Barbara Ruick's Biography:
Barbara Ruick was a bright and energetic actress, singer, and dancer born on December 23, 1932, in Pasadena, California. Her parents, Mel Ruick and Lurene Tuttle, were both show business professionals, with Mel being a well-respected radio actor and announcer and Lurene a radio player and later a TV and film performer.
Barbara began acting on radio and TV as a teenager, and her first job was in the chorus of Chico Marx's TV show. She continued to work on TV, earning the attention of MGM, which signed her to a long-term contract. She apprenticed in starlet parts, appearing in bit roles in musical and dramatic films, including "Invitation" (1952),"Scaramouche" (1952),and "Fearless Fagan" (1952).
In 1953, Barbara married actor Robert Horton, and the couple appeared together in the film "Apache War Smoke" (1952). Barbara's early career was marked by frustration, as she was relegated to playing bit parts after earning a second female lead role in "The Affairs of Dobie Gillis" (1953).
Barbara left Hollywood and returned to New York to concentrate on TV, earning a slew of assignments, including variety show appearances and regular roles on series TV. She also appeared on programs such as "The New Loretta Young Show" (1962),"Public Defender" (1954),and "The Lineup" (1954).
In 1956, Barbara was cast in the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel," earning her most important film role and winning the cute and flighty Carrie Piperidge role alongside Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. Instead of this success propelling her into other films, it would be her last movie for nearly two decades.
Barbara married composer and conductor John Williams in 1956, and they had three children, two sons who went on to have musical careers, and a daughter who became a doctor. She continued to thrive on TV in the late 1950s and early 1960s, appearing in musical specials and TV shows.
In 1965, Barbara and Pat Carroll camped it up as the evil stepsisters in Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical special "Cinderella" (1965),starring Lesley Ann Warren. Barbara was little seen in the ensuing years but did pop up for a small role as a barmaid in the comedy film "California Split" (1974) starring Elliott Gould and George Segal.
Barbara Ruick died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 3, 1974, in Reno, Nevada. Despite her musical gifts being underused by MGM, her comeback role in "Carousel" (1956) remains a film treasure.
