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Lex Barker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American actor (1919–1973)
Lex Barker
Lex Barker (1951)
Born
Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr.

(1919-05-08)May 8, 1919
DiedMay 11, 1973(1973-05-11) (aged 54)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1945–1973
Spouses
PartnerKaren Kondazian (eng. 1972)
Children3

Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr. (May 8, 1919 – May 11, 1973), known asLex Barker, was an American film and television actor. He was known for playingTarzan forRKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953, and portraying leading characters fromKarl May's novels,[1] notably asOld Shatterhand in a film series by the West German studioRialto Film. At the height of his fame, he was one of the most popular actors in German-speaking cinema, and receivedBambi Award andBravo Otto nominations for the honor.

Early life

[edit]

Barker was born inRye, New York, the second child of Alexander Crichlow Barker Sr., a wealthy Canadian-born building contractor and stockbroker,[2] and his American wife, the former Marion Thornton Beals.[3] He had an elder sister, Frederica Amelia "Freddie" Barlow (1917–1980). OfEnglish andSpanish ancestry, Barker was a direct descendant of the founder ofRhode Island,Roger Williams, and of Sir William Henry Crichlow, historicalgovernor-general of Barbados.[4][5]

Raised in New York City andPort Chester, New York, he attended theFessenden School and graduated fromPhillips Exeter Academy, where he played football and the oboe. He attendedPrinceton University, but dropped out to join a theatrical stock company, much to his family's chagrin.[6]

Career

[edit]

Theatre

[edit]

Barker made it to Broadway once, in a small role in a short run ofShakespeare'sThe Merry Wives of Windsor in 1938.[7] He also had a small role inOrson Welles's disastrousFive Kings, which met with so many problems in Boston and Philadelphia that it never made it into New York City.[8]

World War II

[edit]

In February 1941, 10 months before theattack on Pearl Harbor, Barker left his fledgling acting career and enlisted in theU.S. Army. He rose to the rank ofmajor during thewar.[9] He waswounded in action (in the head and leg) fighting inSicily.[10] He was awarded thePurple Heart twice.

Early film roles

[edit]

Back in the US he recuperated at a military hospital in Arkansas, then upon his discharge from service traveled to Los Angeles. Within a short time he landed a small role inDoll Face (1945), his first film.[11]

A string of small roles followed in films such asTwo Guys from Milwaukee (1945) andCloak and Dagger (1946).

RKO

[edit]

Barker signed a contract atRKO. He had small roles inThe Farmer's Daughter (1947),Crossfire (1947), andUnder the Tonto Rim (1947).[11]

Barker went toParamount Studios forUnconquered (1947). Back at RKO he was inDick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947),Berlin Express (1948),Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948),The Velvet Touch (1948), andReturn of the Bad Men (1948), playingEmmett Dalton.[11]

Tarzan

[edit]

InTarzan's Magic Fountain (1949), Barker became the 10th officialTarzan of the movies. His blond, handsome, and intelligent appearance, as well as his athletic 6'4" frame, helped make him popular in the roleJohnny Weissmuller had made his own for 16 years. His Jane wasBrenda Joyce, who had been in Weissmuller's last three films.[12]

Barker's second Tarzan movie wasTarzan and the Slave Girl (1950), where Jane was played byVanessa Brown. InTarzan's Peril (1951), Barker's Jane wasVirginia Huston, with African location footage.Dorothy Hart was Jane inTarzan's Savage Fury (1952), directed byCy Endfield.[13][14]

Barker got the chance to play a non-Tarzan role inBattles of Chief Pontiac (1952), a Western.[15] He returned to the role one last time inTarzan and the She-Devil (1953).[13][14]

Westerns

[edit]

Barker supportedRandolph Scott inThunder Over the Plains (1953).[16]

At Universal he starred in the WesternThe Yellow Mountain (1954) andThe Man from Bitter Ridge (1955). He went to Columbia to makeDuel on the Mississippi (1955).[11]

Barker had a rare non-Western role inThe Price of Fear (1956), a film noir withMerle Oberon. He was in the war movieAway All Boats (1956)[11] and the thrillerThe Girl in the Kremlin (1957).[17]

