See also Biography Index (B) :: Filmography Index (B) :: Discography Index (B)

Barry S. Coe (born November 26, 1934, in Los Angeles) is an American actor who appeared in film and on television from 1956-1978. Many of his motion pictures parts were minor, but he co-starred in one series, Follow the Sun, which aired on ABC during the 1961-1962 season, and also played the recognizable "Mr. Goodwrench" on TV commercials in the 70s and 80s. Barry was born in California to an American publicist and a Scottish immigrant mother. His father was publicist at Warner Brothers in the 1920s and 1930s and represented a list of stars that included Errol Flynn, John Barrymore, and Eddie Albert. His father died from a car crash on Laurel Canyon when Barry was six years old, and his mother married an engineer after his death. Coe attended the University of Southern California and was discovered by a talent scout during a trip with his fraternity to Palm Springs in the mid-1950s. Thereafter he was signed under contract for 20th Century Fox as an actor. Coe`s first film appearance was as Mr. Davis in Elvis Presley`s Love Me Tender in 1956. While at the 20Th Century Fox studios he went on a date with actress Barbara Eden. The next year he played the lustful Rodney Harrington in the original Peyton Place film, based on the Grace Metalious novel. In 1958, he appeared in The Bravados, and in 1959, he was cast in But Not for Me. In 1960, Coe secured a Golden Globe award for the Most Promising Newcomer - Male, along with James Shigeta, Troy Donahue, and George Hamilton.

Coe is married to the former Jorunn Kristiansen, who was a Norwegian beauty queen in the 1950s and now a painter (born 1940). Their son is William Shea Coe (born 1966). In the 1980s, a daughter of Barry Coe`s went to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Barry Coe had a side business in nutritional supplements --Adventures in Nutrition; labels for the containers were printed by Joe Faust. He lived in the wealthy town of Brentwood, Los Angeles, California for several years.

Post a Comment | View All Comments (1)