Biography
Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had. Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again). Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild. Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled. In 1980 he committed suicide by shooting himself.
Acted in 226
1980s
- 1981
Back Roads
Pete
- 1980
The Dream Merchants
Capt. Casey · 3 episodes
1970s
- 1979
Goldie and the Boxer
Radio Announcer
Undercover with the KKK
Ben Wright
240-Robert
TV
A Cry for Justice
Virgil Hall
Donovan's Kid
Sheriff at Stagecoach
- 1978
The Crash of Flight 401
Helicopter Pilot
The One Man Jury
Sgt. Murphy
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
Bartender
Buckstone County Prison
Warden Coley
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
Devery's Foreman
Doctor Dracula
Elliot
Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys
Movie
- 1977
- 1976
Big John, Little John
Lionel P. Crabtree · 1 episode
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
(archive footage)
- 1975
Hustle
Airport Bartender
Whiffs
Sgt. Post
Barbary Coast
TV
Blazing Stewardesses
Mike Trask
- 1974
Punch and Jody
Franz Butz / Delbert Clyde Butz
- 1973
Partners in Crime
Bartender
Hawkins
Ben · 1 episode
- 1972
The Eyes of Charles Sand
Trainer
- 1971
One More Train to Rob
Charlie
- 1970
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
Rusty
Hunters Are for Killing
Hank Phillips
1960s
- 1969
- 1968
The Shakiest Gun in the West
Rev. Zachary Gant
- 1967
Hondo
TV
Fort Utah
Harris
Hostile Guns
Ed Johnson
Red Tomahawk
Bly
- 1966
Alvarez Kelly
Lt. Farrow
The Magnificent Stranger
Grist
- 1965
Apache Uprising
Henry Belden
Town Tamer
Tex
Fort Courageous
Captain Harvey
War Party
Sgt. Chaney
Convict Stage
Marshal Jethro Karnin
- 1964
Mickey
TV
Law of the Lawless
Red
Iron Angel
Reb
- 1963
- 1962
Walk on the Wild Side
Dockery
- 1961
Buffalo Gun
Murdock
- 1960
Walk Like a Dragon
Cabot
1950s
- 1959
The Big Operator
Detective Sergeant
- 1958
Born Reckless
Bill Okie
- 1957
Gun Duel in Durango
Larry
- 1956
- 1955
I'll Cry Tomorrow
Jerry
The Twinkle In God's Eye
Dawson
- 1954
Jesse James' Women
Jesse James
Untamed Heiress
Mike Lawrence
- 1952
- 1951
- 1950
Border Rangers
Bob Standish
Train To Tombstone
Len Howard
Gunfire
Frank James / Bat Fenton
I Shot Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
1940s
- 1949
Red Desert
Pecos Jones
Tough Assignment
Dan Reilly
Square Dance Jubilee
Don Blake
The Dalton Gang
Larry West
Ringside
Mike O'Hara, "King Cobra"
- 1948
Lightnin' in the Forest
Stan Martin
Madonna of the Desert
Tony French
Slippy McGee
Slippy McGee
- 1947
That's My Gal
Benny Novak
- 1946
The Plainsman and the Lady
Feisty
The Last Crooked Mile
Tom Dwyer
- 1945
The Chicago Kid
Joe Ferrill
Bells of Rosarita
Don Barry
- 1944
My Buddy
Eddie Ballinger
Outlaws of Santa Fe
Bob Conroy
The Purple Heart
Lt. Peter Vincent
- 1943
California Joe
Joe Weldon
Canyon City
Terry Reynolds posing as the Nevada Kid
The Man from the Rio Grande
Lee Grant
The West Side Kid
Johnny April
Black Hills Express
Lon Walker
Fugitive from Sonora
Dave Winters / Ted Winters
Days of Old Cheyenne
Clint Ross
Carson City Cyclone
Gilbert Phalen
Dead Man's Gulch
Tennessee Colby
- 1942
The Sundown Kid
Red Tracy
The Traitor Within
Sam Starr
Outlaws of Pine Ridge
Chips Barrett
The Sombrero Kid
Jerry Holden
The Cyclone Kid
Johnny "Cyclone Kid" Dawson
Jesse James, Jr.
Johnny Barrett
Stagecoach Express
Dave Gregory
Arizona Terrors
Jim Bradley
Remember Pearl Harbor
Pvt. Steve 'Lucky' Smith
- 1941
A Missouri Outlaw
Cliff Dixon
Death Valley Outlaws
Johnny Edwards
Kansas Cyclone
Jim Randall
Desert Bandit
Bob Crandall, Texas Ranger
The Apache Kid
Pete Dawson aka The Apache Kid
Two Gun Sheriff
Jim "Sundown Kid" McKinnon / Sheriff Bruce McKinnon
The Phantom Cowboy
Jim Lawrence
Wyoming Wildcat
Bill Gannon
- 1940
Texas Terrors
Bob Millbourne aka Robert Mills
Frontier Vengeance
Jim Sanders
The Tulsa Kid
Tom Benton aka Tulsa Kid
Sailor's Lady
Second Paymaster
One Man's Law
Jack Summers
Adventures of Red Ryder
Red Ryder
Ghost Valley Raiders
Tim Brandon
Jack Pot
Bryan (uncredited)
1930s
- 1939
Days of Jesse James
Jesse James
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
Collins (uncredited)
Saga of Death Valley
Jerry
Calling All Marines
'Blackie' Cross
Wyoming Outlaw
Will Parker
S.O.S Tidal Wave
Curly Parsons
Calling Dr. Kildare
Collins
Panama Patrol
Loring
- 1938
The Duke of West Point
Cadet Grady
Young Dr. Kildare
Dr. Collins (uncredited)
The Crowd Roars
Pete Mariola
Think It Over
Henchman
Sinners in Paradise
Jessup
Saleslady
Babcock
- 1937
Navy Blue and Gold
Mason (Southern Institute football player) (uncredited)
The Woman I Love
Michel
When's Your Birthday?
Marty - Gunman (uncredited)
- 1936
Night Waitress
Mario Rigo
- 1934
Bridal Bail
Movie Usher
- 1933
Wrote 4
1960s
- 1965
Convict Stage
Writer
1950s
- 1954
Jesse James' Women
Screenplay
- 1950
Train To Tombstone
Story
1940s
- 1949
Produced 2
1950s
- 1954
Jesse James' Women
Producer
1940s
- 1949
Red Desert
Executive Producer
Directed 1
1950s
- 1954
Jesse James' Women
Director