Barbara Bates
Encyclopedia
Barbara Bates was an American
actress best known for her role as Phoebe in the 1950 drama All About Eve
.
. While growing up in Denver, she studied ballet
and worked as a teen fashion model
. The shy teen was persuaded to enter a local beauty contest
and won, receiving two round-trip train tickets to Hollywood, California. Two days before returning to Denver, Bates met Cecil Coan, a United Artists
publicist
, who would ultimately change the course of her life.
after Cecil Coan introduced her to producer Walter Wanger
. Soon after, she was cast as one of the "Seven Salome Girls" in the 1945 drama
, Salome Where She Danced
starring Yvonne De Carlo
. Around this time, she fell in love with Coan, who was married with two sons and two daughters. In March 1945, Coan divorced his wife and secretly married Bates days later. Bates spent the next few years as a stock actress, landing bit parts in movies and doing cheesecake
layouts for magazines like Yank, the Army Weekly
and Life
. It was one of those photo sessions that caught the eye of executives at Warner Bros.
who signed her in 1947. Warner Bros.
highlighted her "girl-next-door" image and her acting career took off. She appeared with some of the biggest stars of the day including Bette Davis
in June Bride
and Danny Kaye
in The Inspector General
.
In 1949, Bates' contract with Warner Bros. was terminated when she refused to go to New York
to promote The Inspector General. Despite being fired by Warner Bros., she quickly signed a contract with 20th Century Fox
later that year. In 1950, she landed her most memorable role in All About Eve. She made a short but important appearance as the devious schemer, Phoebe. Bates' image is enshrined in the film's last scene, posing in front of a three-way mirror, while holding the award won by her idol Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter
). This memorable final scene left critics and audiences intrigued by the young actress.
After her appearance in All About Eve, Bates co-starred in Cheaper by the Dozen
, and its sequel Belles on Their Toes
, with Jeanne Crain
and Myrna Loy
. In 1951, she landed a role opposite MacDonald Carey
and Claudette Colbert
in the comedy Let's Make It Legal
.
sitcom It's a Great Life
, co-starring Frances Bavier
as her mother, Amy Morgan, and James Dunn
as her uncle, Earl Morgan. After seven episodes, she was written out of the show because of her erratic behavior and depression. Bates tried to salvage her career and traveled to England
to find work. She was signed on as a contract player with the Rank Organisation
, only to drop out of two leading roles in one month. Bates continued to be too emotionally unstable to work and in 1957, her contract with the Rank Organisation was canceled. Her last onscreen appearance would come in an episode of The Saint
that aired in November 1962.
In 1960, Bates and her husband moved back to the United States
and got an apartment in Beverly Hills. Later that year, Coan was diagnosed with cancer
. Bates remained devoted to her husband and rarely left his bedside, but the strain was too much for her. She attempted suicide
by slashing her wrists and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she soon recovered.
William Reed. Despite her new marriage and location, Bates remained increasingly despondent and depressed.
On March 18, 1969, just months after her marriage to Reed, Barbara Bates committed suicide in her mother's garage by carbon monoxide
poisoning. She was 43 years old.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress best known for her role as Phoebe in the 1950 drama All About Eve
All About Eve
All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve", by Mary Orr.The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star...
.
Early life
The eldest of three daughters, Bates was born in Denver, ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. While growing up in Denver, she studied ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and worked as a teen fashion model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. The shy teen was persuaded to enter a local beauty contest
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
and won, receiving two round-trip train tickets to Hollywood, California. Two days before returning to Denver, Bates met Cecil Coan, a United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
, who would ultimately change the course of her life.
Career
In September 1944, Bates signed a contract with Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
after Cecil Coan introduced her to producer Walter Wanger
Walter Wanger
Walter Wanger was an American film producer. An intellectual and a socially conscious movie executive who produced provocative message movies and glittering romantic melodramas, Wanger's career began at Paramount Pictures in the 1920s and led him to work at virtually every major studio as either a...
