- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- Barbara Barondess MacLean
- Barbara Barondess was born on July 4, 1907 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Dans tes bras (1933), Soldiers of the Storm (1933) and Make a Wish (1937). She was married to Nathaniel Ruvell, MacLean, Douglas, Irving Jacobs and Leonard Knaster. She died on May 31, 2000 in New York City, New York, USA.
- SpousesNathaniel Ruvell(March 1952 - March 1952) (annulled)MacLean, Douglas(February 20, 1938 - 1948) (divorced)Irving Jacobs(1929 - 1934)Leonard Knaster
- Came from a wealthy Russian Jewish family. Although she was born in New York, she and her family moved to Russia in 1908. During the 1917 Russian revolution, they fled to Poland. Both she and her father were shot and wounded during the flight. In Poland the family was jailed for a while as suspected Russian spies. Because she was an American citizen by birth, they were allowed to travel to the US.
- Founded and funded the Barbara Barondess Theatre Lab in New York City to support nonprofit theater.
- Studied art and design at UCLA. She became a successful interior decorator, designing homes for celebrities like Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer and Errol Flynn. . Her business eventually expanded to the East Coast by the mid-'40s. Barondess later branched out into fashion, designing and manufacturing clothing, and later added cosmetics to her growing empire.
- Won a Miss New York contest at Coney Island, which paved the way for a career on Broadway and a subsequent move to Hollywood.
- [After purchasing two Renoir paintings for Greta Garbo at auction]: She was the tightest, most miserly figure who ever lived. She paid for the paintings that day, but never paid me my commission. I never asked for it. I knew she was a tightwad. She used people and rarely gave anything back.
- [on Greta Garbo]: I think she was the dullest woman I ever met.
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