Born Wendy Jenkins, Wendy Barrie was the daughter of an attorney and was educated in England and Switzerland. A skinny, breezy, light-hearted, English-accented blonde, she debuted on the British stage in 1930, then went on to make three U.K. films in 1932, including Alexander Korda's The Private Life of Henry VIII, in which she played the loose Jane Seymour; that role put her in demand in Hollywood, a status she attained for over a decade. However, her considerable charm and good looks were squandered in "B"-movies, such as a series of "The Saint" action-mysteries. After 1943 she was given few film roles. A talkative and gregarious woman, she went on to do radio and TV, including work in New York City as the host of The Wendy Barrie Show, one of TV's first talk shows. In 1954 she appeared in It Should Happen to You (1954) and went on to do another film or two in later years. A stroke while she was in her 60s left her mentally incapacitated.
by Rovi
biography
