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Barbra Fuller
Barbra Fuller
Barbra Fuller
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Barbra Fuller (born Barbara Deane Fuller; July 31, 1921 – May 14, 2024) was an American actress.

Key Information

Career

[edit]

Fuller signed a contract with Republic Pictures in 1949.[1] Her father Ralph Fuller died when she was three years old. She had worked in radio shows since the 1930s.[2] She appeared frequently in B-movies and television series in the 1950s. She changed her hair color frequently for film roles. Its hue varied from platinum to brunette in her four movies released by Republic Pictures in 1950. She returned to blonde as Laurel Vernon in Lonely Heart Bandits (1950).[3] Her first screen credit is for The Red Menace (1949). This was followed by roles in Flame of Youth (1949) and Crosswinds (1951). In The Red Menace she played "Mollie O'Flaherty", a character used by the Communist Party as bait. In City of Bad Men (1953), a Western adventure, she played a minor character. Afterward, she was mostly involved in television work. Her last parts as a movie actress came in How Sweet It Is! (1968) and The Roommates (1973).

Radio

[edit]

Fuller acted in a number of soap operas.[4] She played Claudia in One Man's Family, winner of the prestigious Peabody Award[5] and arguably the first soap opera having begun in 1932 and running three decades.[6] She did her first radio work in Chicago between the ages of 9 and 11.[7] By age 18 she had appeared in 25 radio serials.[6] Fuller was heard in Whispering Streets, The Guiding Light, Ma Perkins, Today's Children,[4] Scattergood Baines, Madame Courageous, Road of Life, and Stepmother.[7]

Television

[edit]

Fuller's television performances are numerous, beginning with a 1953 episode of Adventures of Superman. Other series in which she participated include Four Star Playhouse (1955–1956), Ford Television Theater (1957), Trackdown (1958), State Trooper (1958), Colgate Theatre (1958), My Three Sons (1960), Perry Mason (1960, 1964), and Daniel Boone (1970).

Personal life

[edit]

Barbara Deane Fuller was born in Nahant, Massachusetts, on July 31, 1921.[8][7] She married Western motion picture star Lash LaRue on February 23, 1951, in Yuma, Arizona. They had a godson, child actor J.P. Sloane[9] and later author, television commentator, and Dr. J.P. Sloane. The couple divorced on June 2, 1952.[10]

Fuller died on the morning of May 14, 2024, at the age of 102.[11]

References

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Sources

[edit]
  • "Broadway Comedienne Joins Hope Picture". Los Angeles Times. June 3, 1949. p. B7.
  • "'Red Menace' Deals Strong Blow To Communistic Idea". Los Angeles Times. June 10, 1949. p. B6.
[edit]
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Barbra Fuller

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''Barbra Fuller'' (July 31, 1921 – May 15, 2024) was an American actress known for her 14-year portrayal of Claudia Barbour on the pioneering NBC radio soap opera ''One Man's Family'' (1945–1959), her contract work in B-movies at Republic Pictures during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and her numerous guest appearances on early television series. Born Barbara Deane Fuller in Nahant, Massachusetts, she began performing on radio as a child in Chicago following her father's death when she was three years old. By age 18, she had appeared in 25 radio serials and voiced over 1,000 characters, establishing herself as one of the medium's most versatile and recognizable performers. She later changed the spelling of her first name to Barbra as a career attention-getter. Fuller relocated to California in 1945, where she joined the cast of ''One Man's Family'' and played the role until the series concluded in 1959. In 1949, Fuller signed a one-year contract with Republic Pictures and appeared in 13 feature films, including ''The Red Menace'' (1949), ''Alias the Champ'' (1949), ''Harbor of Missing Men'' (1950), and ''Tarnished'' (1950), often in crime dramas, film noir, and Westerns. After her film contract ended, she transitioned primarily to television, guest-starring in episodes of series such as ''Adventures of Superman'', ''Four Star Playhouse'', ''Perry Mason'', ''Lassie'', and ''Daniel Boone'' through the 1950s and 1960s. She was briefly married to Western actor Lash LaRue from February 1951 to June 1952.

Early life

Birth and family background

Barbra Fuller, born Barbara Deane Fuller on July 31, 1921, in Nahant, Massachusetts, grew up in the aftermath of early family loss. Her father died when she was three years old, after which she was raised by her mother. Following her father's death, Fuller and her mother relocated first to St. Petersburg, Florida, and later to Chicago, where her mother worked at a radio station. No further details about siblings, extended family, or her family's socioeconomic circumstances in Nahant are documented in available sources. The family moved several times during her childhood before any involvement in entertainment.

