Wesley Barry
Encyclopedia
Wesley Barry was an American
child actor
in silent motion pictures
. He later became a producer and director of both film and television. As a director, he was sometimes billed as Wesley E. Barry.
, Barry was seven years old when a young director was attracted by his facial features, and put him at work at the old Kalem Studios
. He was not noted for his freckles until Marshall Neilan
cast him in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
, with his freckles uncovered (earlier producers had insisted that all subjects cover facial blemishes with grease paint).
Soon, Barry became a star in his own right, and 1920's Dinty put him over with great success. Later screen productions which served him as starring vehicles are School Days, Rags to Riches, Heroes of the Street, and Warner
specials. He was eleven years old when he appeared opposite Mary Pickford
in Daddy-Long-Legs
, and later, in Cecil B. DeMille
's Male and Female
, opposite Gloria Swanson
.
, such as The Steel Fist and Racing Blood. During this period, Barry also began a prolific career as an assistant director on many major motion pictures, including Roger Corman's 1967 film The St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
In 1962, Barry directed what has become arguably his most well-known film, The Creation of the Humanoids
, a science fiction film starring Don Megowan
. It depicts a future society in which robots, known derisively as "Clickers," are persecuted by a fanatical human organisation named "The Order of Flesh and Blood".
Wesley Barry directed his last film, The Jolly Genie, in 1963, and died on April 11, 1994 in Fresno, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
in silent motion pictures
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
. He later became a producer and director of both film and television. As a director, he was sometimes billed as Wesley E. Barry.
Early life and career
Born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Barry was seven years old when a young director was attracted by his facial features, and put him at work at the old Kalem Studios
Kalem Company
The Kalem Company was an American film studio founded in New York City in 1907 by George Kleine, Samuel Long , and Frank J. Marion.The company immediately joined other studios in the Motion Picture Patents Company that held a monopoly on production and distribution...
. He was not noted for his freckles until Marshall Neilan
Marshall Neilan
Marshall Ambrose Neilan was an American motion picture actor, screenwriter, film director, and producer.-Early life:...
cast him in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917 film)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a 1917 silent comedy-drama film directed by Marshall Neilan based upon the novel of the same name by Kate Douglas Wiggin. This version is notable for having been adapted by famed female screenwriter Frances Marion...
, with his freckles uncovered (earlier producers had insisted that all subjects cover facial blemishes with grease paint).
Soon, Barry became a star in his own right, and 1920's Dinty put him over with great success. Later screen productions which served him as starring vehicles are School Days, Rags to Riches, Heroes of the Street, and Warner
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
specials. He was eleven years old when he appeared opposite Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in Daddy-Long-Legs
Daddy-Long-Legs (1919 film)
Daddy-Long-Legs is a 1919 silent comedy-drama film directed by Marshall Neilan, and based on Jean Webster's novel of the same name. The film stars Mary Pickford.-Plot:A police officer finds a baby in a trash can, and Mrs...
, and later, in Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's Male and Female
Male and Female
Male and Female is a 1919 silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Its main themes are gender relations and social class. It is based on the J. M. Barrie play "The Admirable Crichton".-Plot:...
, opposite Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
.
Later life
Barry made some minor film appearances in sound movies through the 1930s, and his last film appearance was in Ladies' Day in 1943. In the 1940s, Barry became a director and producer of television and B-moviesB movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
, such as The Steel Fist and Racing Blood. During this period, Barry also began a prolific career as an assistant director on many major motion pictures, including Roger Corman's 1967 film The St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
In 1962, Barry directed what has become arguably his most well-known film, The Creation of the Humanoids
The Creation of the Humanoids
The Creation of the Humanoids is a 1962 American science fiction film directed by Wesley Barry and starring Don Megowan, Erica Elliot, Frances McCann, Don Doolittle and Dudley Manlove...
, a science fiction film starring Don Megowan
Don Megowan
-Career:Born in California USA, Megowan starred in the Sci-Fi movies: The Werewolf in the role of sheriff Jack Haines, and in The Creation of the Humanoids as a captain in the army who must stop the Humanoids....
. It depicts a future society in which robots, known derisively as "Clickers," are persecuted by a fanatical human organisation named "The Order of Flesh and Blood".
Wesley Barry directed his last film, The Jolly Genie, in 1963, and died on April 11, 1994 in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
.