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.
Known For
Rio Lobo
(1970)
Feeny - Bartender (uncredited)
Ocean's Eleven
(1960)
McCoy (uncredited)
Orca
(1977)
Dock Worker
Warlock
(1959)
Edward Calhoun (uncredited)
Dead End
(1937)
Dr. Flynn, Intern (Uncredited)
Johnny Got His Gun
(1971)
Jody Simmons
The Swarm
(1978)
Pete Harris
7 Men from Now
(1956)
Clete
Bandolero!
(1968)
Jack Hawkins
Shalako
(1968)
Buffalo
Boss Nigger
(1975)
(as Don Red Barry)
Hooper
(1978)
Sheriff
Only Angels Have Wings
(1939)
Tex
Junior Bonner
(1972)
Homer Rutledge
Walk on the Wild Side
(1962)
Dockery
Alvarez Kelly
(1966)
Lt. Farrow
Full Filmography
Acting
Flying Down to Rio
(1933)
Dancer (uncredited)
Bridal Bail
(1934)
Movie Usher
Night Waitress
(1936)
Mario Rigo
Beloved Enemy
(1936)
Mike, I.R.A. Patriot (Uncredited)
Dead End
(1937)
Dr. Flynn, Intern (Uncredited)
The Woman I Love
(1937)
Michel
Navy Blue and Gold
(1937)
Mason (Southern Institute football player) (uncredited)
When's Your Birthday?
(1937)
Marty - Gunman (uncredited)
Think It Over
(1938)
Henchman
The Duke of West Point
(1938)
Grady
Sinners in Paradise
(1938)
Jessup
Saleslady
(1938)
Babcock
The Crowd Roars
(1938)
Pete Mariola
Young Dr. Kildare
(1938)
Dr. Collins (uncredited)
Only Angels Have Wings
(1939)
Tex
Days of Jesse James
(1939)
Jesse James
Saga of Death Valley
(1939)
Jerry
Panama Patrol
(1939)
Loring
Calling Dr. Kildare
(1939)
Collins
Wyoming Outlaw
(1939)
Will Parker
The Secret of Dr. Kildare
(1939)
Collins - Intern (uncredited)
Calling All Marines
(1939)
'Blackie' Cross
S.O.S Tidal Wave
(1939)
Curly Parsons
Jack Pot
(1940)
Bryan (uncredited)
Adventures of Red Ryder
(1940)
Red Ryder
Ghost Valley Raiders
(1940)
Tim Brandon aka The Tolusa Kid (as Donald Barry)
Texas Terrors
(1940)
Bob Millbourne aka Robert Mills
The Tulsa Kid
(1940)
Tom Benton aka Tulsa Kid
One Man's Law
(1940)
Jack Summers
Frontier Vengeance
(1940)
Jim Sanders
Sailor's Lady
(1940)
Second Paymaster
The Phantom Cowboy
(1941)
Jim Lawrence
Death Valley Outlaws
(1941)
Johnny Edwards
A Missouri Outlaw
(1941)
Cliff Dixon
The Apache Kid
(1941)
Pete Dawson aka The Apache Kid
Two Gun Sheriff
(1941)
Jim "Sundown Kid" McKinnon / Sheriff Bruce McKinnon
Desert Bandit
(1941)
Bob Crandall, Texas Ranger
Kansas Cyclone
(1941)
Jim Randall
Wyoming Wildcat
(1941)
Bill Gannon
Arizona Terrors
(1942)
Jim Bradley
Jesse James, Jr.
