Barbara Brunton

Barbara Joan Brunton Gibb (13 October 1927 – 29 June 2014), from around 1949 professionally known as Barbara Brunton, was an Australian actress of stage and radio, active between 1940 and 1952.

History

Gibb was born in 1927, the daughter of actress Ethel Lang and theatre impresario, teacher and actor James Brunton Gibb. Barbara was brought up at Lenore Street, Five Dock, Sydney, educated at Fort Street High School, before starting an entertainment career as a radio[1] and stage actress, associated with Doris Fitton's Independent Theatre and the Mercury Theatre professionally under the name Barbara Brunton.

In 1950 Michael Pate and his wife, Bud Tingwell and Brunton had ideas of forming a film production company,[2] but nothing came of it. She was engaged to Tingwell in December 1950,[3] but nothing more was heard of that engagement either.

Gibb left Australia in October 1952[4] and married journalist Stuart Lindsay Revill on Long Island, New York in December 1952.[5] He was for four years head of the ABC's American office in New York, then head of the ABC's Europe office, London. Actress Kate Revill was a daughter.

Brunton died on 29 June 2014, aged 86.[6]

Her sister, Judith Wendy Brunton Gibb (15 October 1925 – ), known as Wendy Gibb, and brother Peter Brunton Gibb (1924–2011) were juvenile leads with the BSA Players in the 1930s.

Selected appearances
Stage
Radio
  • in My Favorite Wife Lux Radio Theatre starring Jack Davey prod. Harry Dearth 1940
  • as bigot's daughter in Deep are the Roots by James Gow and Arnaud d'Usseau 1947
  • as Anne Ridd in Lorna Doone serial on ABC radio 1949
  • regular in "Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories" series ("Aunt Jenny" was her mother, Ethel Lang)
  • as Sheila in An Inspector Calls radio serial
  • as Bernadette in an adaptation of The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel in Lux Radio Theatre 1949
  • The Queen's Husband Caltex Theatre 1949
  • as June in Funny Face George Gershwin 1950
  • Quiet Weekend
  • Who Lies There by Philip Johnson with Gordon Chater, Nancye Stewart in Lux Radio Theatre 1950
  • Rosemary by Elaine Sterne Carrington
  • The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux
  • Front Page Girl by William Morum and William Dinner 1951
  • Night Beat Saturday night drama series
  • Mine Own Executioner 1952
  • The Adventures of Rocky Starr Sci-fi serial on 3DB
  • The Blue Lamp Caltex Theatre
  • Blue Hills, long running ABC serial, as "Sally"; succeeded in 1952 by June Salter.

Connection, if any, between Barbara and her fellow actress Dorothy Brunton (1890–1977) has not yet been found. Dorothy's father was John Brunton (c. 1848– 22 July 1909), born in Scotland. Barbara's grandfather was James Gibb ( –c. 1949) and married Mary Brunton ( –1952) on 4 July 1891. Barbara's father James Gibb (13 January 1897 – 28 June 1968) changed his name to James Brunton Gibb before he married Ethel Isabel Lang (1902 – November 1995) on 1 September 1923.

References
  1. Sydney Morning Herald 4 March 1951
  2. "Future Of The Stars". The Advertiser (Adelaide). 92 (28, 612). South Australia. 23 June 1950. p. 20. Retrieved 19 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "Studio News Brevities". The Age (29, 833). Victoria, Australia. 8 December 1950. p. 1 ("The Age" Radio supplement). Retrieved 19 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "Radio". South Coast Times And Wollongong Argus. LII (74). New South Wales, Australia. 11 August 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 31 July 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Marriage". The Sunday Herald (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 21 December 1952. p. 20. Retrieved 12 February 2020 – via Trove.
  6. "Tributes & Celebrations:Revill, Barbara Joan". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
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