Peter Baylis (1922 - 2002)

Motion Picture Producer. Produced films including “The Peaceful Years” (1948), starring Emlyn Williams) and “The Finest Hours” (1964), starring Patrick Wymark and Orson Welles. (bio by: David Conway)

Warner Baxter (1889 - 1951)

Actor. He is best remembered for his role of the Cisco Kid in the early talking movie “In Old Arizona,” (1929) which won him an Oscar for Best Actor that same year. It was his only Oscar. He reprised the role twice, for the films “The Cisco Kid” (1931) and “The Return of the Cisco […]

Dr Frank Condie Baxter (1896 - 1982)

Motion picture and television actor. He became the first star of Public Broadcasting Television, when he began hosting a series on Shakespeare’s Plays. He was the host of “The Telephone Bell Hour” (1957-1958), a television series that dealt in science fiction. Among his films are “About Time” (1962), “The Thread of Life” (1960), “The Unchained […]

Harry Baur (1880 - 1943)

Actor. Although he made his film debut in France as early as 1910 (as Shylock in a one-reel version of “The Merchant of Venice”), he did not become a star until the 1930’s, playing Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” (1934), the title characters in “Rothschild” (1933), “Taras Bulba” (1936),  “The Great Love of Beethoven” (1936), […]

Carlo Battisti (1882 - 1977)

Linguist, Actor. He is best remembered for having played the starring role in the film masterpiece of Italian neorealism “Umberto D” (1952) directed by Vittorio De Sica. A professor at University of Florence, he devoted himself to the study of Italian dialectology, toponymy and cartography topography, soon becoming one of the greatest Italian experts. Battisti […]

Rik Battaglia (1927 - 2015)

Italian Actor. Battaglia was discovered in a bar and was introduced to director Mario Soldati who cast him in Carlo Ponti’s ‘La Donna del Fiume’ (1955) with Sophia Loren. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in over 100 films, including several of Sergio Leone’s westerns. He starred alongside several of Hollywood’s leading […]

Guillermo Battaglia (1899 - 1988)

Actor. He participated in 96 movies throughout his long career. (bio by: 380W)

Ralph Bates (1940 - 1991)

Actor. Born in Bristol, England, he was the great grand nephew of Louis Pasteur. He attended the University of Dublin and studied at the Yale Drama School. His first noticeable role was as a critically acclaimed portrayal of Caligula in the BBC production of ‘The Caesars’ in 1968. In 1970, he was chosen by Hammer […]

Granville Bates (1882 - 1940)

Actor. He had roles in 88 motion pictures during his career, including “Woman in the Dark,” “The Plainsman,” “They Won’t Forget,” “Under Suspicion,” “Mannequin,” “Each Dawn I Die,” “Of Mice and Men,” “My Favorite Wife,” and “Flowing Gold.”

Pierre Batcheff (1901 - 1932)

Actor. He appeared in Abel Gance’s “Napoleon” (1927) and Rex Ingram’s “Baroud” (1931), but he is chiefly remembered as the twisted hero of Bunuel’s surrealistic classic “Un Chien Andalou” (1929). He committed suicide at 30. (bio by: Bobb Edwards)

Nikolai Batalov (1899 - 1937)

Actor. Charismatic Soviet star of stage and screen. From 1916 he was a fixture of the Moscow Art Theatre troupe, making a name for himself in its Second Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Chekhov. His greatest triumphs were in the long-running production of Vsevolod Ivanov’s “Armored Train 14-69” (1926) and in the title role […]

Albert Bassermann (1867 - 1952)

Actor. He was born in Mannheim, Germany. Bassermann is best remembered for his role as the diplomat Van Meer in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film “Foreign Correspondent”,  which won him an Oscar nomination. During his long career he also appeared in “Der Letzte Tag” (1913), “Lucrezia Borgia” (1922), “Christoph Columbus” (1923), “Dreyfus” (1930), “Desperate Journey”(1942), “The […]

Emory Bass (1925 - 2015)

Actor. He will be best remembered for originating the role of ‘James Wilson’ in the Broadway play “1776” (1969 to 1972). He repeated the part for the film adaptation of the same title in 1972. He became enthralled with the theater during his early youth and after receiving a degree in Journalism, he embarked on […]

James Baskett (1904 - 1948)

Actor. He is fondly remembered for his portrayal of ‘Uncle Remus’ in the 1946 Walt Disney live action/animated musical film “Song of the South” that was based on the Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris. He studied pharmacology as a young man but gave it up to pursue an acting career. He moved to […]

Wolfe Barzell (1898 - 1969)

Polish-born stage, motion picture, and television actor of the 1930s through the 1960s. Appeared in many classic TV series such as “The Twilight Zone,” “Perry Mason,” and “Green Acres.” Uncle of stage and film producer Emanuel Azenberg. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Bertha Barzell (1902 – 1970)* *Calculated relationship

Andre Baruch (1908 - 1991)