Barker made two films forHoward W. Koch:War Drums (1957)[11] andJungle Heat (1957),.[18] He went to20th Century Fox forThe Deerslayer (1957),[11] then didThe Girl in Black Stockings (1957).[19]

Italy

[edit]

In 1957, as he found it harder to find work in American films[why?], Barker moved to Europe (he spoke French, Italian, Spanish, and some German),[20] where he found popularity and starred in over 40 European films, including two movies based on the novels by Italian authorEmilio Salgari (1862–1911).[21]

He started his European career with a British thrillerThe Strange Awakening (1958). He went to Italy to star inCaptain Falcon (1959),Son of the Red Corsair (1959),The Pirate and the Slave Girl (1959), andTerror of the Red Mask (1960).[22]

Barker had a short but compelling role asAnita Ekberg's fiancé inFederico Fellini'sLa Dolce Vita (1960).[23]

He went back to swashbucklers:Knight of 100 Faces (1960),Pirates of the Coast (1960),Robin Hood and the Pirates (1960), andThe Secret of the Black Falcon (1961).[22]

West Germany

[edit]

Barker had his greatest success in West Germany. There, he starred in movies based on the "Doctor Mabuse" stories (formerly filmed byFritz Lang), in the moviesThe Return of Doctor Mabuse (1961).[24] He was inDoctor Sibelius (1962).

Barker then playedOld Shatterhand in an adaptation of the novel by popular German authorKarl May (1842–1912),Treasure of the Silver Lake (1962).[25] It was a huge hit, and 11 movies adapting stories by Karl May followed until 1968.[26] Barker did the comedyBreakfast in Bed (1962), then the adventure movieStorm Over Ceylon (1963). He returned to Italy forThe Executioner of Venice (1963)[27][28] andKali Yug: Goddess of Vengeance (1963).[11]

Barker reprised his role as Old Shatterhand inApache Gold (1964),Old Shatterhand (1964), andLast of the Renegades (1965).[11][18] He went to South Africa forHarry Alan Towers' West German-Britishinternational co-productionVictim Five (1964),[18][29] then returned to West Germany for other adaptations of May books:The Treasure of the Aztecs (1965) andThe Pyramid of the Sun God (1965) .[30]24 Hours to Kill (1965) was a British movie.[29]The Hell of Manitoba (1965) andThe Desperado Trail (1966) were Westerns.[31]

Though Barker did speak German, he was almost always dubbed in his West German films. His go-to dubber wasGert Günther Hoffmann, whose distinctive voice contributed to Barker's success.

In 1966, Barker was awarded the "Bambi Award" as Best Foreign Actor in West Germany, where he was a very popular star.[32] He even recorded two songs in German: "Ich bin morgen auf dem Weg zu dir" ("I'll be on the way to you tomorrow", composed byMartin Böttcher, the composer of some of the soundtracks of the Karl May movies) and "Mädchen in Samt und Seide" ("Girl in Silk and Velvet", composed by Werner Scharfenberger).[33]

His later films includedKiller's Carnival (1966), andWinnetou and the Crossbreed (1967). In the same year, he starred in aEurospy filmSpy Today, Die Tomorrow and a horror filmThe Blood Demon, and appeared in the anthology filmWoman Times Seven (1967).[18]

He returned to the United States occasionally and made a handful of guest appearances on American television episodes, but Europe, and especially West Germany, was his professional home for the remainder of his life.

