Gene Barry, an actor known for his portrayal of charismatic lawmen on television, as well as roles in feature films and the Broadway stage, died December 9, 2009, at an assisted-living facility in Woodland Hills, California. He was 90.
On television, Barry garnered acclaim for the title role of the series Bat Masterson, which aired from 1958 to 1961. Something of a dandy, the character wore a derby hat, gilt-tipped cane and spangled vest.
In the series Burke’s Law, which aired from 1963 to 66, Barry starred as Amos Burke, a cavalier Los Angeles police captain whose vast wealth afforded him a tony lifestyle that included a mansion and a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce. In the show’s final season, it underwent a narrative overhaul and was renamed Amos Burke, Secret Agent, reflecting its protagonist’s new profession.
Barry also starred as one of the rotating leads in the TV drama The Name of the Game, which ran from 1968 to 1971, and was the lead in another series. He also starred as a wealthy movie celebrity and secret government agent in The Adventurer, on the air from 1972 to 1973.
In the 1980s, Barry became a successful stage performer as one of the leads in the popular Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles. He earned a Tony nomination for his performance as the less flamboyant half of a devoted gay couple.
He was born Eugene Klass on June 14, 1919, in New York City. As a student at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, he won a singing contest and a scholarship to the Chatham Square School of Music. While studying there, he began singing on the New York radio station WHN.
He went on to perform in the Catskills Mountains, and moved on to Manhattan clubs and, eventually, Broadway.
He made his motion picture debut when producer Mike Todd hired him to appear opposite Mae West in the 1944 production Catherine Was Great. He met his wife, Betty, who acted under the name Julie Carson, during rehearsals.
In 1951 he signed a Hollywood contract, and two years later appeared in what is widely regarded as his most popular role, as Dr. Clayton Forrester, in the science fiction drama War of the Worlds, based on the novel by H. G. Wells. More than 40 years later, in the remake of the film, directed by Steven Spielberg, Barry appeared as the ex-father-in-law of the protagonist, played by Tom Cruise.
Barry appeared in more than 20 feature films over the years, and was even more prolific in television. From the 1950s through the 1980s, he appeared in numerous television specials and series, including Playhouse 90, General Electric Theater, The Twilight Zone, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Charlie’s Angels and Murder, She Wrote.
Barry’s wife of 58 years died in 2003. He is survived by a daughter, two sons, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.