Gertrude Maud Barnes (25 March 1903 – 27 July 1998), known professionally as Binnie Barnes, was an English actress whose career in films spanned from 1923 to 1973.

Early life

Barnes was born in Islington, London, the daughter of Rosa Enoyce and George Barnes, a policeman; 16 children were in her family. Before moving to Hollywood to become an actress, Barnes worked a series of jobs, such as

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms su ...

, nurse, and dance hostess.

Career

Binnie Barnes in The Spanish Main trailer

Barnes began her acting career in films in 1923, appearing in a short film made by Lee De Forest in his

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film proce ...

sound-on-film process. Her film career continued in Great Britain, most notably in ''

The Private Life of Henry VIII ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London F ...

'' (1933) as

Katherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542), also spelled Katheryn Howard, was Queen of England from 1540 until 1542 as the fifth wife of Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a cousin to Anne Boleyn (the ...

, Henry's fifth wife. Barnes' main qualm in accepting roles as an actress was that she not play submissive roles. Barnes once remarked, "One picture is just like another to me, as long as I don't have to be a sweet woman". Later, her career continued in Hollywood, until 1973, when she appeared in the comedy ''

40 Carats ''Forty Carats'' is a play by Jay Presson Allen. Adapted from the French original by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, the comedy revolves around a 40-year-old American divorcee who is assisted by a 22-year-old when her car breaks down du ...

'', her last acting role.

Personal life

Barnes's first husband was London art dealer Samuel Joseph. Her second marriage was to film producer

Mike Frankovich Mitchell John "M. J." Frankovich (September 29, 1909 – January 1, 1992), best known as Mike Frankovich, was an American football player turned film actor and producer. Frankovich was the adopted son of actor Joe E. Brown and his wife, Kathry ...

, and later she was a naturalised United States citizen. The couple adopted three children. Binnie Barnes died on 27 July 1998 of natural causes, aged 95, in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. She was interred in

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original and current flagship location of Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of six cemeteries and four additional mortuaries in Southern Cal ...

.''The Archaeology of Hollywood''
/ref>

Hollywood Walk of Fame

For her contributions to the film industry, Barnes received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Her star is located at 1501

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue and Melrose Avenue. The intersection with Hollywood Boulevard was once a symbol of Hollywood itself. The famed intersection fell into d ...

Complete filmography

* ''Phonofilm'' (1923) * ''

A Night in Montmartre ''A Night in Montmartre'' (sometimes written as ''Night in Montmartre'') is a 1931 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Horace Hodges, Franklin Dyall, Hugh Williams, Reginald Purdell and Austin Trevor. It was based on ...

'' (1931) – Therese * '' Love Lies'' (1931) – Junetta * '' Doctor Josser K.C.'' (1931) – Rosa Wopp * '' Murder at Covent Garden'' (1932) – Girl * '' The Innocents of Chicago'' (1932) – Peg Guinan * '' Partners Please'' (1932 short) – Billie * '' Strip! Strip! Hooray!!!'' (1932 short) – Spanish Lady * ''

Down Our Street ''Down Our Street'' is a 1932 black and white British film directed by Harry Lachman. Plot This drama, set during the Depression, sees the character Charlie Stubbs trying to escape his poverty by becoming a criminal. When this course of actio ...

'' (1932) – Tessie Bernstein * ''

The Last Coupon ''The Last Coupon'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Leslie Fuller, Mary Jerrold and Molly Lamont. It was based on a play by Ernest Bryan and was a success at the box office.Shafer p.153 It was shot at the Els ...

'' (1932) – Mrs. Meredith * '' Old Spanish Customers'' (1932) – Carmen * '' Taxi to Paradise'' (1933 short) – Joan Melhuish * '' Counsel's Opinion'' (1933) – Leslie * ''

Heads We Go ''Heads We Go'' (U.S. title: ''The Charming Deceiver'') is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Constance Cummings, Frank Lawton and Binnie Barnes. It was made at Elstree Studios by British International Pictures. The ...

'' (1933) – Lil Pickering * ''

'' (1933) – Katherine Howard – The Fifth Wife * '' The Silver Spoon'' (1933) – Lady Perivale * ''

Their Night Out ''Their Night Out'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Harry Hughes and starring Claude Hulbert, Renee Houston and Gus McNaughton. It was made by British International Pictures at Elstree Studios.Wood p.76 The film's sets were designed by ...

