Barbara Britton

Barbara Britton (September 26, 1920 – January 17, 1980) was an American film and television actress. She was the first actress to play Laura Petrie on television, on the pilot program Head of the Family, which was retooled and became The Dick Van Dyke Show, with her role being taken over by Mary Tyler Moore. The California native signed a film contract with Paramount Pictures in 1941. That same year, she appeared in her first two films: the William Boyd western Secret of the Wasteland, followed by Louisiana Purchase starring Bob Hope. Her first big film appearance was in a small role in the 1942 John Wayne film Reap the Wild Wind. During the 1940s she starred in three films for which she is most recognized today, two of which co-starred...