Barbara Werle
A versatile Hollywood performer who transitioned from dancing in Elvis films to delivering a chilling performance in a seminal sci-fi thriller.
1928–2013 (age 85)·American actress·Birthday: October 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
Barbara Werle's career was a study in Hollywood adaptability. She began as a dancer and singer, a background that landed her in the vibrant musical comedies and beach party films of the 1960s. Audiences might spot her as one of the energetic chorus girls in 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' or 'Viva Las Vegas,' sharing the screen with Elvis Presley. Her bright, all-American presence was a staple of light entertainment. However, her most lasting impression came from a dramatic left turn. In John Frankenheimer's psychological horror film 'Seconds,' Werle shed her cheerful persona to play a sinister, seductive figure in the film's unsettling climax. This role demonstrated a depth and menace that her earlier work had only hinted at. While she continued acting into the 1970s, appearing in television series like 'Mission: Impossible,' her pivot in 'Seconds' secured her a unique place in cinema history, proving she was far more than just a background dancer.
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 1928, 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 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Barbara's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
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
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2013Died at 85
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
- Delivered a memorable dramatic performance as the enigmatic woman in the climax of the cult classic film 'Seconds'.
- Appeared as a dancer and supporting actress in multiple Elvis Presley films, including 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' and 'Viva Las Vegas'.
- Guest-starred on numerous popular TV series of the 1960s and 70s, such as 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' and 'Mission: Impossible'.
Did You Know?
She was a trained dancer who performed on Broadway in the musical 'Whoop-Up' before moving to film.
Her role in 'Seconds' was originally intended for actress Eva Marie Saint, who turned it down.
She was once married to actor James Farentino.
“The chorus line taught me how to move, but comedy taught me how to land.”
