Barbara Read

Barbara Read was an actress. She was born on December 29, 1917, in the United States. She appeared in Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), Three Smart Girls (1936), and The Spellbinder (1939). Her first contract was with Columbia, but she was paid without ever being cast in a single picture. She quit in disgust. Later, Universal signed her, and she played one of the Craig sisters in Three Smart Girls, alongside Deanna Durbin and Nan Grey. It was her first film and remains her most remembered role.

Read's career had ended by 1953, the year she married William Talman, known for Perry Mason. The couple had two children, Barbara and William III. Their marriage was turbulent, as both struggled with alcohol problems. They divorced in 1960, and Read gained custody of the children. A year later, Talman took over custody when her alcoholism and mental and emotional problems became overbearing.

On December 11, 1963, at her home in Laguna Beach, California, Read committed suicide by turning on the gas jets of her stove and sealing the doors and windows. She left a note blaming ill health. She had three earlier marriages, each ending in divorce. She died on December 12, 1963, at the age of 45.