Barbara Lawrence

Barbara Lawrence was an actress who is best known for the role of Gertie Cummings in the 1955 movie version of the musical Oklahoma! In addition to her film work, she made numerous appearances on television.

Lawrence herself was an Oklahoman. She was born in the town of Carnegie, Oklahoma, and lived in Kansas City before relocating to Los Angeles with her family.

She began modeling in her youth and broke into movies while attending UCLA . Her early credits included Diamond Horseshoe, Captain from Castille, You Were Meant for Me and Give My Regards to Broadway. She also had roles in the 1948 release Unfaithfully Yours, written and directed by Preston Sturges, and the Oscar-winning drama A Letter to Three Wives in 1949. In addition to those and Oklahoma!, she also had a role in the 1957 science fiction drama Kronos.

In 1950 she made her television debut in an episode of The Silver Theatre. In the years that followed she also appeared in such series as The Ford Television Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Four Star Playhouse, Alcoa Theatre, Riverboat, Bat Masterson, Bonanza and Perry Mason.

She left acting after an appearance in a 1962 episode of the western TV drama The Tall Man and later became an author, publicist and real estate agent in Beverly Hills.

Lawrence, who has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, died November 13, 2013, in Los Angeles. She was 83.