Barbara Payton

Her peak came with co-star roles opposite James Cagney in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950), Gary Cooper in Dallas (1950), and Gregory Peck in Only the Valiant (1951). she had a blue-eyed, peroxide blonde look that fit the sexpot mold. But her career took second place to a reckless life. She juggled two boyfriends, Franchot Tone and Tom Neal, who fought almost to the death over her. In 1951, Tone ended up in the hospital with broken bones and a brain concussion. She married Tone, but left him after seven weeks. She returned to Neal, a violent relationship that lasted four years, though they never married.

Her career plummeted, and she made dismal films like Bride of the Gorilla (1951). She went to England to rejuvenate her career, but it was over. Her life spiraled into alcoholism, and from 1955 to 1963 she had brushes with the law for bad checks, public drunkenness, and prostitution. In 1967, she moved in with her parents to dry out. She died on May 8, 1967, at age 39, of heart and liver failure. She had managed to write a tell-all book, "I Am Not Ashamed" (1963).

Barbara Payton was an American actress with a straight sexuality, standing 5'4" tall. Her life was a cautionary tale of talent, beauty, and self-destruction.