Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had. Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again). Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild. Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled. In 1980 he committed suicide by shooting himself.
144 movies · 84 shows
Back Roads
1981·5.4
Goldie and the Boxer
1979·5.6
Undercover with the KKK
1979·5.2
A Cry for Justice
1979·9.0
Donovan's Kid
1979·7.5
The Crash of Flight 401
1978·6.8
The One Man Jury
1978·5.4
Hooper
1978·6.3
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
1978·6.0
Buckstone County Prison
1978·7.0
The Swarm
1978·5.1
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
1978·7.0
Doctor Dracula
1978·4.2
Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys
1978·9.0
Orca
1977·6.2
From Noon Till Three
1976·5.9
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
1976·4.5
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
1976·8.5
Hustle
1975·5.7
Whiffs
1975·7.3
Boss Nigger
1975·6.7
Blazing Stewardesses
1975·3.3
Starsky & Hutch
1975·6.9
Punch and Jody
1974·9.0
Partners in Crime
1973·5.0
Incident on a Dark Street
1973·5.3
Junior Bonner
1972·6.1
The Eyes of Charles Sand
1972·6.3
Johnny Got His Gun
1971·7.5
One More Train to Rob
1971·5.4
Rio Lobo
1970·6.5
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
1970·6.8
Hunters Are for Killing
1970·6.0
Shalako
1968·5.6
The Shakiest Gun in the West
1968·6.2
Bandolero!
1968·6.6
Fort Utah
1967·4.3
Hostile Guns
1967·5.6
Red Tomahawk
1967·6.8
Alvarez Kelly
1966·6.2
The Magnificent Stranger
1966·7.0
Apache Uprising
1965·6.4
Town Tamer
1965·6.8
Fort Courageous
1965·5.1
War Party
1965·6.3
Convict Stage
1965·6.4
Law of the Lawless
1964·6.5
Iron Angel
1964·7.5
Twilight of Honor
1963·6.5
Walk on the Wild Side
1962·6.6
Buffalo Gun
1961·9.0
Ocean's Eleven
1960·6.4
Walk Like a Dragon
1960·6.3
The Big Operator
1959·6.0
Warlock
1959·6.8
The Last Mile
1959·6.5
Born Reckless
1958·3.9
Frankenstein 1970
1958·5.4
China Doll
1958·6.9
Gun Duel in Durango
1957·5.6
7 Men from Now
1956·6.8
I'll Cry Tomorrow
1955·6.2
The Twinkle In God's Eye
1955·7.5
Jesse James' Women
1954·4.5
Untamed Heiress
1954·6.5
My Outlaw Brother
1951·5.6
Border Rangers
1950·9.0
Train To Tombstone
1950·5.0
Gunfire
1950·7.0
I Shot Billy the Kid
1950·4.5
Red Desert
1949·7.0
Tough Assignment
1949·6.8
Square Dance Jubilee
1949·5.0
The Dalton Gang
1949·5.3
Ringside
1949·5.0
Train to Alcatraz
1948·7.7
Lightnin' in the Forest
1948·4.7
Madonna of the Desert
1948·8.0
Slippy McGee
1948·7.0
That's My Gal
1947·10.0
The Plainsman and the Lady
1946·6.0
The Last Crooked Mile
1946·5.5
The Chicago Kid
1945·10.0
Bells of Rosarita
1945·6.2
My Buddy
1944·9.0
Outlaws of Santa Fe
1944·8.0
The Purple Heart
1944·6.1
California Joe
1943·8.0
Canyon City
1943·8.0
The Man from the Rio Grande
1943·8.0
The West Side Kid
1943·0.0
Black Hills Express
1943·6.5
Fugitive from Sonora
1943·7.0
Days of Old Cheyenne
1943·10.0
Carson City Cyclone
1943·7.0
Dead Man's Gulch
1943·7.0
The Sundown Kid
1942·9.0
The Traitor Within
1942·10.0
Outlaws of Pine Ridge
1942·10.0
The Sombrero Kid
1942·5.0
The Cyclone Kid
1942·5.0
Jesse James, Jr.
1942·5.5
Stagecoach Express
1942·6.3
Arizona Terrors
1942·7.0
Remember Pearl Harbor
1942·7.0
A Missouri Outlaw
1941·7.0
Death Valley Outlaws
1941·9.0
Kansas Cyclone
1941·10.0
Desert Bandit
1941·9.0
The Apache Kid
1941·9.0
Two Gun Sheriff
1941·7.5
The Phantom Cowboy
1941·8.0
Wyoming Wildcat
1941·8.0
Texas Terrors
1940·5.5
Frontier Vengeance
1940·7.0
The Tulsa Kid
1940·6.5
Sailor's Lady
1940·6.5
One Man's Law
1940·10.0
Adventures of Red Ryder
1940·6.7
Ghost Valley Raiders
1940·8.0
Jack Pot
1940·6.7
Days of Jesse James
1939·5.1
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
1939·6.1
Saga of Death Valley
1939·6.7
Calling All Marines
1939·10.0
Wyoming Outlaw
1939·5.8
S.O.S Tidal Wave
1939·6.8
Only Angels Have Wings
1939·7.3
Calling Dr. Kildare
1939·6.6
Panama Patrol
1939·7.5
The Duke of West Point
1938·4.5
Young Dr. Kildare
1938·6.7
The Crowd Roars
1938·7.0
Think It Over
1938·7.3
Sinners in Paradise
1938·5.4
Saleslady
1938·8.0
Navy Blue and Gold
1937·5.8
Dead End
1937·7.1
The Woman I Love
1937·7.0
When's Your Birthday?
1937·5.5
Beloved Enemy
1936·6.3
Night Waitress
1936·6.4
Bridal Bail
1934·3.0
Flying Down to Rio
1933·6.3