Gene Barry, best known for playing Dr. Clayton Forester in George Pal’s groundbreaking 1953 film The War of the Worlds died December 9th.
Barry, who was born Eugene Klass, changed his surname to Barry as a nod to John Barrymore. In a career that spanned fifty-five years, Barry is best known to most of the world for the George Pal movie and Bat Masterson – a role he only took because it was not a run-of-the-mill Western, but rather was based on the career of a real marshal who dressed like a Eastern dandy, with a brocade vest, derby hat and a gold-tipped cane.
What is not generally know – outside the world of the theater, at least – is that he originated the role of Georges in the original Broadway production of La Cage aux Folles, which went on to win a Tony Award for Best Musical.
He also made two films for legendary director Sam Fuller – Forty Guns and China Gate – and credited Fuller with showing him how to “bring vitality and a physical presence to my performances,” qualities that led directly to his best know television roles. He didn’t have a problem playing villains, either – he played the murderous psychiatrist in the very first Columbo mystery, Prescription: Murder.
Fittingly, his final role was as the grandfather in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 remake of The War of the Worlds.
Trivia: the Pink Floyd track "Careful With That Axe Eugene" is a cryptic reference to Gene Barry's role in the 1953 sci-fi movie.
