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{{Short description|American actress and dancer (1906–1958)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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| death_date = {{death date and age|1958|8|8|1906|8|13}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1958|8|8|1906|8|13}}
| death_place = [[Montréal]], [[Québec]], Canada
| death_place = [[Montréal]], [[Québec]], Canada
| death_cause = Suicide
| resting_place = Burtonsville Union Cemetery, MD
| resting_place = Burtonville Union Cemetery
| nationality = American
| other_names = Barbara Bennett Suprenant
| other_names = Barbara Bennett Suprenant
| education =
| education =
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| years_active =
| years_active =
| known_for =
| known_for =
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Morton Downey]]<br>|1929|1941|end=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|[[Addison Randall]]<br>|1941|1945|end=died}}<br>{{marriage|Laurent Suprenant<br>|1954}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Morton Downey]]|1929|1941|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Addison Randall]]|1941|1945|end=died}}
* {{marriage|Laurent Suprenant|1954}}
}}
| children = 5, including [[Morton Downey Jr.]]
| children = 5, including [[Morton Downey Jr.]]
| parents = [[Richard Bennett (actor)|Richard Bennett]]<br>[[Adrienne Morrison]]
| parents = [[Richard Bennett (actor)|Richard Bennett]]<br>[[Adrienne Morrison]]
| relatives = [[Constance Bennett]] <small>(sister)</small><br>[[Joan Bennett]] <small>(sister)</small><br>[[Lewis Morrison]] <small>(maternal grandfather)</small>
| relatives = [[Constance Bennett]] (sister)<br>[[Joan Bennett]] (sister)<br>[[Lewis Morrison]] (maternal grandfather)
}}
}}


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==Family==
==Family==

Bennett was the second of three daughters born to actor [[Richard Bennett (actor)|Richard Bennett]] and his wife, actress [[Adrienne Morrison]] in [[Palisades Park, New Jersey]]. Her paternal grandfather was the stage actor [[Lewis Morrison]]. Her older sister, [[Constance Bennett|Constance]], later became an extremely successful film actress as did her younger sister [[Joan Bennett|Joan]]. The girls attended the [[Chapin School]] with the actress [[Jane Wyatt]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kellow|first1=Brian|title=The Bennetts: An Acting Family|date=2004|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=0813138183|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx0SKzUuZ78C&pg=PT82&lpg=PT82&dq=%22miss+chapin%27s+school%22+acting&source=bl&ots=DKnKChhQJo&sig=USqMAAhV7vwqt4dZhjZBcwtzA50&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigxJmcj4_OAhVHrB4KHZDBAR4Q6AEIQDAG#v=onepage&q=%22miss%20chapin's%20school%22%20acting&f=false|accessdate=28 April 2017|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Richard-Bennett-Daughters.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Richard Bennett with his three daughters (from left), Constance, Joan and Barbara (ca. 1913)]]

Born in [[Palisades Park, New Jersey]], Barbara Bennett was the second of three daughters born to actor [[Richard Bennett (actor)|Richard Bennett]] and his wife, actress [[Adrienne Morrison]]. Her maternal grandfather was the stage actor [[Lewis Morrison]]. Her older sister [[Constance Bennett|Constance]] and her younger sister [[Joan Bennett|Joan]] had successful film careers. The girls attended the [[Chapin School]] with the actress [[Jane Wyatt]].{{sfn|Kellow|2004}}


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Bennett married three times and had five children. On January 28, 1929, she married [[tenor]] [[Morton Downey]]. The couple had four biological children, including son [[Morton Downey Jr.]], and adopted a fifth child, Michael.<ref name="miami">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19580810&id=v7syAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0uoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3110,3247831&hl=en|title=Barbara Bennett, Sister of Actresses|date=August 10, 1958|work=The Miami News|page=6C|accessdate=May 14, 2015|location=Miami, Florida}}</ref> They divorced in June 1941. Bennett later married actor [[Addison Randall]], a popular romantic star and [[singing cowboy]] at the time. On July 16, 1945, Randall died after suffering a [[heart attack]] and falling from a horse during the filming of ''[[The Royal Mounted Rides Again]]''. Bennett married Laurent Suprenant in 1954. The couple moved to [[Montreal]] in 1957 and remained together until her death the following year.<ref name="evening">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19580810&id=NgNQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VlUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2952,1234619&hl=en|title=Barbara Bennett, Ex-Actress, Dies|date=August 10, 1958|work=The Evening Independent|page=1|accessdate=May 14, 2015|location=St. Petersburg, Florida}}</ref>
Bennett married three times and had five children. On January 28, 1929, she married [[tenor]] [[Morton Downey]]. The couple had four biological children, including son [[Morton Downey Jr.]], and adopted a fifth child, Michael.<ref name="miami">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19580810&id=v7syAAAAIBAJ&pg=3110,3247831&hl=en|title=Barbara Bennett, Sister of Actresses|date=August 10, 1958|work=The Miami News|page=6C|accessdate=May 14, 2015|location=Miami, Florida}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> They divorced in June 1941. Bennett later married actor [[Addison Randall]], a popular romantic star and [[singing cowboy]] at the time. On July 16, 1945, Randall died after suffering a [[myocardial infarction]] and falling from a horse during the filming of ''[[The Royal Mounted Rides Again]]''. Bennett married Laurent Suprenant in 1954. The couple moved to [[Montreal]] in 1957 and remained together until her death the following year.<ref name="evening">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19580810&id=NgNQAAAAIBAJ&pg=2952,1234619&hl=en|title=Barbara Bennett, Ex-Actress, Dies|date=August 10, 1958|work=The Evening Independent|page=1|accessdate=May 14, 2015|location=St. Petersburg, Florida}}</ref>


