George Barris(1925-2015)
- Additional Crew
- Actor
- Producer
George Barris was born in Chicago in the mid twenties. In 1928, he and
his older brother Sam moved to Roseville, California with relatives
after their parents died. George pursued a passion for building
scratch-built aircraft models which led to model cars. The brothers
interest in cars intensified during their teenage years as they
discovered "the black art" of body work by hanging out after school at
local body shops. The movie studios had taken note of Barris kustoms on
the streets and at races and came to George for cars for their films.
One of the first films Barris made cars for was called Jeunesse Droguée! (1958). The
success of the initial movie car venture motivated George to seek
business in Hollywood. This included customizing the personal cars of
the stars as well. As the past forty plus years have shown, this
association with the studios and stars has been long and fascinating.
As the sixties began, George shifted gears and bought a new shop in
Toluca Lake, CA where he designed and built award winning cars. He also
became a father to daughter Joji and son Brett. George continues to
work out of this shop today.
