Barbara Lawrence
A Hollywood starlet who traded the studio lot for the boardroom, building a second, formidable career as a New York real estate executive.
1930–2013 (age 83)·American writer and real-estate businessperson, and retired actress and model·Birthday: February 24·The Silent Generation
Biography
Barbara Lawrence first captivated America as a fresh-faced model and contract player for 20th Century Fox in the 1940s. With her bright smile and energetic presence, she shone in supporting roles in musicals and comedies like 'The Street with No Name' and 'Oklahoma!', where she played Gertie Cummings. But at the height of her film career, she made a decisive and unconventional pivot. Leaving Hollywood behind, she moved to New York City and entered the competitive world of Manhattan real estate. She proved to be as sharp in business as she was on screen, rising to become a vice president at the major firm Douglas Elliman. Lawrence successfully navigated the high-stakes market for decades, representing prestigious properties and cultivating a clientele far removed from the Hollywood circles of her youth. Her life story is one of two distinct acts, demonstrating a formidable adaptability and intelligence that extended well beyond the camera's reach.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Barbara was born in 1930, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barbara Was Born
The biggest hits of 1930
#1 Movie
All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front
Barbara's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1930Born
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1935Started school
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1943Became a teenager
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Could drive
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1948Could vote
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Turned 21
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1960Turned 30
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 40
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 50
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 60
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 70
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 80
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2013Died at 83
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
Key Achievements
- Starred as Gertie Cummings in the classic 1955 film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'Oklahoma!'
- Built a successful second career as a Vice President at the prominent New York real estate firm Douglas Elliman.
- Appeared in over 20 films during the 1940s and 1950s under contract with 20th Century Fox.
Did You Know?
She was crowned 'Miss Palm Springs' in 1946, which helped launch her modeling and acting career.
Lawrence was a skilled equestrian and performed some of her own riding stunts in western films.
She left acting in the early 1960s to focus on her family and her new career in real estate.
“A screen test is a job interview where you're the product and the script.”
