Barbara Whiting
Barbara Whiting Smith (May 19, 1931 – June 9, 2004) was an American actress and singer.
Also recorded as Barbara Whiting Smith
Barbara Whiting
The Bureau of Industrial Service, for CBS Television. In the 1950s and 1960s, ad or publicity agencies were often used to distribute publicity materials. The Bureau, a division of ad agency Young Rubi · eBay item photo front photo back · Public domain
- Name
- Barbara Whiting
- Born
- 19 May 1931
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Died
- 9 June 2004
- Place of death
- Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Actress
- Nationality
- United States
- Honours
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Languages
- English
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q4859406 · wikipedia · Barbara Whiting
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Barbara Whiting • Born — 19 May 1931 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Died — 9 June 2004 • Place of death — Pontiac, Michigan, U.S. • Other Names — Barbara Whiting Smith • Occupation — * Actress • Singer • Years Active — 1945–1957 • Children — 1 • Father — Richard A. Whiting • Relatives — Margaret Whiting (sister)
Early life
Early life
Whiting was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of music manager Eleanor Youngblood Whiting and composer Richard A. Whiting. Her older sister was singer Margaret Whiting.
Career
Career
Her movie career began with the 1945 film, Junior Miss, a movie based on her popular radio show by the same name. This was followed by nine other starring roles until she married Gail Smith and retired. On television, she co-starred with her sister, Margaret in Those Whiting Girls on CBS. The program debuted July 4, 1955, as a summer replacement for I Love Lucy. Whiting's radio career was what she was most known for during her lifetime. In 1948 she began to star in CBS's Junior Miss. It was one of the most successful radio shows of the time especially with younger audiences. On February 8, 1960, Barbara was honored with a star at 6443 Hollywood Boulevard, in the television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
On May 7, 1959, Whiting married Gail Smith, an advertising professional. It was her first marriage and his second. They had a son, Richard Whiting Smith. Barbara was a "longtime volunteer" at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, Pontiac, Michigan. She lived a quiet life, dedicated to her son Richard. Whiting died of cancer, in Pontiac, Michigan, aged 73, June 9, 2004. She was survived by her sister and a son.
Select television appearances
Select television appearances
• The Ed Sullivan Show • Starlight Theatre (1950) • The Bigelow Theatre (1951) • Dragnet (1954) • The Public Defender (1954) - Elly Black / Torry • Those Whiting Girls - Desilu Studios (1955-1957) (TV serial) • Fireside Theatre (1955) - Marian • The Jimmy Durante Show (1955) - Herself - Suzy the Hatcheck Girl • TV Reader's Digest (1956) - Birdie • The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1956) - Herself - Singer • Men of Annapolis (1957) - Willie (Wilhelmina)
Select radio credits
Select radio credits
• Hollywood Star Time • Meet Corliss Archer • The Screen Guild Theater • The Great Gildersleeve • Family Theater • The Bing Crosby Show • Escape • The Railroad Hour • Suspense • Broadway Is My Beat • On Stage • Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
Photo of actresses Margaret (top) and Barbara Whiting, who were sisters and were the stars of a summer replacement television program Those Whiting Girls.
The Bureau of Industrial Service, for CBS Television. In the 1950s and 1960s, ad or publicity agencies were often used to distribute publicity materials. The Bureau, a division of ad agency Young Rubi · eBay item photo front photo back
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Los Angeles.
Birth place
Pontiac.
Death place
Select film credits
• Junior Miss (1945) - Fuffy Adams • Centennial Summer (1946) - Susanna Rogers • Home, Sweet Homicide (1946) - Jo-Ella Holbrook • Carnival in Costa Rica (1947) - Maria Molina • City Across the River (1949) - Annie Kane • I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1951) - Ellen Cooper • Beware, My Lovely (1952) - Ruth Williams • Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (1952) - Suzy Milligan • Dangerous When Wet (1953) - Suzie Higgins • Paris Follies of 1956 (1955) (with sister Margaret Whiting) - Barbara Walton
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Barbara Whiting, revision 1371017156 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Film Actress Barbara Whiting Smith Dies. The Index-Journal. 4. June 13, 2004.
- 2.Heckman, Dan. Margaret Whiting dies at 86; pop singer mentored by Johnny Mercer. Los Angeles Times. January 13, 2011.
- 3.Premiere Set for New Show. The Daily Herald. 17. June 27, 1955.
- 4.Barbara Whiting Smith. Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 5.Barbara Whiting And Ad Man Marry. The Times. 27. May 11, 1959.
- 6.(movie ad). Brownwood Bulletin. 2. June 13, 1956.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 25 August 2026.
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