. Soon after, she was cast as one of the "Seven Salome Girls" in the 1945 drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, Salome Where She Danced
Salome Where She Danced
- Cast :*Yvonne De Carlo as Anna Marie*Rod Cameron as Jim Steed*David Bruce as Cleve Blunt*Walter Slezak as Col. Ivan Dimitrioff*Albert Dekker as Count Erik Von Bohlen*Marjorie Rambeau as Madam Europe*J. Edward Bromberg as Prof. Max*Abner Biberman as Dr. Ling...
starring Yvonne De Carlo
Yvonne De Carlo
Yvonne De Carlo was a Canadian-born American actress of film and television. During her six-decade career, her most frequent appearances in film came in the 1940s and 1950s and included her best-known film roles, such as of Anna Marie in Salome Where She Danced ; Anna in Criss Cross ; Sephora the...
. Around this time, she fell in love with Coan, who was married with two sons and two daughters. In March 1945, Coan divorced his wife and secretly married Bates days later. Bates spent the next few years as a stock actress, landing bit parts in movies and doing cheesecake
Pin-up girl
A pin-up girl, also known as a pin-up model, is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, e.g. meant to be "pinned-up" on a wall...
layouts for magazines like Yank, the Army Weekly
Yank, the Army Weekly
Yank, the Army Weekly was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. The idea for the magazine came from Egbert White, who had worked on Stars and Stripes during World War I. He proposed the idea to the Army in early 1942, and accepted a commission as Lieutenant...
and Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
. It was one of those photo sessions that caught the eye of executives at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
who signed her in 1947. Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
highlighted her "girl-next-door" image and her acting career took off. She appeared with some of the biggest stars of the day including Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
in June Bride
June Bride
June Bride is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. Ranald MacDougall's screenplay, based on the unproduced play Feature for June by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer, was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy. The film starred Bette...
and Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
in The Inspector General
The Inspector General (film)
The Inspector General is a 1949 musical comedy film. It stars Danny Kaye and was directed by Henry Koster. The film also stars Walter Slezak, Gene Lockhart, Barbara Bates, Elsa Lanchester, Alan Hale Sr. and Rhys Williams. Original music by Sylvia Fine and Johnny Green.-Premise:The film is loosely...
.
In 1949, Bates' contract with Warner Bros. was terminated when she refused to go to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to promote The Inspector General. Despite being fired by Warner Bros., she quickly signed a contract with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
later that year. In 1950, she landed her most memorable role in All About Eve. She made a short but important appearance as the devious schemer, Phoebe. Bates' image is enshrined in the film's last scene, posing in front of a three-way mirror, while holding the award won by her idol Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter
Anne Baxter
Anne Baxter was an American actress known for her performances in films such as The Magnificent Ambersons , The Razor's Edge , All About Eve and The Ten Commandments .-Early life:...
). This memorable final scene left critics and audiences intrigued by the young actress.
After her appearance in All About Eve, Bates co-starred in Cheaper by the Dozen
Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film)
Cheaper by the Dozen is a 1950 film based upon the 1948 book Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The film and book describe growing up in a family with twelve children in Montclair, New Jersey. It was made in Technicolor with Leon Shamroy as cinematographer...
, and its sequel Belles on Their Toes
Belles on their Toes (film)
Belles on Their Toes is a film based on the eponymous novel, Belles on Their Toes by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The film had its debut in New York City on May 2, 1952. It was directed by Henry Levin. Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron wrote the screenplay...
, with Jeanne Crain
Jeanne Crain
Jeanne Elizabeth Crain was an American actress.-Early life:Crain was born in Barstow, California, to George A. Crain, a school teacher, and Loretta Carr; she was of Irish heritage on her mother's side, and of English and distant French descent on her father's...
and Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy was an American actress. Trained as a dancer, she devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. Originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, her career prospects improved following her portrayal of Nora Charles...
. In 1951, she landed a role opposite MacDonald Carey
Macdonald Carey
Edward Macdonald Carey was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera Days of our Lives...
and Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
in the comedy Let's Make It Legal
Let's Make It Legal
Let's Make It Legal is a 1951 comedy film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed by Richard Sale and produced by Robert Bassler from a screenplay by I.A.L. Diamond and F. Hugh Herbert, based on a story by Mortimer Braus entitled "My Mother-in-Law, Miriam". The music was by Cyril J...