Personal life

[edit]
Barker with his fiancéeKaren Kondazian in on May 1, 1973, a few days before Barker's death

Barker was married five times:

  • Constance Rhodes Thurlow (1918–1975) (married June 27, 1942–divorced 1950),[34] a daughter of Leon Rhodes Thurlow, a vice president of the Decorated Metal Manufacturing Company.[35] They had one daughter, Lynn Thurlow Barker (April 11, 1943 – 2010), and a son, Alexander "Zan" Crichlow Barker III (March 25, 1947 – October 2, 2012). In 1952, Constance Barker married her second husband, John Lawrence Adams, a descendant ofJohn Quincy Adams.[35]
  • ActressArlene Dahl (married 1951–divorced 1952)[34]
  • ActressLana Turner (married September 8, 1953–divorced July 22, 1957).[34] Turner's daughterCheryl Crane later accused Barker of having repeatedly raped her when she was between the ages of 10 ½ and 13.[36][37] and that this was the reason for the breakup of the marriage. According to Crane, to avoid public scandal, no charges were ever filed.
  • Irene Labhardt (married 1957–1962; her death from leukemia), a Swiss actress. They had one son, Christopher (born 1960), who became an actor and singer.[34]
  • Tita Cervera (married 1965–divorced 1972, although divorce not deemed legally valid), a Spanish beauty-pageant winner. Voted Miss Spain in 1962, she later became the wife of movie producer Espartaco Santoni in 1975 (the marriage turned out to be bigamous) and later still, in 1985, the fifth and final wife of billionaire art collectorBaron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.[38]

Death

[edit]

Barker died on May 11, 1973, of aheart attack, three days after his 54th birthday, while walking downLexington Avenue on New York City'sUpper East Side to meet his fiancée, actressKaren Kondazian.[39] The funeral was held in New York. He was cremated and the ashes were taken by his estranged wife Tita to Spain.

