Barbra Fuller, born Barbara Deane Fuller, was a renowned radio actress who began her career at the tender age of 11. By 18, she had already been featured in 25 radio serials and had portrayed over 1000 different characters. Despite initially aspiring to become a math teacher, she instead pursued a career in show business and went on to become a regular performer on The Theater of Famous Radio Players.
Her most popular roles included Claudia in One Man's Family, which she played for 14 years, and Barbara Calkins in Scattergood Baines for the Mutual Broadcasting System. In 1942, she relocated to New York, where she spent two and a half years before moving back to California to pursue a career in film.
Barbra's early life was marked by tragedy when her father passed away when she was just three years old. She was raised by her mother and attended school in Chicago, where she developed a passion for reading non-fiction and travel books. As a radio actress, she earned $12.50 per broadcast, but as her popularity grew, she changed the spelling of her first name from 'Barbara' to 'Barbra' in an attempt to stand out.
Physically, Barbra was a striking woman with blue eyes and brown hair, which often alternated between platinum and brunette. Ambitious to try her hand at screen acting, she relocated to Beverly Hills and signed a short-term contract with Republic Studios in 1949. Her early film career was marked by a series of B-grade crime dramas and films noir, including The Red Menace, Flame of Youth, Alias the Champ, Harbor of Missing Men, Women from Headquarters, and Trial Without Jury.
In 1950, Barbra headlined in nine films, including several horse operas, and was often paired with leading man Robert Rockwell. When her contract with Republic expired, she turned freelance and worked mainly in television, guest starring in shows like Adventures of Superman, Perry Mason, and Daniel Boone. She was briefly married to B-movie western star Lash La Rue, but the marriage ended after just 15 months due to his alleged mistreatment of her.