Narrator, announcer, voice actor. His was the familiar voice of the Pathé News newsreels before and after WWII. In a career spanning 60 years, he provided the signature introduction for such radio programs as “The Shadow,” “Your Hit Parade,” and “The Kate Smith Hour.” He did the announcing for the Brooklyn Dodgers for a short […]

Steve Neal Barton (1954 - 2001)

Actor. He is best remembered for the role of Raoul, the dashing romantic lead in both the original London and Broadway productions of “The Phantom of the Opera.” He originated the role in London in 1986 and continued with it when it arrived in New York in 1988. Most of his career was spent in […]

James Barton (1890 - 1962)

Actor. Starting out as a vaudeville and Broadway performer,  he was playing older roles while only in his 40s.  He made his motion pictyre debut in “Captain Hurricane” (1935) and became a regular in Republic B westerns, among them “The Shepherd of the Hills” (1941),  starring John Wayne. His most memorable performances were as Kit […]

Gregg Barton (1912 - 2000)

American Actor. He appeared in “Joan of Arc” (1948), “Massacre River” (1949), “Mule Train” (1950), “Gene Autry and The Mounties” (1951), “Apache Country” (1952), and “The Maverick” (1952). He served in the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII and was awarded the Silver Star during the battle of Iwo Jima.  Inscription:1ST LT Note: WORLD WAR II

Dan Barton (1921 - 2009)

Actor. Born Daniel Burton, he started his career in Chicago in the 1930s, on the radio series “Skippy”. During World War II he was a member of the US Army Special Services, entertaining troops in the European arena. After the war he appeared in the Broadway road stage production of “Mr. Roberts” before settling in […]

Norman H. Bartold (1928 - 1994)

Actor. Best remembered for his role as ‘Brett “Skip” Hollings on the television series, “Mr. Belvedere” from 1987 to 1989. Born in Alameda County, California, Bartold’s other roles include the films, “She’s Working Her Way Through College” (1952), “The Ten Commandments” (1956), “The Littlest Hobo” (1958), “The Busy Body” (1967), “Riot On Sunset Strip” (1967), […]

Michael Bartlett (1901 - 1978)

Actor, Singer. Born Edwin Alonzo Bartlett, in 1924 graduated from Princeton University in New Jersey, where he starred in Triangle Club musicals. He traveled to Italy to study opera and made his professional debut under the name Edoardo Bartelli. He returned to the United States and made his American debut singing the leading role in […]

Freddie Bartholomew (1924 - 1992)

Actor. Born Frederick Llewellyn March, as an infant he was handed into the care of his aunt, Millicent Bartholomew, by his disinterested parents. By the age of three, he had made his film debut, appearing in the British productions ‘Fascination’ in 1930 and ‘Lily Christine’ in 1932. In 1934 he and his aunt traveled to […]

Richard Semler Barthelmess (1895 - 1963)

Actor. He was one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Born in New York City, New York, his father died when he was an infant and his mother was a stage actress. Growing up, he did theater work as a “walk-on” which eventually led to performing in amateur stage […]

Eddie Barth (1931 - 2010)

Actor. Born Edward Bartholetti, he was dubbed “Mr. Gravel” for his distinctive deep, raspy voice. Performing primarily on television, he is best remembered for his role as Detective Myron Fowler on the CBS series “Simon & Simon”,  from 1981 to 1989. He also had regular roles on “Shaft”, “Murder, She Wrote”, “Magnum P.I.”, “Civil Wars”, […]

Harry Bartell (1913 - 2004)

Radio and Television Actor, Announcer. He was one of the most prominent West Coast character actors from the early 1940s until the final end of network radio drama in the 1960s. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he grew up in Houston, Texas where he graduated from high school and from Rice University in 1933. He […]

Yves Barsacq (1931 - 2015)

French Actor. Barsacq was a very prominent actor in French cinema over a sixty year span. He came from the theatrical business with his father being a famous production designer.  Barsacq went into acting first in the cinema and then in television, appearing in such works as “Thierry la Fronde” (1963-1966), “Arsene Lupin” (1973), “Le […]

William Barrymore (1899 - 1979)

Actor. Born Elia Bulakh, he was a successful performer who spent ten years starring in silent Western B movies. His many film credits included “Ridin’ Wild” (1925), “The Range Terror” (1925), “The Pony Express Rider” (1926), “The Border Cavalier” (1927), “Cheyenne Trials” (1928) and “Rawhide Romance” (1934). When motion pictures advanced to the sound era, […]

Maurice Barrymore (1849 - 1905)

Actor. Born Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe at Fort Agra, India, he studied at Harrow and Oxford in England before first appearing on the stage in London in “The London Assurance” in 1872. He made his United States debut in Boston in “Under the Gaslight” in 1875. He married the actress Georgiana Drew, daughter of actors […]

John Sidney Barrymore (1882 - 1942)

Actor. He made his stage debut at the age of 18 in one of his father’s productions, but he really wanted to be an artist. Educated at Kings College, Wimbledon, and New York’s Art Student League, he worked at the New York Evening Journal doing sketches. By 1905, he had given up being an artist […]