Barbara Gertrude Jane Luddy (1908 - 1979)

Born 25 May 1908 in Lewis and Clark, Montana, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Roy Ned Le Fevre — married 15 Sep 1942 in Winnetka, Cook, Illinois, United States

Died 1 Apr 1979 at age 70 in Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Barbara Luddy is Notable.

Barbara Luddy was an American actress best known for her prolific radio career, as well as her voiceover work for Walt Disney Studios in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Birth and Childhood

Barbara was born 25 May 1908, at Lewis and Clark County, Montana. She was the daughter of Will and Molly Luddy.^[1] Early newspaper reports covering Barbara's early entertainment career, state that Barbara's father died when she was young girl, and in 1910, at age three, she was residing with her "widowed" mother on the farm of D. Preston in Kansas City, Missouri.^[2] Shortly thereafter, she went to stay with her maternal grandparents in Boise, Idaho, while her mother returned to Montana.^[3] However, the evidence suggests that Barbar's parents were actually divorced, that her father had moved away from Montana, and that he eventually began another family.

In 1912, Barbara's mother married Arthur T. Sullivan, but this marriage was short-lived. In 1916, her mother married Dr. Egerton Sproule, who, during World War I, joined the armed forces and was sent to France. Meanwhile, Barbara used her talents performing to raise money for the Red Cross. She was soon recognized as the most successful child performer in the state of Montana. In 1918, she received a contract with a film company to appear in a series of child pictures and headed to Hollywood with her mother.^[4] It is unclear what, if any, films she appeared in as a child, but it wasn't long before she was back in Montana.

In 1920, Barbara was residing with her mother and step-father in an apartment in Silver Bow, Montana, where Barbara was a twelve-year-old student. Barbara attended Ursuline Convent in Great Falls, Montana.

Career

In 1925, at age 17, Barbara returned to Hollywood where she began appearing in silent films. She became a sensation with her role in the comedy East Side West Side opposite George Harris. (1925). A half dozen other films followed. She briefly left film in 1929, to tour Australia with Leo Carrillo as part of a touring company of Lombardi, Ltd. in which she played a mannequin.

In December 1925, the Hollywood newspapers reported Barbara's engagement to noted photographer Lansing Brown, who she'd met during a publicity shoot. There does not appear to be any evidence, however, that a marriage ever took place.

Upon her return to the United States, Barbara became a member of the dramatic radio cast of the Chicago Theater of the Air. From 1936 to 1953, she was a regular performer on radio's The First Nighter Program. She also played Veronica Gunn in the comedy Great Gunns.  In soap operas, she played Judith Clark in Lonely Women,  Carol Evans Martin in The Road of Life,  and Janet Munson in Woman in White.

Today, Barbara is perhaps best remembered for the voice work she performed in numerous animated films for Walt Disney Studios. She played the titular Lady in Lady and the Tramp (1955), the good fairy Merryweather in Sleeping Beauty (1959), Rover in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), Mother Rabbit and Little Sister in Robin Hood (1973), and Kanga in the Winnie-the-Pooh featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974) [all of which were edited into the composite feature The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)].

Barbara's other film credits include Terrified (1962) and the TV film Lost Flight (1969). She also guest starred in episodes of such television programs as Hazel, Dragnet, Adam-12, and Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

Marriage and Family

Barbara married R. Ned LeFevre, an actor and announcer, on 18 Sep 1942, at Winnetka, Illinois.^[5] The couple had a daughter, Barbara (1949-2013), and a son, Chris, who preceded Barbara in death.

Retirement and Death

Barbara died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, California, in 1979, at age 70.

Sources

1. ↑ Montana County Births and Deaths, 1830-2011, Ancestry.com (database online) Barbara Getrude Luddy (1908).
2. ↑ 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Ancestry.com (database online) Missouri, Jackson County, Kansas City, ED 27, sheet 8A, dwelling 96, family 147, household of D. Preston.
3. ↑ Great Falls (MT) Tribune, 2 May 1912, page 3.
4. ↑ The Independent-Record (Helene, MT) 28 Jul 1918, page 1.
5. ↑ Chicago, Illinios Marriage Index, 1930-1960, Ancestry.com (database online) License #DF2EC337-2664-4041-AOBA-97B15817C8F4, R. Ned Lefevre to Barbara Jane Luddy (1942).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13533556/barbara-luddy : accessed 31 October 2021), memorial page for Barbara Luddy (25 May 1908–1 Apr 1979), Find a Grave Memorial ID 13533556, ; Maintained by Find a Grave Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend.

• Wikipedia: Barbara Luddy
• Wikidata: Item Q2883986
• IMDB: Barbara Luddy]
• Disney Wiki: Barbara Luddy
• WikiTree: Classic Disney Project