Barry Sullivan (August 29, 1912 – June 6, 1994) was an American movie actor who appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s.
Born in New York City, the seventh son of a seventh son, Sullivan fell into acting when in college playing semi-pro football. During the later depression years, Sullivan was told that because of his 6'3" stature and rugged good looks he could "make money" simply standing on a Broadway stage. This began an extremely successful career on Broadway culminating in his 1954 portrayal of Captain Queeg in " The Caine Mutiny Court- Martial."
One of Sullivan's most memorable roles was playing a movie director in The Bad and the Beautiful opposite Kirk Douglas. Sullivan starred in movies with Joan Crawford, Loretta Young and most of the forties and fifties leading ladies. Sullivan toured the U.S with Bette Davis in theatrical readings of the poetry of Carl Sandberg
In 1950, Sullivan took over the role of Leslie Charteris' Simon Templar from Vincent Price on The Saint NBC Radio show. Unfortunately, Sullivan only lasted two episodes before the show was cancelled, and then resurrected five weeks later with Vincent Price once again playing the starring role.
In 1960 Sullivan played frontier sheriff Pat Garrett opposite Clu Gulager as outlaw Billy the Kid in the western television series The Tall Man (although the series ran for 75 episodes, the one in which Garrett kills Billy was never filmed). He also cameoed in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) as John Chisum, but his scene was excised from the release print (though later restored to the film). He had a featured role in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man Book II. Sullivan starred in three t.v. series "Harbor Master" " The Tall Man" and "The Road West."
Sullivan guest starred in t.v. series ranging from "The Love Boat" "Little House on the Prairie" to" McMillian and Wife." Sullivan also starred in many Hallmark Hall of Fame specials including a highly acclaimed production of "The Price" opposite George C. Scott. Sullivan was consistently in demand for the entirety of his career. His acting career spanned romantic leading man roles to villians and finally to character roles.
In his later years, Sullivan had roles in the movies "Oh God" with George Burns and "Earthquake" where he shared scenes with Ava Gardner.
Sullivan has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 1500 Vine St. for his work in television, and another at 6160 Hollywood Blvd for motion pictures.
His daughter Jenny Sullivan wrote the play J for J (Journals for John) after she found a packet of unsent letters (in 1995) written by Barry decades earlier to her older brother, Johnny, who was mentally disabled. The play premiered on October 20, 2001. John Ritter, who in real life had a handicapped brother, played Johnny, Jenny played herself, and actor Jeff Kober portrayed Barry.
Sullivan was a democratic party activist and a tireless advocate for the mentally diabled. Jenny Sullivan was an actress, appearing in many movies and television shows. Jenny is now a theater director. Sullivan's youngest daughter, Patricia, nick-named " Patsy", was 12 years old when signed to a cosmetic company contract and was a cover girl. She later married songwriter, Jimmy Webb. Jenny married musician " Jimmy Messina." Both daughters marriages ended in divorce.
Sullivan was married and divorced three times, Marie Brown, a Broadway actress was mother to both Jenny and John Sullivan. Gita Hall, model and actress, mother of Patricia. His third marriage to Desiree Sumara was childless.
Thomas Barry Sullivan (5 July 1821 - 3 May 1891), was an acclaimed stage actor of the late nineteenth century, who played many classical parts in England, Australia and America. He was christened Thomas Sullivan, son of Peter Sullivan and his wife, Mary Barry, was born at Howard's Place, Birmingham. Both his parents were Irish.
When he was about eight years old his father and mother died, and he was then put in the care of his paternal grandfather at Bristol. He was educated first at the school attached to the Catholic church in Trenchard-street and then at the Stokes Croft Endowed school. At 14 he entered a lawyer's office, but, seeing William Macready in 'Macbeth' and other parts, was so impressed that he decided to become an actor. In 1837 he joined a strolling company and at Cork was given an engagement at 15s. a week as a regular member of a stock company. By 1840 he was playing important parts, and having a good light tenor voice, occasionally sang in opera. But his ambition was to become a tragedian. In November of that year he obtained an engagement with Murray's stock company at Edinburgh, at a salary of 30 shillings a week, on the understanding that he was to play "second heavy" parts. He married on 4 July 1842 Mary Amory, daughter of a lieutenant in the army, and they had two sons and three daughters.
He soon began to play leading roles and in 1844, supporting Helen Faucit in The Merchant of Venice, he took the part of Antonio, and was Petruchio to her Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew. He then went to Glasgow where he met and played with Gustavus Vaughan Brooke, and during the next seven years had engagements throughout the provinces in Scotland and England. His reputation was growing, and on 7 February 1852 he made a successful first appearance at the Haymarket Theatre, London, as 'Hamlet'. He was also successful as Angiolo in Miss Vandenhoff's Woman's Heart, Evelyn in Lord Lytton's Money and Hardman in Lytton's Not so Bad as we Seem. He was now established as a leading actor and during the next eight years played principal parts in most of the plays of the period including Claude Melnotte in The Lady of Lyons with Helen Faucit as Pauline, and Valence in Browning's 'Colombe's Birthday' with Miss Faucit in the part of Colombe.
