Thursday, December 10, 2009

Gene Barry, R. I. P.

The Associated Press: Actor Gene Barry, dapper TV hero, stage star, dies: "Gene Barry, who played the well-dressed man of action in the television series 'Bat Masterson,' 'Burke's Law' and 'The Name of the Game,' has died at age 90 of unknown causes, his son said Thursday.

Fredric James Barry said the actor died Wednesday at a rest home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Woodland Hills.

Gene Barry essentially played the same character in all three series, which spanned the 1950s to the 1970s. Always fashionably dressed, the tall, handsome actor with the commanding voice dominated his scenes as he bested the bad guys in each show."

10 comments:

Randy Johnson said...

A favorite in all three. Condolences to his family and friends.

JCatt said...

Gene Barry was the star of the original "War of the Worlds" This was a staple at kiddee matinees as I was growing up in the 50's. Still watch it on TCM. For some reason, Gene Barry never really made it big in films, and had to wait for TV. He was a good actor. Sorry he's gone.

David Cranmer said...

I'm still watching Bat Masterson for the first time. And what makes the show rise above standard is his exceptional performance as the famous lawman.

RIP

Cap'n Bob said...

I liked him, too. Legend has it he wasn't long on humility, but his screen persona was great. I went from Bat Masterson to Burke's Law as I went from kid to teenager.

Laurie Powers said...

I always thought he was very dashing.

Brian Drake said...

I first saw him in "The War of the Worlds" and thought he was the perfect hero for that show.

Toby O'B said...

'Burke's Law' was my first introduction to Gene Barry. By that time, it was running in the afternoons on the CBS affiliate in Hartford, Ct. As a smart-ass teen, I thought I worked out who the killer was each episode - if one of the famous cast showed up in three scenes or more, that's who dunnit.

Caught a lot of them on ALN before I finally bought the first season boxed set and now find that it really didn't happen that often.....

If I had to pick a TV hero to epitomize super-cool, it would have been Gene Barry for all of those series.... RIP

newshounder said...

my condolences

Anonymous said...

What The Cap'n says it what I've heard - let's just say "difficult" is a word I've heard.

I was a big Bat Masterson fan as a kid, though I prefered Hugh O'Brian (still alive at 84) as Wyatt Earp.

Jeff

Deb said...

If memory serves, he was the culprit in the original/pilot for "Columbo." I'm afraid Gene Barry joins a long list of people who fit the "I didn't know he was still alive until I read his obituary" category.