BARBARA READ

Barbara Read was a Canadian actress from the 1930s to the 1940s. She had one of those tragic Hollywood careers. She was signed by Columbia and played Deanna Durbin's sister in "Three Smart Girls" (and she looked a lot like Durbin), but then the studio let her go after the single picture. She signed with Universal and made some movies with them in the 1930s. She took a 4 year break from 1942 to 1946 (we don't know what she did at that time), and then made some more movies in the 1940s, and that was the end of her career. She had a turbulent private life with three husbands and four children, and alcoholism and mental health issues. Her last husband was William Talman (of Perry Mason fame). She committed suicide in 1963 at the age of 45, citing in her suicide note 'ill health'.