Dave Barry (actor)

Early life

He was born in New York City, New York in 1918. He began his show business career in his early years with parts in radio on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour. He started as a “Borscht Belt” comic in the Catskills after serving in the army during World War II and traveling with the USO along with Bob Hope and many celebrities of the time.

Voice acting career

Barry's first film was the 1938 animated short Mother Goose Goes Hollywood, in which he imitated several Hollywood stars, including Humphrey Bogart, whom Barry also imitated in Bacall to Arms and Slick Hare.

He provided several voices for Capitol Records children's albums in the 1950s like Bugs Bunny, Merrie Melodies, Pink Panther, Popeye the Sailor, Roland and Rattfink and Sniffles along with Elmer Fudd and Mr. Magoo.

Barry also worked with well known voice actor Daws Butler on a number of novelty records in the 1960s including "Will the Real Howard Hughes Please Stand Up," and "Him".

His last voice-over role was on The Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show in 1976.

Film and television career

At the end of the 1940s, Barry began also to garner roles in both film and television. He appeared with Marilyn Monroe in the B-movie Ladies of the Chorus (1948), and eleven years later he was reunited with her in what was perhaps his most famous role: bumbling band manager Beinstock in Billy Wilder's comedy Some Like It Hot (1959).

He appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s. He also guest-starred on television series such as 87th Precinct, Green Acres, The Monkees, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Emergency!, and in his final role as Jack Brice in the 1978 episode High Rollers of Flying High on CBS.

In 1963, Barry was cast as Harry in the episode "Has Anyone Seen Eddie?" of ABC's Going My Way, with Gene Kelly, an adaptation of the 1944 film of the same name.

Nightclub career

Barry also worked as an entertainer and comedian, appearing with Wayne Newton in Las Vegas for more than a decade in the 1970s at the Frontier, Sands and the Desert Inn at the height of Newton's popularity. In Las Vegas, he started at the Hacienda Resort and worked for as the opening act for other performers such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and many more.

Personal life and death

Barry was the father of five children (Alan, Kerry, Steve, Dana and Wendy) and was married to his wife, singer Ginny (Ginger), for over 50 years until his death from cancer in 2001.