Education and early interests

Barbra Fuller developed an early interest in performing through her involvement in radio in Chicago following her family's relocation there. Her mother worked at a radio station in the city, which provided the connection for Fuller to secure her first role opposite comedian George Gobel on a children's program. She continued with numerous roles in soap operas throughout her youth in Chicago, demonstrating a growing passion for the medium that would shape her future career. No detailed records of her formal education are documented in available sources, with her early years marked primarily by these formative radio experiences rather than specified schooling or additional training. These childhood opportunities in radio laid the groundwork for her eventual move toward professional acting.

Acting career

Entry into acting and early roles

Barbra Fuller began her acting career in radio during her childhood and teenage years in Chicago. She made her first radio broadcast at the age of 11 and by age 13 was portraying ingénue roles in soap operas more frequently than any other teenager. By age 18, she had appeared in 25 radio serials and claimed to have portrayed more than 1,000 different characters, earning early pay of $12.50 per broadcast. Her radio work included regular performances on series such as Scattergood Baines for the Mutual Broadcasting System and as part of repertory companies like The Theater of Famous Radio Players. In 1942, Fuller relocated to New York and continued her radio career there for several years. She moved to California in 1945 and, with a recommendation from actress Mercedes McCambridge, won the role of Claudia Barbour on the long-running NBC radio soap opera One Man's Family, a part she played from 1945 until the series ended in 1959. Eager to transition to screen acting, Fuller signed a one-year contract with Republic Pictures in 1949. Her feature film debut came that year in The Red Menace, an anti-communist noir. She followed with roles in Flame of Youth (1949), where she received star billing, and Alias the Champ (1949). During her contract year with Republic, she appeared in 13 films, primarily B-pictures that marked her initial entry into Hollywood screen work.

Film roles in the 1950s

Barbra Fuller continued her screen career into the 1950s with a series of supporting and featured roles in low-budget Republic Pictures productions, primarily in the early part of the decade. These films, typical of the studio's output, included westerns, crime dramas, and action pictures where she often appeared alongside recurring co-stars such as Robert Rockwell in several projects. In 1950 alone, Fuller had prominent roles in multiple releases, including Rock Island Trail as Annabelle Marsh, Tarnished as Nina, Lonely Heart Bandits as Laurel Vernon, Women From Headquarters as Ruby, Unmasked as Linda Jackson, and The Savage Horde as Louise Cole. These performances showcased her versatility in genre fare, though the films themselves were modest programmers with limited theatrical reach. Her film activity tapered off after the early 1950s, with one later credit in City of Bad Men (1953), where she appeared in a supporting capacity. Following this, Fuller largely shifted her focus to television guest spots and her long-running radio work, marking a gradual transition away from feature films during the remainder of the decade.

Television appearances

Barbra Fuller transitioned to television in the early 1950s after her contract with Republic Pictures concluded, appearing primarily as a guest star in anthology series, crime dramas, westerns, and other episodic formats popular during the live television era. Her television credits began with two episodes of Front Page Detective in 1951, playing Fran Bishop and Joyce Sinclair, followed by a notable guest role in the Adventures of Superman episode "Crime Wave" (1953), in which she portrayed a woman allied with the criminal mastermind who films Clark Kent transforming into Superman. During 1955, Fuller appeared in Medic as a nurse, The Lineup, and twice on the anthology Four Star Playhouse, including an installment opposite Charles Boyer. She continued with guest spots on The Millionaire (1956) as Milly Carter and The Ford Television Theatre (1957) as Sandra Mitchell, then appeared in several 1958 episodes including an uncredited supporting role on The Jack Benny Program, Colgate Theatre as Mrs. Phillips, State Trooper as Lois Brinkman, and Trackdown as Mrs. Phillips in the episode that served as the pilot for Wanted: Dead or Alive. Fuller made additional guest appearances later in her career on World of Giants (1959), My Three Sons (1960) as Mrs. Phelps, U.S. Marshal (1960) as Meg O'Flynn, two episodes of Perry Mason (1960–1964) as a maid and Joan Leonard, Lassie (1965) as a fire lookout, and Daniel Boone (1970) as Woman. She never held a regular or recurring television role, instead sustaining a freelance career through one-off guest performances across multiple decades.

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Barbra Fuller married Western film actor Lash LaRue in February 1951 in Yuma, Arizona. The union was brief; the couple separated by November 1951 and divorced in June 1952. No other marriages or significant romantic relationships are documented in available sources. She had no children, and her sole immediate survivor upon her death was her godson J.P. Sloane.

Life outside acting

In her later years, Barbra Fuller resided in the Los Angeles area. She shared a close relationship with her godson J.P. Sloane, who affectionately referred to her as "Aunt" Barbra.