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
YearTitleRoleNotes
1945Doll FaceCoast GuardsmanUncredited
1946Do You Love MeParty Guest
Two Guys from MilwaukeeFred
Cloak and DaggerRescued Man
1947The Farmer's DaughterOlaf Holstrom
CrossfireHarry
Under the Tonto RimDeputy Joe
UnconqueredRoyal American OfficerUncredited
Dick Tracy Meets GruesomeAmbulance Driver
1948Berlin ExpressSoldier
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream HouseCarpenter Foreman
The Velvet TouchPaul Banton
Return of the BadmenEmmett Dalton
1949Tarzan's Magic FountainTarzan
1950Tarzan and the Slave Girl
1951Tarzan's Peril
1952Tarzan's Savage Fury
Battles of Chief PontiacLt. Kent McIntire
1953Tarzan and the She-DevilTarzan
Thunder Over the PlainsCaptain Bill Hodges
1954The Mystery of The Black JungleTremal NaikOriginal (Italian) title:I misteri della giungla nera [it]
Black Devils of Kali [it]Original (Italian) title:La vendetta dei Tughs
The Yellow MountainAndy Martin
1955The Man from Bitter RidgeJeff Carr
Duel on the MississippiAndré Tulane
1956The Price of FearDave Barrett
Away All BoatsCommander Quigley
1957War DrumsMangas Coloradas
The Girl in the KremlinSteve Anderson
Jungle HeatDr. Jim Ransom
The DeerslayerDeerslayer
The Girl in Black StockingsDavid Hewson
1958The Strange AwakeningPeter Chance
Captain FalconPietroOriginal (Italian) title:Capitan Fuoco
1959Son of the Red CorsairEnrico di VentimigliaOriginal (Italian) title:Il figlio del corsaro rosso
The Pirate and the Slave GirlDragon DrakutOriginal (Italian) title:La scimitarra del Saraceno
Mission in MoroccoBruce Reynolds
1960Terror of the Red MaskMarcoOriginal (Italian) title:Terrore della maschera rossa
La Dolce VitaRobertItalian film
Knight of 100 FacesRiccardo D'ArceOriginal (Italian) title:Il cavaliere dai cento volti
Pirates of the CoastCaptain Luis MontereyOriginal (Italian) title:I pirati della costa
Robin Hood and the PiratesRobin HoodOriginal (Italian) title:Robin Hood e i pirati
1961The Secret of the Black FalconCaptain Don Carlos de HerreraOriginal (Italian) title:Il segreto dello sparviero nero
Le Trésor des hommes bleus [fr]FredSpanish/French film
The Return of Dr. MabuseFBI-Agent Joe ComoOriginal (German) title:Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse
1962The Invisible Dr. Mabuse [de]FBI-Agent Joe ComoOriginal (German) title:Die unsichtbaren Krallen des Dr. Mabuse
Doctor SibeliusDr. Georg SibeliusOriginal (German) title:Frauenarzt Dr. Sibelius
Treasure of the Silver LakeOld ShatterhandOriginal (German) title:Der Schatz im Silbersee
1963Breakfast in BedVictor H. ArmstrongOriginal (German) title:Frühstück im Doppelbett
Storm Over CeylonLarry StoneOriginal (German) title:Das Todesauge von Ceylon
The Executioner of VeniceSandrigo BemboOriginal (Italian) title:Il boia di Venezia
Kali Yug: Goddess of VengeanceMajor FordOriginal (Italian) title:Kali Yug, la dea della vendetta
Il mistero del tempio indiano [fr]Major FordItalian film
Apache GoldOld ShatterhandOriginal (German) title:Winnetou I
1964Apaches' Last BattleOld ShatterhandOriginal (German) title:Old Shatterhand
Victim FiveSteve MartinUK film, US title:Code 7, Victim 5
The ShootKara Ben NemsiOriginal (German) title:Der Schut
Last of the RenegadesOld ShatterhandOriginal (German) title:Winnetou II
1965The Treasure of the AztecsDr. Karl SternauOriginal (German) title:Der Schatz der Azteken
The Pyramid of the Sun GodDr. Karl SternauOriginal (German) title:Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes
Twenty-Four Hours to KillCaptain Jamie FaulknerUK/German co-production film
The Hell of Manitobaa.k.a.A Place Called GloryClint BrennerOriginal (German) title:Die Hölle von Manitoba
The Wild Men of Kurdistan [de]Kara Ben NemsiOriginal (German) title:Durchs wilde Kurdistan
The Desperado TrailOld ShatterhandOriginal (German) title:Winnetou III
Fury of the Sabers [de]Kara Ben NemsiOriginal (German) title:Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen
1966Who Killed Johnny R.? [de]Sam DobieOriginal (German) title:Wer kennt Johnny R.?
Killer's CarnivalGlenn CassidyOriginal (French) title:Le carnaval des barbouzes, (Rio segment)
Winnetou and the CrossbreedOld ShatterhandOriginal (German) title:Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi
1967Woman Times SevenRik(segment "Super Simone")
Spy Today, Die TomorrowBob UrbanOriginal (German) title:Mister Dynamit – Morgen küßt Euch der Tod
The Blood DemonRoger Mont EliseOriginal (German) title:Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel
1968The Valley of DeathOld ShatterhandOriginal (German) title:Winnetou und Shatterhand im Tal der Toten
1970AoomRistol
When You're With MeKapitän Hannes SchneiderOriginal (German) title:Wenn du bei mir bist

Television

[edit]
YearTitleRoleNotes
1952Tales of TomorrowKurtEpisode: "Red Dust"
1956Lux Video TheatreStephen DexterEpisode: "Hired Wife"
1956–57Studio 57Brad / Robin Ridour2 episodes
1960Tales of the VikingsKönig GordarEpisode: "The Shield"
1963Berlin-MelodieTelevision film
1969It Takes a ThiefKurt 'Matt' MatsonEpisode: "The King of Thieves"
1971The Name of the GameWill CheyenneEpisode: "The Man Who Killed a Ghost"
The F.B.I.Owen StuartEpisode: "Three-Way Split"
1972Night GalleryCharlie McKinleySegment: "The Waiting Room"

Discography

[edit]
  • "Ich bin morgen auf dem Weg zu dir" / "Mädchen in Samt und Seide" 1965, Single, Decca D 19 725
  • Winnetou du warst mein Freund 1996, CD, Bear Family Records

