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