'' (1933) – Lola * ''

Nine Forty-Five ''Nine Forty-Five'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by George King and starring Binnie Barnes, Donald Calthrop and Violet Farebrother. It was made at Teddington Studios by the British subsidiary of Warner Brothers.Wood p.79 A quota quicki ...

'' (1934) – Ruth Jordan * '' No Escape'' (1934) – Myra Fengler * '' The Lady Is Willing'' (1934) – Helene Dupont * ''

One Exciting Adventure ''One Exciting Adventure'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Ernst L. Frank and starring Binnie Barnes, Neil Hamilton and Paul Cavanagh.Goble p.229 It is a remake of the 1933 German film ''What Women Dream''. Cast * Binnie Barnes as R ...

'' (1934) – Rena Sorel * '' Gift of Gab'' (1934) – Maid * ''

The Private Life of Don Juan ''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. Th ...

'' (1934) – Rosita, a Maid Pure and Simple * ''

Forbidden Territory ''Forbidden Territory'' is a 1934 British thriller film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Gregory Ratoff, Ronald Squire and Binnie Barnes. It was based on the 1933 novel '' The Forbidden Territory'' by Dennis Wheatley.Shaw p.15 The film, abo ...

'' (1934) – Valerie Petrovna * '' There's Always Tomorrow'' (1934) – Alice Vail * ''

Diamond Jim ''Diamond Jim'' is a 1935 biographical film based on the published biography ''Diamond Jim Brady'' by Parker Morell. It follows the life of legendary entrepreneur James Buchanan Brady, including his romance with entertainer Lillian Russell, and s ...

'' (1935) – Lillian Russell * '' Rendezvous'' (1935) – Olivia Kerloff * '' La Fiesta de Santa Barbara'' (1935, Short) – Herself * ''

Sutter's Gold ''Sutter's Gold'' is a 1936 American Western film. It is a fictionalized version of the aftermath of the discovery of gold on Sutter's property, spurring the California Gold Rush of 1849. Edward Arnold plays John Sutter. The supporting cast i ...

'' (1936) – Countess Elizabeth Bartoffski * '' Small Town Girl'' (1936) – Priscilla Hyde * ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder ...

'' (1936) – Alice Munro * '' The Magnificent Brute'' (1936) – Della Lane * ''

Three Smart Girls ''Three Smart Girls'' is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Barbara Read, Nan Grey, Deanna Durbin (her feature film debut), and Ray Milland. The film's screenplay was written by Adele Comandini and Austin P ...

'' (1936) – Donna Lyons * '' Breezing Home'' (1937) – Henrietta Fairfax * ''

Broadway Melody of 1938 ''Broadway Melody of 1938'' is a 1937 American musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical trad ...

'' (1937) – Caroline Whipple * '' Out of the Blue'' (1937) – Rosa * ''

The Divorce of Lady X ''The Divorce of Lady X'' is a 1938 British Technicolor romantic comedy film produced by London Films; it stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes. It was directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alexander Kord ...

'' (1938) – Lady Mere * ''

The First Hundred Years ''The First Hundred Years'' is the first ongoing TV soap opera in the United States that began as a daytime serial, airing on CBS from December 4, 1950 until June 27, 1952. A previous daytime drama on NBC, '' These Are My Children'', aired in 1 ...

'' (1938) – Claudia Weston * ''

The Adventures of Marco Polo ''The Adventures of Marco Polo'' is a 1938 adventure film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Gary Cooper, Sigrid Gurie, and Basil Rathbone. It was one of the most elaborate and costly of Samuel Goldwyn's productions. Plot Nicolo Polo shows t ...

'' (1938) – Nazama * '' Holiday'' (1938) – Mrs. Laura Cram * ''

Three Blind Mice "Three Blind Mice" is an English-language nursery rhyme and musical round.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number o ...

'' (1938) – Miriam Harrington * '' Always Goodbye'' (1938) – Harriet Martin * '' Tropic Holiday'' (1938) – Marilyn Joyce * '' Gateway'' (1938) – Mrs. Fay Sims * '' Thanks for Everything'' (1938) – Kay Swift * ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight ...