Towards the end of 1858 he went to America, and opened in New York on 22 November in Hamlet, followed by several others of Shakespeare's plays. Successful seasons were played at the leading cities in the United States and Sullivan returned to England 18 months later. In August 1860 at the St James' Theatre, London, he played on alternate nights, Hamlet, Richelieu, Macbeth, and Richard III, three performances being given of each play.
In 1862 he sailed for Australia and was to stay for six years, as actor and manager. He made his first appearance at Melbourne on 9 August 1862.
There has probably never been at any other period so high a standard of acting as was to be seen in Australia between 1860 and 1870. G.V. Brooke was usually at his best in Australia, Joseph Jefferson was at the height of his powers and had not begun to restrict the range of his characters, and Sullivan had the advantage he sometimes lacked in later years in England, of always having excellent support from his companies. He was four years in Australia, most of the time at Melbourne, and his parts included Hamlet, Othello, Iago, Richard III, Macbeth, Shylock, Lear, Falstaff, Falconbridge, Charles Surface, Claude Melnotte, and Richelieu. He became established as a public favourite, and with the other great actors mentioned set a standard that was long an inspiration to later actors and managers.
He completed a trip round the world in 1866, arriving in London early in September. From 1868 to 1870 he managed the Holborn theatre, where Beverley in The Gamester was one of his most powerful impersonations.
In the following 20 years he was constantly playing in London, the provinces and in the United States. When the memorial theatre at Stratford-on-Avon was opened, Sullivan was selected to play Benedick and Helen Faucit emerged from her retirement to play Beatrice. On the following evening Sullivan appeared as Hamlet. On 4 June 1887 while at Liverpool he made his last appearance on the stage, his part being Richard III. His health had been uncertain for some time and in the following year he had a stroke of paralysis. He was so ill in August 1888 that the last rites of his church were administered, but he lingered for another two and a half years. His wife survived him
Sullivan was five feet nine inches high and well formed. For a long period he was one of the finest and most finished actors of his period, though at times inclined to err on the robust side. He had had immense experience, and was steeped in the traditions of the stage, but never hesitated to make an innovation if he thought it was warranted. In latter years he developed some mannerisms, but he never lost his popularity. In private life he lived somewhat austerely, and amassed a competence.
The character actor Barry Sullivan, the star of scores of movies and over one-hundred TV shows, was born on August 29, in 1912 New York City. While never a star, he was one of those elite of supporting actors who are still in demand until the day they decide to retire. Sullivan was a theater usher and department store employee at the time he made his first Broadway appearance in January 1936, in "I Want a Policeman" at the Lyceum Theatre, which lasted only 47 performances. Other plays he appeared in on the Great White Way were the drama "St. Helena" (Oct 1936) and the 1938 comedies "All That Glitters" and "Eye On the Sparrow." All three plays were flops. He finally appeared in a hit play when he transferred into the role of Bert Jefferson in "The Man Who Came to Dinner," by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. In the 1941-42 season, he appeared in three more flops: "Mr. Big," "Ring Around Elizabeth," and "Johnny 2 X 4." Wisely, he stayed away from Broadway for a decade, when he again transferred into a hit, taking over the role of Barney Greenwald from Henry Fonda in "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial." (He was nominated for a Best Actor - Single Performance Emmy Award in 1955 when he assayed the role in the play's television broadcast on the "Ford Star Jubilee.") His last appearance on Broadway, in the original "Too Late the Phalarope" in 1956, was -- true to his performance form -- a flop. In the late 1930s, Sullivan gained movie acting experience in two-reel comedies produced by the Manhattan-based Educational Studios. After giving up on his Broadway career, Sullivan made his "official" film debut in a 1943 western "Woman of the Town." Sullivan never caught on as a lead, but excelled at supporting roles in which he could play tough, aggressive characters. His most notable roles were as the eponymous "The Gangster" (1947) (one of his leads), his Tom Buchanan in the Alan Ladd vehicle "The Great Gatsby" (1949), and his movie director in "The Bad and the Beautiful." He continued acting in the movies until 1977, rounding off a near 40-year movie career with an appearance in "Oh God." He continued to appear on television until 1980, though he had one last role in 1987. Barry Sullivan died of a respiratory ailment on June 6, 1994 in Sherman Oaks, California. He was 81 years old.