.
Decline
Despite a seemingly successful career, Bates' life, both on and off screen, started unraveling. She became a victim of extreme mood swings, insecurity, ill health, and chronic depression. In 1954, she landed the role of Cathy on the NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom It's a Great Life
It's a Great Life
It's a Great Life is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from 1954 to 1956...
, co-starring Frances Bavier
Frances Bavier
Frances Elizabeth Bavier was an American stage and television actress. Originally from the New York theatre, Bavier worked in film and television from the 1950s...
as her mother, Amy Morgan, and James Dunn
James Dunn (actor)
James Howard Dunn was an American film actor.-Biography:Born in New York City of Irish descent, Dunn was the son of a Wall Street stockbroker who, according to Dunn, "either had a million or nothing." He joined his father in his business for three years...
as her uncle, Earl Morgan. After seven episodes, she was written out of the show because of her erratic behavior and depression. Bates tried to salvage her career and traveled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to find work. She was signed on as a contract player with the Rank Organisation
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
, only to drop out of two leading roles in one month. Bates continued to be too emotionally unstable to work and in 1957, her contract with the Rank Organisation was canceled. Her last onscreen appearance would come in an episode of The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
that aired in November 1962.
In 1960, Bates and her husband moved back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and got an apartment in Beverly Hills. Later that year, Coan was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. Bates remained devoted to her husband and rarely left his bedside, but the strain was too much for her. She attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by slashing her wrists and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital where she soon recovered.
Death
In January 1967, Bates' husband Cecil Coan died of cancer. Devastated by his death, Bates' depression worsened and she again became suicidal. Later that year, she retreated back to Denver and fell out of public view. For a time, Bates worked as a secretary, as a dental assistant, and as a hospital aide. In December 1968 she married for the second time: to a childhood friend, sportscasterSportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
William Reed. Despite her new marriage and location, Bates remained increasingly despondent and depressed.
On March 18, 1969, just months after her marriage to Reed, Barbara Bates committed suicide in her mother's garage by carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
poisoning. She was 43 years old.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Strange Holiday | Peggy Lee Stevenson | Alternative titles: Terror on Main Street The Day After Tomorrow |
| 1945 | Salome Where She Danced | Salmone girl | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Lady On a Train | Hat Check Girl | Uncredited |
| 1945 | This Love of Ours | Mrs. Dailey | Uncredited |
| 1945 | The Crimson Canary | Girl | Uncredited |
| 1946 | A Night in Paradise | Palace Maiden | Uncredited |
| 1947 | The Fabulous Joe | Debbie Terkel | |
| 1947 | The Hal Roach Comedy Carnival | Debbie Terkle, in Fabulous Joe | |
| 1947 | Always Together | Ticket Seller | Uncredited |
| 1948 | April Showers | Secretary | Uncredited |
| 1948 | Romance On the High Seas | Stewardess | Uncredited Alternative title: It's Magic |
| 1948 | Johnny Belinda Johnny Belinda (1948 film) Johnny Belinda is a 1948 American drama film based on the play of the same name by Elmer Blaney Harris. The movie was adapted to the screen by Allen Vincent and Irma von Cube, and directed by Jean Negulesco.... |
Gracie Anderson | Uncredited |
| 1948 | June Bride June Bride June Bride is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. Ranald MacDougall's screenplay, based on the unproduced play Feature for June by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer, was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy. The film starred Bette... |
Jeanne Brinker | |
| 1948 | Adventures of Don Juan Adventures of Don Juan Adventures of Don Juan, known in the United Kingdom as The New Adventures of Don Juan, is a 1948 adventure Technicolor romance film made by Warner Bros... |
Uncredited Alternative title: The New Adventures of Don Juan |
