Jess Barker

American actor (1912–2000)

Susan Hayward

(m. 1944; div. 1954)

Children3

Jess Barker (June 4, 1912 – August 8, 2000) was an American actor who was active between the 1940s and 1970s. He was best known as the first husband of actress Susan Hayward.

Early years

Barker was born in Greenville, South Carolina.^[1]

Career

Barker began his film career credited as Philip Barker until changing his stage name to Jess Barker in the early 1940s.

Barker's movie career was damaged because of the publicity resulting from a bitter custody dispute, but he still managed to find work as an actor on radio and films in supporting roles. Barker appeared as an art critic in Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street (1945) and the Abbott and Costello film The Time of Their Lives (1946). He also made two guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1961 he played defendant Walter Eastman in "The Case of the Injured Innocent," and in 1965 he played Doug Hamilton in "The Case of the Murderous Mermaid."

Personal life

Barker wed Susan Hayward on July 23, 1944.^[2]^[3] They had twin sons together during their ten-year marriage, whose custody was won by Hayward after a bitter court battle.

In 1956, Barker lost a paternity suit in Los Angeles. Judge Walter H. Odemar ruled that Barker was the father of Morgana, a daughter born to actress Yvonne Doughty.^[4]

Barker died of liver failure in 2000.^[1]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1936	The Trail of the Lonesome Pine	Merd Falin	Film debut
1943	Good Luck, Mr. Yates	Oliver B. Yates
1943	Government Girl	Dana McGuire
1944	Cover Girl	John Coudair as a Young Man
	Jam Session	George Carter Haven
	She's a Soldier Too	Dr. Bill White
1945	Keep Your Powder Dry	Junior Vanderheusen
	Senorita from the West	Tim Winters
	This Love of Ours	Chadwick
	The Daltons Ride Again	Jeff Colton
	Scarlet Street	Damon Janeway
1946	Girl on the Spot	Rick Crane
	Idea Girl	Larry Brewster
	The Time of Their Lives	Thomas Danbury
1949	Take One False Step	Arnold Sykes
1949	Reign of Terror	Saint Just
1950	The Milkman	John Carter
1953	Marry Me Again	Jenkins
1954	Dragonfly Squadron	Dixon
1955	Kentucky Rifle	Daniel Foster
1955	Shack Out on 101	Artie
1956	Three Bad Sisters	George Gurney
1956	The Peacemaker	Ed Halcomb
1961-1965	Perry Mason	Walter Eastman/Doug Hamilton	2 episodes
1964	Night Walker	Malone
1968	The Green Berets	Soldier	Uncredited
1975	Murph the Surf	Museum Guard
1977	Sudden Death	Barnett	Final film

References

^ ^a ^b Lentz, Harris M. III (2001). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2000: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. pp. 14–15. ISBN 9780786452057. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
^ "Persuaded Barker to Marry Her---Hayward". The Bakersfield Californian. The Bakersfield Californian. June 18, 1954. p. 26. Retrieved April 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Susan Hayward and Jess Barker Wedded". The Piqua Daily Call. The Piqua Daily Call. July 24, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved April 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Actor Jess Barker Loses Court Fight In Paternity Suit". Moberly Monitor-Index. Moberly Monitor-Index. December 28, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved April 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.