Barbara Lawrence (February 24, 1930 – November 13, 2013) was an American actress who also worked as a model, writer and later as a real estate businessperson. She is remembered for supporting screen roles in mid-20th century Hollywood, including appearances in the film adaptation of the stage musical Oklahoma! and the feature Margie. Born in Carnegie, Oklahoma, she left the entertainment business in the early 1960s and pursued a second career outside acting.

Career overview

Lawrence began her professional life in an era when many young women moved between modelling, stage and screen work. Over roughly two decades she built a résumé of supporting roles in films and television, often cast as a secondary lead or character player. Her filmography includes parts that exemplify the studio-era pattern of casting promising young performers in ensemble and supporting parts.

Notable roles and screen work

  • Gertie Cummings in the film adaptation of the musical Oklahoma!, a prominent mid-1950s cinematic version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage show.
  • Marybelle in the period feature Margie, another recognizable credit from her screen career.
  • Additional supporting appearances on film and television that typify a working actress of the postwar studio era.

In addition to acting, contemporary accounts and later summaries identify Lawrence as having worked as a model and to have undertaken writing and business pursuits at different points in her life. These activities reflect the common diversification of careers among performers when film work slowed.

Later life and second career

Lawrence retired from professional acting in 1962 and entered the real estate business, where she applied the public-facing skills developed in entertainment to the commercial world. Sources note her role as a real estate businessperson after her retirement from acting. Though she stepped away from the screen, she remained part of the broader community of former film and television professionals whose careers bridged Hollywood and private enterprise.

Personal details and death

Born in Oklahoma, Lawrence's early life gave way to a career in the entertainment industry in California. She died in Los Angeles on November 13, 2013, at the age of 83. Reports indicate the cause of death was kidney failure, and accounts list Los Angeles as the place of passing. Her life has been noted in brief biographical summaries that list acting, modelling, writing and real estate among her pursuits, and she is sometimes described simply as an actress, model and real estate businessperson.

Although she did not remain a headline star, Barbara Lawrence's career illustrates the path of many supporting players who contributed to well-known films and later shifted into other professions. For readers seeking further details about specific credits or contemporary coverage, film databases and archival sources provide filmographies and press notices from the period.

Actress | Real estate | Model | Oklahoma! | Carnegie, Oklahoma | Kidney failure | Los Angeles