|
| 1949 | One Last Fling | June Payton | |
| 1949 | The House Across the Street | Beth Roberts | |
| 1949 | The Inspector General The Inspector General (film) The Inspector General is a 1949 musical comedy film. It stars Danny Kaye and was directed by Henry Koster. The film also stars Walter Slezak, Gene Lockhart, Barbara Bates, Elsa Lanchester, Alan Hale Sr. and Rhys Williams. Original music by Sylvia Fine and Johnny Green.-Premise:The film is loosely... |
Leza | |
| 1950 | Quicksand Quicksand (1950 film) Quicksand is a United Artists film noir starring Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre in a story about a garage mechanic's descent into crime. The film has been described as "film noir in a teacup..... |
Helen Calder | |
| 1950 | Cheaper by the Dozen Cheaper by the Dozen (1950 film) Cheaper by the Dozen is a 1950 film based upon the 1948 book Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The film and book describe growing up in a family with twelve children in Montclair, New Jersey. It was made in Technicolor with Leon Shamroy as cinematographer... |
Ernestine Gilbreth | |
| 1950 | All About Eve All About Eve All About Eve is a 1950 American drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve", by Mary Orr.The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star... |
Phoebe | |
| 1951 | I'd Climb the Highest Mountain I'd Climb the Highest Mountain I'd Climb the Highest Mountain is a 1951 religious drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Henry King and produced by Lamar Trotti from a screenplay by Henry King and Lamar Trotti based on the novel by Corra Harris... |
Jenny Brock | |
| 1951 | The Secret of Convict Lake The Secret of Convict Lake The Secret of Convict Lake is a 1951 black-and-white western film starring Glenn Ford and Gene Tierney. It was directed by Michael Gordon and produced by Frank P. Rosenberg, with music by Sol Kaplan... |
Barbara Purcell | |
| 1951 | Let's Make It Legal Let's Make It Legal Let's Make It Legal is a 1951 comedy film made by Twentieth Century-Fox, directed by Richard Sale and produced by Robert Bassler from a screenplay by I.A.L. Diamond and F. Hugh Herbert, based on a story by Mortimer Braus entitled "My Mother-in-Law, Miriam". The music was by Cyril J... |
Barbara Denham | |
| 1952 | Belles on Their Toes Belles on their Toes (film) Belles on Their Toes is a film based on the eponymous novel, Belles on Their Toes by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The film had its debut in New York City on May 2, 1952. It was directed by Henry Levin. Henry Ephron and Phoebe Ephron wrote the screenplay... |
Ernestine Gilbreth | |
| 1952 | The Outcasts of Poker Flat | Piney Wilson | |
| 1953 | All Ashore | Jane Stanton | |
| 1953 | The Caddy The Caddy The Caddy is a 1953 American film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It was filmed from November 24, 1952 through February 23, 1953. It was released by Paramount Pictures on August 10, 1953... |
Lisa Anthony | |
| 1953 | The Revlon Mirror Theater | Episode: "Summer Dance" | |
| 1954 | Rhapsody | Effie Cahill | |
| 1954 to 1955 | It's a Great Life It's a Great Life It's a Great Life is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from 1954 to 1956... |
Cathy "Katy" Morgan | 26 episodes |
| 1955 | The Millionaire | Marian Curtis | Episode: "The Uncle Robby Story" |
| 1955 | Studio 57 | Elaine Hilton | Episode: "Night Tune" |
| 1956 | House of Secrets House of Secrets (1956 film) House of Secrets is a 1956 British crime film directed by Guy Green and starring Michael Craig, Anton Diffring and Gérard Oury. It was based on the novel Storm over Paris by Sterling Noel... |
Judy Anderson | Alternative title: Triple Deception |
| 1957 | Town on Trial Town on Trial Town on Trial is a 1957 British mystery film directed by John Guillermin and starring John Mills, Charles Coburn, Barbara Bates and Derek Farr. A whole town comes under suspicion when a series of grisly murders are carried out - particularly members of the local tennis club.-Cast:* Charles Coburn... |
Elizabeth Fenner | |
| 1958 | Apache Territory Apache Territory Apache Territory is a 1958 Western film released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Ray Nazarro and produced by and starring Rory Calhoun. The story is based on the novel Last Stand at Papago Wells by Louis L'Amour.-Plot:... |
Jennifer Fair | |
| 1962 | The Saint The Saint (TV series) The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the... |
Helen Ravenna | Episode: "The Loaded Tourist" |