This page will contain blogs about Lex Barker, as they become available.

Lex Barker

Lex Barker (May 8, 1919 - May 11, 1973) was born Alexander Crichlow Barker, Jr. in Rye, New York. He is best known as the tenth actor to play Tarzan in the movies, and starred in nearly thirty movies in the 1940s and 1950s. During this time he enlisted to fight in World War II and eventually rose to the rank of Major.

In 1957, as he found it harder and harder to find work in American films, Lex moved to Europe and found popularity and starred in over forty European films, especially in Germany. There he also starred in two movies based on the Doctor Mabuse-stories (formerly filmed by Fritz Lang) and in 13 movies based on novels by German author Karl May (1842-1912). There he was playing the characters of Old Shatterhand, Kara Ben Nemsi and Dr. Sternau.

He even recorded a single with the composer of some of the Karl-May-movie-soundtracks, Martin Boettcher, in German language. The tracks are named " Ich bin morgen auf dem Weg zu dir" (I'll be on the way to you tomorrow) and "Mädchen in Samt und Seide" (Girls in Velvet and Silk), the last one is said to have been very much liked by elderly ladies at that time. (The co-star in some of Barker's Karl-May-movies, French actor Pierre Brice, also recorded in German language and even managed to get some CDs of his own.)

In 1966 Barker was awarded with the "Bambi Award" as "Best Foreign Actor" in Germany.

He married five times:

  1. Constanze Thurlow (1942 - 1950) (divorced)
  2. Arlene Dahl (1951 - 1952) (divorced)
  3. Lana Turner (8 September 1953 - 22 July 1957) (divorced)
  4. Irene Labhardt (1957 - 1962) (marriage ended at her death)
  5. Maria del Carmen Cervera (1965 - 1972) (divorce not valid, marriage ended with his death), who later became the fifth wife of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza

He was engaged at the time of his death to actress Karen Kondazian.

Barker continued to work in films until his last appearance in 1967's Woman Times Seven.

He died three days after his 54th birthday of a heart attack in New York City. His son Christopher Barker also became an actor.

Discography

  • Ich bin morgen auf dem Weg zu dir / Mädchen wie Samt und Seide

1965, Single, Decca D 19 725

  • Winnetou du warst mein Freund

1996, CD, Bear Family Records BCD 15 984 AH (http://www.bear-family.de/mailorder/showoneproduct.html?lang=&p=BCD+15984)
(contains both single tracks and the singing-merits of Pierre Brice as well)

Literature

  • Reiner Boller, Christina Böhme: Lex Barker - Die Biografie. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag, Germany, 2003, 480 pages. ISBN 3-896-024-442
  • Manfred Christ: Von Tarzan bis Old Shatterhand - Lex Barker und seine Filme, Günter Albert Ulmer Verlag, Tuningen, Germany, 1994, 288 pages - ISBN 3924191816

This page about Lex Barker includes information from a Wikipedia article.
Additional articles about Lex Barker
News stories about Lex Barker
External links for Lex Barker
Videos for Lex Barker
Wikis about Lex Barker
Discussion Groups about Lex Barker
Blogs about Lex Barker
Images of Lex Barker

1996, CD, Bear Family Records BCD 15 984 AH (http://www.bear-family.de/mailorder/showoneproduct.html?lang=&p=BCD+15984)
(contains both single tracks and the singing-merits of Pierre Brice as well). On his passing, Stephen Boyd was interred in Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California. 1965, Single, Decca D 19 725. He died of a heart attack while playing golf. His son Christopher Barker also became an actor. His career declined in the 70s and he appeared in several European potboilers before making a comeback in Michael Apted's British gangster thriller The Squeeze (1977). He died three days after his 54th birthday of a heart attack in New York City. His non-epic roles included the musical Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) opposite Doris Day, the Hollywood melodrama The Oscar (1966), the sci-fi special effects extravaganza Fantastic Voyage (1966), the spy thriller Assignment K (1969) and the international Western Shalako (1969), shot in Spain.

Barker continued to work in films until his last appearance in 1967's Woman Times Seven. Boyd also appeared in John Huston's Biblical epic The Bible...in the Beginning (1966) and was top-billed in another costumed epic Genghis Khan (1965), filmed in Yugoslavia. He appeared in the French-produced Napoleonic epic Imperial Venus (1962), playing opposite Gina Lollobrigida. He was engaged at the time of his death to actress Karen Kondazian. Mankiewicz and the role of Mark Antony went to Richard Burton). He married five times:. He was originally chosen to play Mark Antony opposite Elizabeth Taylor in 20th Century-Fox's epic production of Cleopatra under the direction of Rouben Mamoulian, but eventually withdrew from the problem-plagued production when he commmitted to star in The Fall of the Roman Empire (Cleopatra was later directed by Joseph L. In 1966 Barker was awarded with the "Bambi Award" as "Best Foreign Actor" in Germany. His role as Messala in Ben-Hur (1959) propelled him to international fame and he was thereafter fated to play roles wearing breastplates and Roman togas, as in Samuel Bronston's The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), in which he co-starred with Sophia Loren.

(The co-star in some of Barker's Karl-May-movies, French actor Pierre Brice, also recorded in German language and even managed to get some CDs of his own.). He went to Hollywood and appeared as second leads in a variety of films. The tracks are named " Ich bin morgen auf dem Weg zu dir" (I'll be on the way to you tomorrow) and "Mädchen in Samt und Seide" (Girls in Velvet and Silk), the last one is said to have been very much liked by elderly ladies at that time. Boyd began in British films, but it was his role in a 1957 French film Les bijoutiers du clair de lune (English title: Heaven Fell That Night) opposite Brigitte Bardot that got him noticed. He even recorded a single with the composer of some of the Karl-May-movie-soundtracks, Martin Boettcher, in German language. Stephen Boyd (July 4, 1931 - June 2, 1977) - was an Irish actor, born in Glengormley in Northern Ireland, who starred in over fifty films. There he was playing the characters of Old Shatterhand, Kara Ben Nemsi and Dr. Sternau.

There he also starred in two movies based on the Doctor Mabuse-stories (formerly filmed by Fritz Lang) and in 13 movies based on novels by German author Karl May (1842-1912). In 1957, as he found it harder and harder to find work in American films, Lex moved to Europe and found popularity and starred in over forty European films, especially in Germany. During this time he enlisted to fight in World War II and eventually rose to the rank of Major. He is best known as the tenth actor to play Tarzan in the movies, and starred in nearly thirty movies in the 1940s and 1950s.

Lex Barker (May 8, 1919 - May 11, 1973) was born Alexander Crichlow Barker, Jr. in Rye, New York. Manfred Christ: Von Tarzan bis Old Shatterhand - Lex Barker und seine Filme, Günter Albert Ulmer Verlag, Tuningen, Germany, 1994, 288 pages - ISBN 3924191816. ISBN 3-896-024-442. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag, Germany, 2003, 480 pages.

Reiner Boller, Christina Böhme: Lex Barker - Die Biografie. Winnetou du warst mein Freund
. Ich bin morgen auf dem Weg zu dir / Mädchen wie Samt und Seide
. Maria del Carmen Cervera (1965 - 1972) (divorce not valid, marriage ended with his death), who later became the fifth wife of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.

Irene Labhardt (1957 - 1962) (marriage ended at her death). Lana Turner (8 September 1953 - 22 July 1957) (divorced). Arlene Dahl (1951 - 1952) (divorced). Constanze Thurlow (1942 - 1950) (divorced).