Bennett later worked as a literary representative for producer [[Walter Wanger]], who was married to her sister Joan. In that position, Bennett scouted best-sellers and the like as potential movie properties, especially for her sister Joan.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kellow|first=Brian|title=The Bennetts: An Acting Family|year=2004|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=0-813-17192-X|page=497}}</ref>
Bennett later worked as a literary representative for producer [[Walter Wanger]], who was married to her sister Joan. In that position, Bennett scouted best-sellers and the like as potential movie properties, especially for her sister Joan.{{sfn|Kellow|2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/bennettsactingfa00kell_0/page/497 497]}}


==Death==
==Death==
On August 8, 1958, five days before her 52nd birthday, Bennett died after what the media described as an unidentified "long illness" in Montreal.<ref name="miami"/><ref name="evening"/> Over the course of her life, Bennett attempted suicide four times. As the circumstances surrounding herself were vague and Bennett's sister Joan refused to discuss the details of her death, rumors arose that Bennett had finally succeeded in ending her life.<ref name="kellow">{{harv|Kellow|2004|p=396}}</ref> In her 1982 memoirs ''Lulu In Hollywood'', longtime friend and actress [[Louise Brooks]] wrote of Bennett, "Barbara made a career of her emotions. Periods of work or marriage were terminated by her frightening, abandoned laughter of despair and failure. Only her death, in 1958, achieved in her fifth suicide attempt, could be termed a success."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Louise |authorlink1=Louise Brooks |title=Lulu in Hollywood |edition=1989 Limelight |date= |year=1989 |origyear=Originally published 1983 |publisher=Limelight Editions |location=New York |isbn=0-87910-125-3 |oclc= 639598800 |page=13 |chapter=Kansas to New York}}</ref>
On August 8, 1958, five days before her 52nd birthday, Bennett died after what the media described as an unidentified "long illness" in Montreal.<ref name="miami"/><ref name="evening"/> Over the course of her life, Bennett attempted suicide four times. As the circumstances surrounding herself were vague and Bennett's sister Joan refused to discuss the details of her death, rumors arose that Bennett had finally succeeded in ending her life.{{sfn|Kellow|2004|p=396}} In her 1982 memoirs ''[[Lulu in Hollywood]]'', longtime friend and actress [[Louise Brooks]] wrote of Bennett, "Barbara made a career of her emotions. Periods of work or marriage were terminated by her frightening, abandoned laughter of despair and failure. Only her death, in 1958, achieved in her fifth suicide attempt, could be termed a success."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Louise |authorlink1=Louise Brooks |title=Lulu in Hollywood |edition=1989 Limelight |year=1989 |origyear=Originally published 1983 |publisher=Limelight Editions |location=New York |isbn=0-87910-125-3 |oclc= 639598800 |page=13 |chapter=Kansas to New York}}</ref>


She was buried at Burtonville Union Cemetery in [[Lacolle, Quebec]]. A memorial service was later held at the [[Church of the Good Shepherd (Beverly Hills, California)|Church of the Good Shepherd]] in [[Beverly Hills]].<ref name="kellow"/>
She was buried at Burtonville Union Cemetery in [[Lacolle, Quebec]]. A memorial service was later held at the [[Church of the Good Shepherd (Beverly Hills, California)|Church of the Good Shepherd]] in [[Beverly Hills]].{{sfn|Kellow|2004|p=396}}


==Broadway credits==
==Broadway credits==
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last=Kellow|first=Brian|title=The Bennetts: An Acting Family|url=https://archive.org/details/bennettsactingfa00kell_0|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=0-813-17192-X}}


==External links==
==External links==
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}



