Barry Sullivan American film actor Date of Birth: 29.08.1912 Country: USA

Barry Sullivan - Biography of an American Actor

Barry Sullivan was an American film actor who appeared in over 100 films during his 50-year career. He was born in New York and discovered his passion for acting while in college. As the Great Depression came to an end, Sullivan was advised by acquaintances that his height of 6 feet 3 inches (approximately 1.9 meters) could earn him good money on Broadway simply by standing on stage. He decided to follow their advice, and thus began his acting career.

One of Sullivan's most memorable roles was as a film director in 'The Bad and the Beautiful' alongside Kirk Douglas. He also traveled extensively with Bette Davis and her theatrical reading tour. In 1951, Davis and Sullivan even acted together in the film 'Payment on Demand'. The year before, Sullivan almost landed a regular role in the radio series 'The Saint' on NBC, as a replacement for Vincent Price. Unfortunately, Sullivan only worked on two episodes before the program was canceled. It returned to the airwaves five weeks later, but Vincent Price was back in the lead role.

Sullivan's first major television role came in 1956 in the television adaptation of another popular radio series, 'The Man Called X'. The show aired on Ziv Television for a year, and Sullivan played secret agent Ken Thurston, a role originally portrayed by Herbert Marshall in the radio version. The following year, Sullivan was cast as the lead in the adventure series 'Harbormaster', working alongside Jeff Kittridge. In 1960, Sullivan portrayed Sheriff Pat Garrett, who faced off against the outlaw Billy the Kid, played by Clu Gulager, in the television series 'The Tall Man'. The show had a total of 75 half-hour episodes, but the final episode, where Garrett finally kills the Kid, was never filmed. Sullivan later made a cameo appearance in 'Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid', although the scene with him was not included in the final version and was restored much later.

In 1976, Barry Sullivan landed a role in the miniseries 'Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'. Of course, Sullivan did not only play leading roles. He was often utilized as a guest star in shows such as 'The DuPont Show with June Allyson', 'The Reporter', 'The Love Boat', 'Little House on the Prairie', and 'McMillan & Wife'. Sullivan was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one at 1500 Vine Street for his achievements in television and another at 6160 Hollywood Boulevard for his contribution to the film industry.

Sullivan was always an active member of the Democratic Party and tirelessly fought for the rights of the intellectually disabled, as his son John suffered from such a condition. He had three children in total, including John and two daughters, Jenny and Patricia. Sullivan was married three times, and all three marriages ended in divorce. His first wife, Broadway actress Marie Brown, gave him two children, while his second wife, model and actress Gita Hall, gave birth to their daughter Patricia. His third marriage to Desiree Sumara did not result in any children.

Barry Sullivan passed away on June 6, 1994, in Sherman Oaks, California, due to respiratory failure.