'' (1939) – Milady De Winter * '' Wife, Husband and Friend'' (1939) – Cecil Carver * '' Man About Town'' (1939) – Lady Arlington * '' Frontier Marshal'' (1939) – Jerry * '' Day-Time Wife'' (1939) – Blanche * '' 'Til We Meet Again'' (1940) – Comtesse de Bresac * '' This Thing Called Love'' (1940) – Charlotte Campbell * '' Angels with Broken Wings'' (1941) – Sybil Barton * '' Tight Shoes'' (1941) – Sybil Ash * ''

The Great Awakening ''The Great Awakening'' is the fourth studio album from the Christian rock band Leeland, released on September 20, 2011. ''The Great Awakening'' received a nomination to the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album The ...

'' (1941, aka ''New Wine'') – Countess Marie Duvarre * ''

Three Girls About Town ''Three Girls About Town'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Joan Blondell, Binnie Barnes and Janet Blair (in her film debut). It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The story was written by Rich ...

'' (1941) – Faith Banner * ''

Skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...

'' (1941) – Myrtle Vantine * '' Call Out the Marines'' (1942) – Violet 'Vi' Hall * '' In Old California'' (1942) – Lacey Miller * ''

I Married an Angel ''I Married An Angel'' is a 1938 musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled ''Angyalt Vettem Felesegul''. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodge ...

'' (1942) – Peggy * '' The Man from Down Under'' (1943) – Aggie Dawlins * '' Up in Mabel's Room'' (1944) – Alicia Larchmont * '' The Hour Before the Dawn'' (1944) – May Heatherton * ''

Barbary Coast Gent ''Barbary Coast Gent'' is a 1944 American Western comedy film set in 1880s San Francisco's Barbary Coast and Nevada starring Wallace Beery. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth and features Binnie Barnes, Beery's brother Noah Beery, Sr., Joh ...

'' (1944) – Lil Damish * ''

It's in the Bag! ''It's in the Bag!'' is a 1945 comedy film featuring Fred Allen in his only starring film role. The film was released by United Artists at a time when Allen was at the peak of his fame as one of the most popular radio comedians. The film has bee ...

'' (1945) – Eve Floogle * ''

The Spanish Main ''The Spanish Main'' is a 1945 American adventure film starring Paul Henreid, Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak and Binnie Barnes, and directed by Frank Borzage. It was RKO's first all-Technicolor film since ''Becky Sharp'' ten years before. Cin ...

'' (1945) – Anne Bonney * '' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1945) – Barbara * ''

The Time of Their Lives ''The Time of Their Lives'' is a 1946 American fantasy-comedy film starring the comedic duo Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Barton. Plot In 1780, master tinker Horatio Prim arrives at the Kings Point estate of Tom Danbury. Although ...

'' (1946) – Mildred Dean * '' If Winter Comes'' (1947) – Natalie Bagshaw * ''

The Dude Goes West ''The Dude Goes West'' is a 1948 American comedy western film starring Eddie Albert and Gale Storm. It was directed by Kurt Neumann and released by Monogram Pictures. The film was originally known as ''Tombstone''. Plot Gunsmith and marksman ...

'' (1948) – Kiki Kelly * '' My Own True Love'' (1948) – Geraldine * ''

The Pirates of Capri ''The Pirates of Capri'' ( it, I pirati di Capri), released in the United Kingdom as ''The Masked Pirate'', is a 1949 Italian/American international co-production swashbuckler film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring Louis Hayward. It was filmed ...

'' (1949, aka ''The Masked Pirate'') – Queen Maria Carolina * '' Fugitive Lady'' (1950) – Esther Clementi * '' Shadow of the Eagle'' (1950) – Catherine, Empress of Russia * ''

Decameron Nights ''Decameron Nights'' is a 1953 anthology Technicolor film based on three tales from ''The Decameron'' by Giovanni Boccaccio, specifically the ninth and tenth tales of the second day and the ninth tale of the third. It stars Joan Fontaine and, a ...

'' (1953) – Contessa di Firenze / Nerina the Chambermaid / The Old Witch * '' Malaga'' (1954) – Frisco * '' The Trouble with Angels'' (1966) – Sister Celestine * '' Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows'' (1968) – Sister Celestine * ''

'' (1973) – Maud Ericson

References

External links

* *
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Binnie 1903 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from London American film actresses American television actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) English film actresses British emigrants to the United States English television actresses People from Islington (district) 20th-century English actresses 20th-century British businesspeople