Phyllis Barry, born Gertrude Hillyard on December 7, 1908, in Leeds, England, was a gifted dancer who joined an Australian cabaret troupe at the age of fourteen.
She starred in numerous stage musicals, including No No Nannette and Lady Be Good, and made her film debut in the 1925 Australian film Painted Daughters under the stage name Phyllis DuBarry.
In 1930, she toured America in a production of Rio Rita, and it was during this time that producer Samuel Goldwyn offered her a part in the drama Cynara starring Kay Francis.
Although the movie flopped and her performance received mixed reviews, Phyllis continued to work in film, landing the lead role in the comedy What - No Beer? opposite Buster Keaton in 1933.
She had supporting roles in the films Blind Adventure and Forbidden Heaven, but her marriage to vaudeville performer Albert Nordlund, also known as Al Nord, was rocky, and they separated several times before divorcing in 1936.
After her divorce, Phyllis continued to act, appearing in The Three Stooges short Three Little Sew and Sews and having a bit part in the drama Waterloo Bridge in 1939.
On August 20, 1939, she married decorator Gilbert M. Caldwell, and the couple moved to a small house in West Hollywood.
Phyllis's last film role was playing a waitress in the 1947 drama Love From A Stranger, after which she quit acting and attempted to settle into life as a housewife.
However, she became increasingly addicted to prescription drugs and died on July 1, 1954, at the age of forty-five, after accidentally overdosing on phenobarbital.
Phyllis was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