{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Barbara}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Barbara}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:1958 suicides]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Actresses from New Jersey]]
⚫
[[Category:American actresses who committed suicide]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Canada]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Canada]]
[[Category:American female dancers]]
[[Category:American female dancers]]
[[Category:Dancers from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Dancers from New Jersey]]
⚫
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Spanish descent]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American silent film actresses]]
[[Category:American silent film actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
⚫
[[Category:Burials in Quebec]]
[[Category:Female suicides]]
[[Category:People from Palisades Park, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Palisades Park, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Suicides in Quebec]]
[[Category:Suicides in Quebec]]
[[Category:Chapin School (Manhattan) alumni]]
[[Category:Chapin School (Manhattan) alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American dancers]]
⚫
[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:Actors from Bergen County, New Jersey]]



{{US-film-actor-1900s-stub}}
{{US-film-actor-1900s-stub}}

Latest revision as of 20:22, 8 June 2024

Barbara Bennett
Born
Barbara Jane Bennett

(1906-08-13)August 13, 1906
Palisades Park, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedAugust 8, 1958(1958-08-08) (aged 51)
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Resting placeBurtonsville Union Cemetery, MD
Other namesBarbara Bennett Suprenant
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1929; div. 1941)​
​
​
(m. 1941; died 1945)​
Laurent Suprenant
​
(m. 1954)​
Children5, including Morton Downey Jr.
Parent(s)Richard Bennett
Adrienne Morrison
RelativesConstance Bennett (sister)
Joan Bennett (sister)
Lewis Morrison (maternal grandfather)

Barbara Jane Bennett (August 13, 1906 – August 8, 1958) was an American stage and film actress and dancer.

Family

[edit]
Richard Bennett with his three daughters (from left), Constance, Joan and Barbara (ca. 1913)

Born in Palisades Park, New Jersey, Barbara Bennett was the second of three daughters born to actor Richard Bennett and his wife, actress Adrienne Morrison. Her maternal grandfather was the stage actor Lewis Morrison. Her older sister Constance and her younger sister Joan had successful film careers. The girls attended the Chapin School with the actress Jane Wyatt.[1]

Personal life

[edit]

Bennett married three times and had five children. On January 28, 1929, she married tenor Morton Downey. The couple had four biological children, including son Morton Downey Jr., and adopted a fifth child, Michael.[2] They divorced in June 1941. Bennett later married actor Addison Randall, a popular romantic star and singing cowboy at the time. On July 16, 1945, Randall died after suffering a myocardial infarction and falling from a horse during the filming of The Royal Mounted Rides Again. Bennett married Laurent Suprenant in 1954. The couple moved to Montreal in 1957 and remained together until her death the following year.[3]

Bennett later worked as a literary representative for producer Walter Wanger, who was married to her sister Joan. In that position, Bennett scouted best-sellers and the like as potential movie properties, especially for her sister Joan.[4]

Death

[edit]

On August 8, 1958, five days before her 52nd birthday, Bennett died after what the media described as an unidentified "long illness" in Montreal.[2][3] Over the course of her life, Bennett attempted suicide four times. As the circumstances surrounding herself were vague and Bennett's sister Joan refused to discuss the details of her death, rumors arose that Bennett had finally succeeded in ending her life.[5] In her 1982 memoirs Lulu in Hollywood, longtime friend and actress Louise Brooks wrote of Bennett, "Barbara made a career of her emotions. Periods of work or marriage were terminated by her frightening, abandoned laughter of despair and failure. Only her death, in 1958, achieved in her fifth suicide attempt, could be termed a success."[6]

She was buried at Burtonville Union Cemetery in Lacolle, Quebec. A memorial service was later held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills.[5]

Broadway credits

[edit]
Production Role Date
The Stork Heloise January 26 – February 1925
Victory Belles Miss Flo Hilliard October 26, 1943 – January 22, 1944

Filmography

[edit]
Year Titel Role Notes
1916 The Valley of Decision Unborn soul
1927 Black Jack Nancy Blake
1929 Syncopation Fleurette Sloane
1929 Mother's Boy Beatrix Townleigh
1930 Love Among the Millionaires Virginia Hamilton

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kellow 2004.
  2. ^ a b "Barbara Bennett, Sister of Actresses". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. August 10, 1958. p. 6C. Retrieved May 14, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Barbara Bennett, Ex-Actress, Dies". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. August 10, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
  4. ^ Kellow 2004, p. 497.
  5. ^ a b Kellow 2004, p. 396.
  6. ^ Brooks, Louise (1989) [Originally published 1983]. "Kansas to New York". Lulu in Hollywood (1989 Limelight ed.). New York: Limelight Editions. p. 13. ISBN 0-87910-125-3. OCLC 639598800.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]


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