biography

Barry Coe Born Barry Heacock on November 26, 1934 in Los Angeles, actor Barry Coe was born in to a show business family, as his father was a publicist for Warner Bros. Following his father's untimely death in a 1940 auto crash, his mother remarried and his stepfather adopted him, changing his last name to Coe. In the early 1950s, Coe attended the University of Southern California and was discovered by a 20th Century Fox talent scout. After signing a contract with Fox, the studio put him in an uncredited role in the noir release House of Bamboo (1955; with Robert Ryan and Robert Stack). For his first credited performance, he was cast in On the Threshold of Space (1956; with Guy Madison, Virginia Leith, and John Hodiak).

Barry CoeBarry Coe

LEFT: Late 1950s beefcake shot of Barry Coe. RIGHT: Coe as Mr. Goodwrench in a 1982 print ad

Coe soon worked his way up to bigger roles in a variety of "A" and "B" films, including Love Me Tender (1956; with Elvis Presley), Thundering Jets (1958; with Rex Reason), and The Wizard of Baghdad (1960; with Dick Shawn and Diane Baker). Fox also cast Coe in the 1961-1962 TV series Follow the Sun which also featured Brett Halsey and Gary Lockwood. When Coe's contract with Fox lapsed in 1962, his career faltered.


the films of barry coe

On the Threshold of Space (1956)

Warren Stevens, Barry Coe, Guy Madison, Ken Clark, and Martin Milner

With Warren Stevens, Guy Madison, Ken Clark, and Martin Milner in the 20th Century Fox drama On the Threshold of Space

Peyton Place (1957)

Terry Moore and Barry Coe

From the then-scandalous 20th Century Fox potboiler Peyton Place with Terry Moore

A Private's Affair (1959)

Barry Coe and Christine CarèreTige Andrews, Barry Coe, Sal Mineo, and Gary Crosby

LEFT: With Christine Carère in the Fox comedy A Private's Affair. RIGHT: With Tige Andrews, Sal Mineo, and Gary Crosby

But Not for Me (1959)

Carroll Baker and Barry CoeBarry Coe and Clark Gable

From the Paramount comedy But Not for Me. LEFT: With love interest Carroll Baker. RIGHT: With Clark Gable

The Wizard of Baghdad (1960)

Barry Coe and Diane Baker

With Diane Baker in the Fox comedy The Wizard of Baghdad

Follow the Sun (1961-1962 ABC TV Series)

Barry CoeBarry Coe and Jayne Mansfield

From Coe's 1961 ABC series Follow the Sun. LEFT: TV program guide from Australia. RIGHT: With Jayne Mansfield in a February 1962 episode titled The Dumbest Blonde

The Cat (1966)

Peggy Ann Garner and Barry Coe

With Peggy Ann Garner in the adventure The Cat

The Oval Portrait (1972)

Barry CoeGisele MacKenzie, Maray Ayres, and Barry Coe

LEFT: As Paul Howard in the horror flick The Oval Portrait, based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe. RIGHT: With Gisele MacKenzie and Maray Ayres

Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (1973)

Florence Marly and Barry Coe

From the effective horror flick Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls with Florence Marly

later years

Coe's career never really rebounded following the end of his contract with 20th Century Fox. He made a comeback in the early 1970s with a role in the short-lived NBC television series Bracken's World (1969–1970) and in the horror films The Oval Portrait (1972; with Wanda Hendrix and Gisele MacKenzie) and Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (1973; with John Considine, Stewart Moss, and Florence Marly). Afterward, he made sporadic appearances in films and TV shows until the late 1970s, when he called it quits. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Coe stepped in as Mr. Goodwrench for a series of General Motors commercials and print ads. He also had a side business in nutritional supplements. Married to former Miss Norway Jorunn Kristiansen in 1959, the couple had three children. Sadly, Barry Coe passed away after a long illness on July 16, 2019. He was survived by his wife Jorunn, three children, and ten grandchildren.

filmography

FILM
Jaws 2 (1978) with Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, and Murray Hamilton
MacArthur (1977) with Gregory Peck, Nicolas Coster, Marj Dusay, Russell Johnson, Robert Mandan, and Dan O'Herlihy
Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (1973) with John Considine, Cheryl Miller, Stewart Moss, Leon Askin, Jo Morrow, Florence Marly, and Moe Howard
The Oval Portrait (1972) with Wanda Hendrix and Gisele MacKenzie
Fantastic Voyage (1966) with Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien, Donald Pleasence, and James Brolin
The Cat (1966) with Roger Perry and Peggy Ann Garner
A Letter to Nancy (1965) with Judi Meredith, Robert Rockwell, Ruth Warrick, and Bill Williams
The 300 Spartans (1962) with Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, and Diane Baker
The Wizard of Baghdad (1960) with Dick Shawn and Diane Baker
One Foot in Hell (1960) with Alan Ladd, Don Murray, Dan O'Herlihy, Dolores Michaels, and Karl Swenson
But Not for Me (1959) with Clark Gable, Carroll Baker, Lilli Palmer, Lee J. Cobb, and Charles Lane
A Private's Affair (1959) with Sal Mineo, Barbara Eden, Gary Crosby, Terry Moore, Jim Backus, Jessie Royce Landis, and Bob Denver
The Bravados (1958) with Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, Stephen Boyd, Albert Salmi, Henry Silva, Lee Van Cleef, and Andrew Duggan
Thundering Jets (1958) with Rex Reason, Dick Foran, Audrey Dalton, Robert Conrad, Sid Melton, and Gregg Palmer
Peyton Place (1957) with Lana Turner, Lloyd Nolan, Arthur Kennedy, Russ Tamblyn, Terry Moore, Hope Lange, Diane Varsi, and David Nelson
Love Me Tender (1956) with Richard Egan, Debra Paget, Elvis Presley, William Campbell, Neville Brand, Bruce Bennett, Russ Conway, and Ken Clark
On the Threshold of Space (1956) with Guy Madison, Virginia Leith, John Hodiak, Dean Jagger, Warren Stevens, Martin Milner, and Ken Clark

TELEVISION SERIES
General Hospital, 1963-present ABC daytime drama. Coe portrayed Joel Stratton during the 1974 season
Bracken's World, 1969–1970 NBC TV Series. Coe portrayed the assistant director
Follow the Sun, 1961-1962 ABC TV series. Coe portrayed Ben Gregory

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
ABC Afterschool Specials, episode The Pinballs, originally aired October 26, 1977
Mary Tyler Moore, episode Murray in Love, originally aired October 4, 1975
Mission: Impossible, episode The Missile, originally aired January 16, 1971
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, episode The Monster's Web, originally aired February 27, 1966
Bonanza, episode The First Born, originally aired September 23, 1962
The 20th Century-Fox Hour, episode Deep Water, originally aired May 1, 1957
The 20th Century-Fox Hour, episode The Late George Apley, originally aired November 16, 1955

barry coe trailers now showing

Watch the trailers for Barry Coe's 1959 comedy But Not for Me and 1973 horror film Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls

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