Joanna Barnes

Joanna Barnes was an American actress and writer who grew up in Hingham, Massachusetts, and turned to acting after graduating from Smith College in 1956, when research for a magazine article about moviemaking led her to change careers. She moved to Los Angeles, signed with Columbia Pictures, and appeared in more than 20 films. Her role as the snooty Gloria Upson in Auntie Mame (1958) brought a Golden Globe nomination as New Star of the Year. She played Jane in Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959), appeared in Spartacus (1960), and was gold-digger Vicki Robinson in The Parent Trap (1961), returning as Vicki Blake in the 1998 remake. Her other films included The War Wagon (1967). On television she guest-starred in many series and hosted the daytime talk program Dateline: Hollywood in 1967. Barnes also wrote novels, among them The Deceivers (1970) and Silverwood (1985), and a book on home decorating.