(1942)
Johnny Barrett
Remember Pearl Harbor
(1942)
Pvt. Steve 'Lucky' Smith
Stagecoach Express
(1942)
Dave Gregory
The Traitor Within
(1942)
Sam Starr (as Donald M. Barry)
The Cyclone Kid
(1942)
Johnny "Cyclone Kid" Dawson
Outlaws of Pine Ridge
(1942)
Chips Barrett
The Sombrero Kid
(1942)
Jerry Holden
The Sundown Kid
(1942)
Red Tracy
California Joe
(1943)
Joe Weldon
Days of Old Cheyenne
(1943)
Clint Ross
The Man from the Rio Grande
(1943)
Lee Grant
The West Side Kid
(1943)
Johnny April (as Donald Barry)
Dead Man's Gulch
(1943)
Tennessee Colby
Fugitive from Sonora
(1943)
Parson Dave Winters / Ted Winters aka Keeno Phillips
Black Hills Express
(1943)
Lon Walker
Canyon City
(1943)
Terry Reynolds posing as the Nevada Kid
Carson City Cyclone
(1943)
Gilbert Phalen
The Purple Heart
(1944)
Lt. Peter Vincent
My Buddy
(1944)
Eddie Ballinger (as Donald Barry)
Outlaws of Santa Fe
(1944)
Bob Conroy
The Chicago Kid
(1945)
Joe Ferrill
Bells of Rosarita
(1945)
Don Barry
The Last Crooked Mile
(1946)
Tom Dwyer
The Plainsman and the Lady
(1946)
Feisty
That's My Gal
(1947)
Benny Novak
Train to Alcatraz
(1948)
Doug Forbes (as Donald Barry)
Madonna of the Desert
(1948)
Tony French (as Donald Barry)
Slippy McGee
(1948)
Slippy McGee
Lightnin' in the Forest
(1948)
Stan Martin
Tough Assignment
(1949)
Dan Reilly
Red Desert
(1949)
Pecos Jones
The Dalton Gang
(1949)
Larry West
Square Dance Jubilee
(1949)
Don Blake
Ringside
(1949)
Mike O'Hara, "King Cobra"
Train To Tombstone
(1950)
Len Howard
I Shot Billy the Kid
(1950)
William H. Bonney / Billy the Kid (as Don Barry)
Border Rangers
(1950)
Bob Standish posing as the Rio Kid (as Don Barry)
Gunfire
(1950)
Frank James / Bat Fenton
Jesse James' Women
(1954)
Jesse James
Untamed Heiress
(1954)
'Spider' Mike Lawrence (as Donald Barry)
I'll Cry Tomorrow
(1955)
Jerry
The Twinkle In God's Eye
(1955)
Dawson
7 Men from Now
(1956)
Clete
Gun Duel In Durango
(1957)
Larry
Frankenstein 1970
(1958)
Douglas Row
Born Reckless
(1958)
Bill Okie
China Doll
(1958)
MSgt. Hal Foster
The Last Mile
(1959)
Drake (as Donald Barry)
The Big Operator
(1959)
Detective Sergeant
Warlock
(1959)
Edward Calhoun (uncredited)
Walk Like a Dragon
(1960)
Cabot
Ocean's Eleven
(1960)
McCoy (uncredited)
Buffalo Gun
(1961)
Murdock
Walk on the Wild Side
(1962)
Dockery
Twilight of Honor
(1963)
Judson Elliot
Iron Angel
(1964)
Reb
Law of the Lawless
(1964)
Red
Convict Stage
(1965)
Marshal Jethro Karnin
Town Tamer
(1965)
Tex
Fort Courageous
(1965)
Captain Harvey
War Party
(1965)
Sgt. Chaney
Apache Uprising
(1965)
Henry Belden
Alvarez Kelly
(1966)
Lt. Farrow
The Magnificent Stranger
(1966)
Grist
Hostile Guns
(1967)
Ed Johnson
Fort Utah
(1967)
Harris
Red Tomahawk
(1967)
Bly
The Shakiest Gun in the West
(1968)
Rev. Zachary Gant
Shalako
(1968)
Buffalo
Bandolero!
(1968)
Jack Hawkins
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
(1970)
Rusty
Rio Lobo
(1970)
Feeny - Bartender (uncredited)
Johnny Got His Gun
(1971)
Jody Simmons
Junior Bonner
(1972)
Homer Rutledge
The Eyes of Charles Sand
(1972)
Trainer
Incident on a Dark Street
(1973)
Miles Henderson
Partners in Crime
(1973)
Bartender
Punch and Jody
(1974)
Franz Butz / Delbert Clyde Butz
Amy Prentiss
(1974)
Lt. Tom Pierce (as Donald Barry)
Blazing Stewardesses
(1975)
Mike Trask
Boss Nigger
(1975)
(as Don Red Barry)
Whiffs
(1975)
Sgt. Post
Hustle
(1975)
Airport Bartender
Starsky & Hutch
(1975)
Doctor in Morgue
From Noon Till Three
(1976)
Red Roxy
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
(1976)
(archive footage)
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
(1976)
Marshal
Orca
(1977)
Dock Worker
Hooper
(1978)
Sheriff
Doctor Dracula
(1978)
Elliot (as Donald Barry)
Buckstone County Prison
(1978)
Warden Coley
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
(1978)
Devery's Foreman
The Swarm
(1978)
Pete Harris
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
(1978)
Bartender
Shame, Shame on the Bixby Boys
(1978)
The Crash of Flight 401
(1978)
Helicopter Pilot
Undercover with the KKK
(1979)
Ben Wright
Goldie and the Boxer
(1979)
Radio Announcer
Donovan's Kid
(1979)
Sheriff at Stagecoach
Back Roads
(1981)
Pete
Hunters Are for Killing
(1987)
Hank Phillips
Writing
Red Light
(1949)
Story
Train To Tombstone
(1950)
Story
Jesse James' Women
(1954)
Screenplay
Convict Stage
(1965)
Writer
Production
Directing