Later years

Retirement from acting

Barbra Fuller continued acting beyond her primary period of film work in the late 1940s and early 1950s, transitioning to guest appearances on television series during the subsequent decades. Her credits included roles in anthology and drama programs such as Four Star Playhouse in 1955–1956, The Millionaire in 1956, Perry Mason between 1960 and 1964, Lassie in 1965, and Daniel Boone in 1970. Her final on-screen performance came in 1973 with a supporting role as Sylvia in the film The Roommates. No further acting credits are recorded after this appearance. Fuller is described as a retired actress following the conclusion of her career, which spanned radio, film, and television over more than three decades. No public statements or interviews specify reasons for her withdrawal from acting.

Longevity and final decades

Barbra Fuller enjoyed remarkable longevity, reaching the age of 102 and surviving well into the 21st century. Born on July 31, 1921, she became a centenarian in 2021 and continued living actively into her 103rd year before her death in 2024. In her final decades, Fuller resided in Woodland Hills, California, where she maintained a private life following her retirement from acting. Her godson, J.P. Sloane, who served as her primary family connection and sole immediate survivor, remembered her fondly, stating that she "had a full life" and expressing gratitude for the time they shared. No public interviews or significant mentions of her career from her later years are widely documented, reflecting her preference for a quiet existence after leaving the entertainment industry.

Death

Passing in 2024

Barbra Fuller died on May 15, 2024, at the age of 102 in Woodland Hills, California. Her godson, J.P. Sloane, announced her passing the same day in a Facebook post, writing that "Today (May 15, 2024) my godmother, Barbra Fuller, passed away." Sloane described her as having "had a full life and would have turned 103 on July 29 this year," adding that he was "truly blessed to have had her for so long" and that "she will always be loved and truly missed." The announcement reflected her advanced age and the close familial bond she shared with Sloane.

Tributes and memorials

Following Barbra Fuller's death on May 15, 2024, at age 102, her godson J.P. Sloane announced her passing on Facebook, describing her as having led a full life and noting she would have turned 103 on July 29 of that year. Sloane expressed personal affection, stating he was "truly blessed to have had her for so long" and that "she will always be loved and truly missed." Media coverage of her death highlighted incoming tributes, with reports indicating that "loving tributes" poured in for the longtime radio and screen actress. Similar accounts described loved ones paying tribute following the announcement of her passing. No public details emerged regarding formal memorial services, funerals, or statements from former co-stars or industry organizations.

Selected credits

Key film appearances

Barbra Fuller's most notable film work was during her 1949-1950 contract with Republic Pictures (detailed in the lead section). After the contract ended, her film appearances were limited. She had an uncredited role as Mrs. Adler in the Western City of Bad Men (1953) and appeared as Sylvia in The Roommates (1973).

Notable television roles

Barbra Fuller made frequent guest appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s, primarily in anthology series, crime dramas, and family-oriented programs. Her television work began in 1951 with two episodes of the detective anthology Front Page Detective, where she portrayed Fran Bishop and Joyce Sinclair. In 1953, Fuller guest-starred in the iconic series Adventures of Superman, appearing as Sally in the episode "Crime Wave." This role came amid her shift from film to freelance television work. She continued with guest spots on various series, including two episodes of Four Star Playhouse in 1955–1956 as Joan Webb and Jenny, one episode of The Millionaire in 1956 as Milly Carter, and one episode of The Ford Television Theatre in 1957 as Sandra Mitchell. Other credits from the period include single episodes of Trackdown (1958, as Mrs. Phillips), State Trooper (1958, as Lois Brinkman), and Colgate Theatre (1958, as Mrs. Phillips). Fuller also appeared in Perry Mason twice, playing a maid in a 1960 episode and Joan Leonard in a 1964 episode. Later guest roles included a 1965 episode of Lassie as a fire lookout and a 1970 episode of Daniel Boone as a woman.

Other media work

Barbra Fuller had a prolific early career in radio, beginning her broadcasting work at age 11 in Chicago. By age 18, she had appeared in 25 radio serials and portrayed more than 1000 different characters by her own count, establishing herself as one of the most active young performers in soap operas and dramatic programming. She was a regular on The Theater of Famous Radio Players, a repertory series featuring radio's top professional actors. Her longest-running and most prominent radio role was as Claudia Barbour on the NBC soap opera One Man's Family, which she played from 1945 to 1959. Fuller described Claudia, one of the Barbour family's children and a mother herself, as "a good girl with interesting qualities" and called the part "fun." In addition to One Man's Family, she held continuing roles in other series including Scattergood Baines as Barbara Calkins, His Honor the Barber as Susan, Stepmother as Peggy Fairchild, and The Road of Life as Marion Baxter and Verna Roberts. She also appeared on programs such as The Cavalcade of America, The Lux Radio Theatre, Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator, Family Theater, and various Red Cross-sponsored series. No verified stage, theater, or commercial work outside radio is documented in available sources.
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