- Born
- Died
- Birth nameBarbara French Read
- Nickname
- Barbara Reed
- Barbara Read was born on December 29, 1917 in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada. She was an actress, known for Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), Three Smart Girls (1936) and Married and in Love (1940). She was married to William Talman, Willard Edward Josephy, John Pershing Crawford and William Paul III. She died on December 11, 1963 in Laguna Beach, California, USA.
- SpousesWilliam Talman(May 13, 1952 - September 13, 1961) (divorced, 2 children)Willard Edward Josephy(November 27, 1947 - October 19, 1951) (divorced, 2 children)John Pershing Crawford(November 16, 1942 - 1947) (divorced)William Paul III(September 1936 - November 1936) (divorced)
- ChildrenQuentin Edward JosephyBarbara Barber TalmanWilliam Whitney Talman IIIDamon Read Josephy
- Under contract to Columbia, she was paid but never used for a single picture. She quit in disgust. She was later signed by Universal and was cast as one of the Craig sisters in Three Smart Girls (1936) along with Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey. This was Barbara's first and best remembered film.
- She committed suicide at her Laguna Beach (CA) home when she turned on the gas jets of her stove and sealed the doors and windows. She left a note blaming "ill health".
- Her career was over by the time she married William Talman, of Perry Mason (1957) fame, in 1953. The couple had two children: Barbara ("Barbie") and William III ("Bobo"). The marriage was turbulent as both she and Talman suffered from alcohol problems. They divorced in 1960 with Barbara gaining custody of the children. Talman took over custody a year later when her alcoholism and mental/emotional problems became overbearing.
- Bore a strong likeness to Deanna Durbin.
- Had four children: two sons, Damon Reed Josephy (B. 1948) and Quentin Edward Josephy (b. 1950), with her ex-husband Bill Josephy; two children, a daughter Barbara Barber Talman (b. 1952) and a son William Whitney Talman III (b. 1954), with her ex-husband William Talman.
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