kathryn Leigh Scott, Jim Pierson, alphabetical character list Barrett may be best known as George, Harvey's best friend from '' The Honeymooners'' episode "The Bensonhurst Bomber".

Partial filmography

*'' Career'' (1959) - Kensington's Assistant (uncredited) *''

Preppies Preppy (also spelled preppie) or prep (all abbreviations of the word ''preparatory'') is a subculture in the United States associated with the alumni of old private education, private Northeastern United States, Northeastern college preparator ...

'' (1984) - Dean Flossmore *''Death Mask'' (1984) - Albert Dalton

Notes

External links

Leslie Barrett correspondence and ephemera, 1942-1996
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Leslie Barrett scrapbooks
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Leslie Male actors from New York City 1919 births 2010 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors George Washington Educational Campus alumni