Barbara Britton (September 26, 1920 – January 17, 1980) was a beautiful and vivacious American actress who became a top leading lady in 1940s Hollywood Westerns before achieving a second wave of fame as a star of early television and a famous commercial spokesperson.
After being discovered by a talent scout and signed by Paramount Pictures in 1941, Britton quickly became one of the genre’s most popular heroines. She starred opposite the era’s greatest cowboy stars, including Joel McCrea in the Technicolor classic The Virginian (1946) and Gene Autry in Loaded Pistols (1948). She was a frequent co-star of Randolph Scott, appearing with him in films like Captain Kidd (1945) and Gunfighters (1947).
In the 1950s, Britton transitioned to television, starring as inquisitive amateur sleuth Pam North in the popular mystery series Mr. and Mrs. North. She became even more famous as the elegant and sophisticated spokesperson for Revlon cosmetics, appearing in live commercials on hit TV shows. In a fascinating piece of television history, she also played the role of Laura Petrie in the original 1959 pilot for what would become The Dick Van Dyke Show.
