Barbara Payton

Biography

Barbara Payton was an American film actress who moved from modeling into movies in the late 1940s. Born in Cloquet, Minnesota, she drew her first attention with the 1949 film noir Trapped, playing opposite Lloyd Bridges. She tested for John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle but lost the part to Marilyn Monroe. After testing for James Cagney and his producer brother William, she starred with Cagney in the noir thriller Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950) and held her own among veteran players. Newspaper reviews praised her as a hardened, seductive girlfriend, and the film stood as the high point of her career. Westerns with Gary Cooper, Dallas (1950), and Gregory Peck, Only the Valiant (1951), did little to showcase her, and her decline began with the low-budget horror movie Bride of the Gorilla (1951), in which she appeared with Raymond Burr.

39years old at death

Born November 16, 1927Cloquet
Died May 8, 1967San Diego
Star sign: ScorpioThe sign runs October 23 to November 21
Also credited as Barbara Lee Redfield and Barbara Lee Payton

Movie Career

Films: 10
Career span: 14 years1949 to 1963

Genres

Western40%, 4 films
Crime30%, 3 films
Thriller20%, 2 films
Adventure10%, 1 film
Comedy10%, 1 film

First and latest

Photos

Did you know?!

A role that slipped away
In 1950, Payton made a screen test for John Huston's MGM crime drama The Asphalt Jungle, for the part of a mob-connected lawyer's sultry mistress, which eventually went to Marilyn Monroe.

Barbara Payton movies on Netflix

4 for Texas1963IMDb rating 5.5as Town citizen
Murder Is My Beat1955IMDb rating 6.0as Eden Lane
Four Sided Triangle1953IMDb rating 5.9as Lena / Helen
The Flanagan Boy1953IMDb rating 5.8as Lorna Vecchi
Bride of the Gorilla1951IMDb rating 4.4as Dina Van Gleder
Drums in the Deep South1951IMDb rating 5.8as Kathy Summers
Only the Valiant1951IMDb rating 6.5as Cathy Eversham
Dallas1950IMDb rating 6.2as Flo
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950IMDb rating 7.1as Holiday Carleton
Trapped1949IMDb rating 6.4as Meg Dixon

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

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Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950 Crime, Thrilleras Holiday Carleton
IMDb rating 7.12.9K votes
Trapped1949 Crime, Thrilleras Meg Dixon
IMDb rating 6.42.1K votes
Only the Valiant1951as Cathy Eversham
IMDb rating 6.52.1K votes
4 for Texas1963as Town citizen
IMDb rating 5.53.9K votes
Bride of the Gorilla1951as Dina Van Gleder
IMDb rating 4.41.6K votes
Four Sided Triangle1953as Lena / Helen
IMDb rating 5.91.1K votes
The Flanagan Boy1953as Lorna Vecchi
IMDb rating 5.8726 votes
Murder Is My Beat1955as Eden Lane
IMDb rating 6.0940 votes

Most often with

Gordon Douglas directed two of these films. Seven actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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Ward Bond

Lon Chaney Jr.

Barton MacLane

Steve Brodie

Herbert Heyes

Dan Riss

Gordon DouglasDirector, 2 films

Films together

Ward Bond2 films together, 1950 to 1951
Ward Bond's page
- Only the Valiant1951IMDb rating 6.5Payton as Cathy EvershamBond as Cpl. Timothy Gilchrist
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950IMDb rating 7.1Payton as Holiday CarletonBond as Inspector Charles Weber
Lon Chaney Jr.2 films together, 1951
Lon Chaney Jr.'s page
- Bride of the Gorilla1951IMDb rating 4.4Payton as Dina Van GlederChaney as Commissioner Taro
- Only the Valiant1951IMDb rating 6.5Payton as Cathy EvershamChaney as Trooper Kebussyan
Barton MacLane2 films together, 1950 to 1951
Barton MacLane's page
- Drums in the Deep South1951IMDb rating 5.8Payton as Kathy SummersMacLane as Sgt. Mac McCardle
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950IMDb rating 7.1Payton as Holiday CarletonMacLane as Lieutenant John Reece
Steve Brodie2 films together, 1950 to 1951
Steve Brodie's page
- Only the Valiant1951IMDb rating 6.5Payton as Cathy EvershamBrodie as Trooper Onstot
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950IMDb rating 7.1Payton as Holiday CarletonBrodie as Joe 'Jinx' Raynor
Herbert Heyes2 films together, 1950 to 1951
Herbert Heyes's page
- Only the Valiant1951IMDb rating 6.5Payton as Cathy EvershamHeyes as Col. Drumm
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950IMDb rating 7.1Payton as Holiday CarletonHeyes as Ezra Dobson
Dan Riss2 films together, 1950 to 1951
Dan Riss's page
- Only the Valiant1951IMDb rating 6.5Payton as Cathy EvershamRiss as Lt. Jerry Winters
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950IMDb rating 7.1Payton as Holiday CarletonRiss as District Attorney
Gordon DouglasDirector, 2 films, 1950 to 1951
All films by Gordon Douglas
- Only the Valiant1951IMDb rating 6.5Payton as Cathy Eversham
- Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye1950IMDb rating 7.1Payton as Holiday Carleton
Also two films together1 more actor
- Robert KarnesKiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950) and Trapped (1949)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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