| Birth Date: | 4 June 1912 |
| Birth Place: | Greenville, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Yearsactive: | 1936–1977 |
| Children: | 3 |
Jess Barker (June 4, 1912 – August 8, 2000) was an American actor who was active between the 1940s and 1970s. He was best known as the first husband of actress Susan Hayward.
Barker was born in Greenville, South Carolina.[1]
Barker began his film career credited as Philip Barker until changing his stage name to Jess Barker in the early 1940s.
Barker's movie career was damaged because of the publicity resulting from a bitter custody dispute, but he still managed to find work as an actor on radio and films in supporting roles. Barker appeared as an art critic in Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street (1945) and the Abbott and Costello film The Time of Their Lives (1946). He also made two guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1961 he played defendant Walter Eastman in "The Case of the Injured Innocent," and in 1965 he played Doug Hamilton in "The Case of the Murderous Mermaid."
Barker wed Susan Hayward on July 23, 1944.[2] [3] They had twin sons together during their ten-year marriage, whose custody was won by Hayward after a bitter court battle.
In 1956, Barker lost a paternity suit in Los Angeles. Judge Walter H. Odemar ruled that Barker was the father of Morgana, a daughter born to actress Yvonne Doughty.[4]
Barker died of liver failure in 2000.[5]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | Merd Falin | Film debut |
| 1943 | Good Luck, Mr. Yates | Oliver B. Yates | |
| Government Girl | Dana McGuire | ||
| 1944 | Cover Girl | John Coudair as a Young Man | |
| Jam Session | George Carter Haven | ||
| She's a Soldier Too | Dr. Bill White | ||
| 1945 | Keep Your Powder Dry | Junior Vanderheusen | |
| Senorita from the West | Tim Winters | ||
| This Love of Ours | Chadwick | ||
| The Daltons Ride Again | Jeff Colton | ||
| Scarlet Street | Damon Janeway | ||
| 1946 | Girl on the Spot | Rick Crane | |
| Idea Girl | Larry Brewster | ||
| The Time of Their Lives | Thomas Danbury | ||
| 1949 | Take One False Step | Arnold Sykes | |
| Reign of Terror | |||
| 1950 | The Milkman | John Carter | |
| 1953 | Marry Me Again | Jenkins | |
| 1954 | Dragonfly Squadron | Dixon | |
| 1955 | Kentucky Rifle | Daniel Foster | |
| Shack Out on 101 | Artie | ||
| 1956 | Three Bad Sisters | George Gurney | |
| The Peacemaker | Ed Halcomb | ||
| 1961-1965 | Perry Mason | Walter Eastman/Doug Hamilton | 2 episodes |
| 1964 | Night Walker | Malone | |
| 1968 | The Green Berets | Soldier | Uncredited |
| 1975 | Murph the Surf | Museum Guard | |
| 1977 | Sudden Death | Barnett | Final film |