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ObituaryVariety, May 16, 1973.
  2. ^Reiner Boller, Christina Böhme (2003).Lex Barker – Die Biografie. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag, Germany.ISBN 3-89602-444-2.
  3. ^"Miss Beals's Wedding",The New York Times, April 20, 1913.
  4. ^"Lex Barker - Der unvergessene Tarzan und Old Shatterhand".lex-barker.eu. January 1, 2008. RetrievedOctober 1, 2023.
  5. ^"Lex Barker - Biography".tribute-to-lex-barker.net. June 14, 2005. RetrievedOctober 1, 2023.
  6. ^"LEX BARKER DIES; TARZAN OF MOVIES".The New York Times. May 12, 1973. RetrievedSeptember 14, 2007.
  7. ^"The Merry Wives of Windsor".IBDB.com.Internet Broadway Database.
  8. ^Leaming, Barbara.Orson Welles: A Biography, pp. 188–201
  9. ^Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938–1946 [Archival Database];World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of theNational Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64
  10. ^Freese, Gene (2017).Classic Movie Fight Scenes: 75 Years of Bare Knuckle Brawls, 1914–1989. Jefferson, North Carolina:McFarland & Company. p. 108.ISBN 978-1-4766-6943-4.
  11. ^abcdefghiRowan 2013, p. 40.
  12. ^Vallance, Tom (August 15, 2009)."Brenda Joyce: Actress who played Jane to Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan".The Independent.Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. RetrievedOctober 17, 2017.
  13. ^abSchneider 2012, p. viii.
  14. ^abDrew 1986, section 742.
  15. ^Österberg, Bertil O. (2000).Colonial America on Film and Television: A Filmography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 53.ISBN 978-0-7864-4242-3.
  16. ^Nott, Robert (2004).The Films of Randolph Scott. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 172.ISBN 978-0-7864-3759-7.
  17. ^Rowan, Terry (2015).Motion Pictures From the Fabulous 1950s. Lulu.com. p. 71.ISBN 978-1-329-76077-6.
  18. ^abcdMonush 2003, p. 43.
  19. ^Maltin, Leonard (2015).Turner Classic Movies Presents Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. New York:Penguin Random House. p. 250.ISBN 978-0-14-751682-4.
  20. ^Kalat 2005, p. 150.
  21. ^Bergfelder 2005, p. 192.
  22. ^abHughes 2011, p. 40.
  23. ^Dyer, Richard (2018).La dolce vita. London:British Film Institute. p. 21.ISBN 978-1-8445-7392-9.
  24. ^Kalat 2005, p. 298.
  25. ^Goral, Pawel (2014).Cold War Rivalry and the Perception of the American West. New York:Palgrave Macmillan. p. 122.ISBN 978-1-137-36429-6.
  26. ^Lentz III, Harris M. (2016).Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2015. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 40.ISBN 978-0-7864-7667-1.
  27. ^Hughes 2011, p. 42.
  28. ^Prickette, James (2012).Actors of the Spaghetti Westerns. Xlibris Corporation. p. 310.ISBN 978-1-4691-4428-3.
  29. ^abBergfelder 2005, p. 219.
  30. ^Bergfelder 2005, p. 252.
  31. ^Rowan 2013, p. 447.
  32. ^Petzel, Michael (1998).Karl-May-Filmbuch: Stories und Bilder aus der deutschen Traumfabrik [Karl May film book: Stories and Pictures from the German dream factory] (in German). Radebeul, Germany: Karl-May-Verlag. p. 33.ISBN 978-3780201539.
  33. ^"Music Capitals of the World".Billboard. New York. November 13, 1965.
  34. ^abcdMichael & Parish 1969, p. 52.
  35. ^ab"Mrs. Barker's Nuptials",The New York Times, September 12, 1952
  36. ^"Two Survivors: The Scandalous Saga of Lana Turner and Cheryl Crane".Vanity Fair. 2023-06-08. Retrieved2023-12-22.
  37. ^Archer, Greg (November 26, 2008)."The Kid Stays in the Picture".The Advocate. Archived fromthe original on January 5, 2013.
  38. ^Curti, Roberto (2013).Italian Crime Filmography, 1968–1980. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 228.ISBN 978-0-7864-6976-5.
  39. ^Boller, Reiner (November 2, 2009)."Karen Kondazian". Lex-Barker.com. RetrievedApril 4, 2018.

Sources

[edit]

External links

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