BARRIE'S CINDERELLA STORY is a combination of hard, dedicated work and a coincidence. She was born in Kings Point, Long Island (suburb of New York City), where she started her ballet training when she was three years old.
"We moved to Encino, Calif., when I was six, and for the next three years I went horse-crazy, forgetting all about dancing," Barrie recalled. "I actually rode and showed horses until I was 13. But I went back to ballet again when I was pine and soon learned that dancing and horseback riding don't mix. I found out that each one requires different muscles, so I finally concentrated fulltime on what I wanted to do the most — dance.""
Nine-year-old Barrie resumed her ballet lessons with Adolf Bolm. When he died four years later, she continued her studies with Maria Bekefi. During the same period she attended Encino Elementary School and then went on to the Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. While at the Bekefi school she was spotted by a film talent scout and her ballet career closed, but a new one opened.
"I HAD TRAINED ALL MY LIFE for ballet, but then I accepted the movie offer," Barrie said. "I had finished high school and it was time I started working. It's funny, though, after the many years of ballet training, I ended up dancing a minuet in the swashbuckling movie, ‘Scaramouche.' "
Soon after the film was completed, Barrie teamed with Igor Dega for a nightclub dancing act, appearing in Hilton hotels and Las Vegas. Upon returning to Hollywood, Barrie joined the Jack Cole dancers at M-G-M. She became Cole's assistant and worked with him in "Les Girls," "Designing Women" and "Silk Stockings."
On the "Silk Stockings" set a "magic" coincidence occurred when Astaire, who was starred in the film, spotted Barrie and impressed with her dance ability, signed her for a brief dance routine in the movie — planning some day to introduce her as his newest dancing partner.
Barrie completed her dancing role in "Mardi Gras" in which she plays the girlfriend of Tommy Sands. The dancer branched out into acting and took dramatic lessons with coach Jeff Corey.
