Don 'Red' Barry height - How tall is Don 'Red' Barry?

Barry continued to work and still appeared in westerns up through the 1970s, but they were often in small supporting roles, sometimes unbilled.

Unfortunately, while Barry could in fact be a good actor when he wanted to be -- as he showed in the World War II drama The Purple Heart (1944) -- his "feistiness", combative nature and oversized ego caused him to alienate many of the casts and crews he worked with at Republic (ace serial director William Witney detested him, calling him "the midget", and director John English worked with him once and refused to ever work with him again).

Had a reputation among directors, especially at Republic Pictures, of being "difficult". Director William Witney made no secret of the fact that he couldn't stand Barry, and John English had so much trouble with him that he finally took him to Republic boss Herbert J. Yates to get things straightened out. After their third picture together, Black Hills Express (1943), English flat-out refused to work with Barry again.

Donald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder (1940). Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there. He acquired the nickname "Red" from his association with the Red Ryder character. After the success of "Red Ryder" Barry starred in a string of westerns for Republic. Studio chief Herbert J. Yates got the idea that Barry could be Republic's version of James Cagney, as he was short and had the same scrappy, feisty nature that Cagney had.

Barry made a series of westerns at Republic throughout the 1940s, but by 1950 his career had pretty much come to a halt, and he was reduced to making cheaper and cheaper pictures for bottom-of-the-barrel companies like Lippert and Screen Guild.

Barry was spotted by John Wayne and Mickey Rooney in a game in which his Texas All-Stars lost to UCLA. However, Barry's playing ability impressed the actors, who offered to help him break into movies. Rooney got him a part in Boys Town (1938) but Barry kept blowing his lines in a scene with Spencer Tracy, and director Victor Fleming replaced him.

He at times has been mistakenly associated with "Red Barry" (1937) the comic strip detective who was played by Buster Crabbe.