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Biography

Barnes' initial appearance on television was in the episode "The Man Who Beat Lupo" on Ford Theatre. She made guest appearances on many television series, including the ABC/Warner Bros. programs 77 Sunset Strip and Maverick, CBS's Have Gun - Will Travel, What's My Line, and the crime drama Richard Diamond, Private Detective. In 1960-61, she guest-starred on The Untouchables episode "90 Proof Dame" as the wife of a French exporter of brandy. Barnes appeared as Kate Henniger, with Bing Russell and Arthur Space in the 1958 episode "Ghost Town" of the ABC/WB Western series Colt .45, starring Wayde Preston. In 1959, she portrayed Lola in the NBC detective series 21 Beacon Street. In the 1960s, Barnes worked for producer Martin Ransohoff and appeared in episodes of his The Beverly Hillbillies ("Elly Goes to School" and "The Clampett Look") and was billed as special guest-star. Barnes played Peter Falk's former wife on the 1965–1966 CBS series The Trials of O'Brien and was host of the ABC daytime talk show Dateline: Hollywood in 1967. She was also a frequent panelist in the early years of the syndicated version of What's My Line?. On December 19, 1972, Barnes appeared on The Merv Griffin Show with Joan Fontaine, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Dan Martino (founder of the Dan Martino School for Men). Barnes moved to Los Angeles soon after finishing her education, and took up a contract with Columbia Pictures. She went on to have roles in more than 20 films. Among her most remembered roles is the snooty Gloria Upson in the film Auntie Mame, which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for New Star of the Year. Barnes became the 13th actress to play Jane when she appeared in Tarzan, the Ape Man, with Denny Miller as Tarzan. In Disney's original 1961 version of The Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills, Barnes played gold-digger Vicki Robinson, who temporarily comes between Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith. In the 1998 remake starring Lindsay Lohan, she played Vicki Blake, the mother of the child-hating gold-digger and fiancee Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix). As well, she appeared in The War Wagon, a western movie starring John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. Barnes was also a writer and columnist. In 1973, she told newspaper columnist Dick Kleiner that she liked writing because "it is something you do yourself. With acting, if you win an Oscar or an Emmy, you have to thank everybody. If you write a book, it is completely your own." She wrote a book, titled Starting from Scratch, about home decorating and several novels, including The Deceivers, Who Is Carla Hart?, Pastora, and Silverwood. She wrote a weekly book review for the Los Angeles Times, and her column "Touching Home" was carried by The Chicago Tribune and the New York News Syndicate.

Known For

7.2

Vicki Blake

The Parent Trap

1998

0.0

Mrs. Fullbright

A Down Home Country Christmas

1987

0.0

Self

Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away

1986

7.5

Lydia Barnett

Murder, She Wrote

1984

6.0

Carina

Secrets of a Mother and Daughter

1983

7.1

Claudette Crockett

Remington Steele

1982

7.6

Valerie Crandell

Cheers

1982

5.9

Carsia

Farewell to the Planet of the Apes

1980

5.0

When the Whistle Blows

1980

6.5

Trapper John, M.D.

1979

Credits

The Parent Trap

as Vicki Blake

1998

7.2

A Down Home Country Christmas

as Mrs. Fullbright

1987

0.0

Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away

as Self

1986

0.0

Murder, She Wrote

as Lydia Barnett

1984

7.5

Secrets of a Mother and Daughter

as Carina

1983

6.0

Remington Steele

as Claudette Crockett

1982

7.1

Cheers

as Valerie Crandell

1982

7.6

Farewell to the Planet of the Apes

as Carsia

1980

5.9

When the Whistle Blows

1980

5.0

Trapper John, M.D.

1979

6.5

Hart to Hart

as Rosemary

1979

6.9

Fantasy Island

as Liz Perry

1978

6.4

🎬

The Betty White Show

1977

6.3

Quincy, M.E.

as Margo Bentley

1976

7.5

Charlie's Angels

as Julia Lathrop

1976

6.7

I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?

as Clarice Oliver

1975

2.6

Matt Helm

as Hannah Bigelow

1975

7.4

Ellery Queen

1975

7.4

S.W.A.T.

1975

7.0

Barney Miller

as Miss Caroline Fitzjames

1975

7.3

Planet of the Apes

1974

6.9

Cool Million

as Elizabeth Karinakis

1972

5.0

B.S. I Love You

as Jane Ink

1971

2.0

Alias Smith and Jones

1971

7.0

McCloud

as Karen Chandler

1970

7.1

Nanny and the Professor

1970

6.0

Marcus Welby, M.D.

as Laura Daniels

1969

6.5

Marcus Welby, M.D.

as Noreen Saunders

1969

6.5

The Name of the Game

as Ardith Williams

1968

6.8

Mannix

1967

6.7

Don't Make Waves

as Diane Prescott

1967

5.1

The War Wagon

as Lola

1967

6.8

Too Many Thieves

as Katie

1966

4.5

The Trials of O'Brien

as Katie O'Brien

1965

6.8

Goodbye Charlie

as Janie Highland

1964

5.8

🎬

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

as Connie

1963

5.7

Arrest and Trial

as Melinda Parsons

1963

7.7

🎬

Vacation Playhouse

1963

7.0

Philbert (Three's a Crowd)

as Angela

1963

3.3

The Beverly Hillbillies

as Cynthia Fenwick

1962

6.9

Sam Benedict

as Cordelia Montagne

1962

6.0

The Purple Hills

as Amy Carter

1961

5.0

The Investigators

as Georgette

1961

5.0

Target: The Corruptors!

1961

3.5

Dr. Kildare

as Dr. Suzanne Shary

1961

5.5

Cain's Hundred

as Carol Tredman

1961

4.7

The Parent Trap

as Vicky Robinson

1961

7.0

Spartacus

as Claudia Marius

1960

7.5

The Tab Hunter Show

1960

5.0

Mr. Lucky

1959

6.4

The Untouchables

as Marcie McKuen

1959

7.8

Hawaiian Eye

1959

5.2

Philip Marlowe

1959

5.0

Adventures in Paradise

as Diane Winthrope

1959

5.7

Tarzan, the Ape Man

as Jane

1959

3.9

Laramie

1959

6.6

21 Beacon Street

as Joanna

1959

5.0

Auntie Mame

as Gloria Upson

1958

7.0

Home Before Dark

as Cathy Bergner

1958

7.0

77 Sunset Strip

as Lisa Cabot

1958

6.7

Violent Road

as Lawrence's Wife

1958

6.0

The Real McCoys

1957

5.6

Alcoa Theatre

as Eve Freemont

1957

6.5

Maverick

as Mary Shane

1957

6.9

Maverick

as Mrs. Baxter

1957

6.9

Maverick

as Abby Taylor

1957

6.9

Maverick

as Felice de Lassignac #1

1957

6.9

Maverick

as Daphne Tolliver

1957

6.9

M Squad

as Tammy Worth

1957

5.2

Have Gun, Will Travel

as Penelope Lacey

1957

7.3

No Time to Be Young

as Jeannie

1957

6.1

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

as Joyce Long

1957

6.2

The Garment Jungle

as Model (uncredited)

1957

6.4

Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers

1956

5.0

Cheyenne

1955

6.0

Cheyenne

as Alice Claney

1955

6.0

The Millionaire

as Karen Summers

1955

5.0

General Electric Theater

as Princess Camilla

1953

6.4

What's My Line?

as Self - Panelist

1950

6.9