Isabel Bigley
| Isabel Bigley | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 23, 1926 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 30, 2006 (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Westwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Spouse(s) | Lawrence Barnett (1953–2006; her death); 6 children |
Isabel Bigley (February 23, 1926 – September 30, 2006) was an American actress, perhaps best remembered for originating the part of Sarah Brown in Frank Loesser's Guys and Dolls.
The Bronx-born Bigley had been playing the role of Laurey in the London production of Oklahoma! in 1950 when she was offered the role of Sarah Brown, the "mission doll", in the original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls. For her performance, she received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 1953 she starred as Jeanie, the chorus girl, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein show Me and Juliet, a role created especially for her. Bigley performed frequently in the early days of television in such shows as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Colgate Comedy Hour. On June 25, 1951, she appeared with other entertainers in a one-hour program on CBS that was the start of nationally broadcast color television.
In 1953, she married Lawrence R. Barnett, then president of the Music Corporation of America. She retired in 1958 to raise their six children. She died in 2006 from undisclosed causes, aged 80. Her widower died on June 11, 2012, aged 98.
Barnett and Bigley made many charitable contributions to arts education, including establishing a graduate program in arts policy and administration at Ohio State University. Bigley lived in both Los Angeles and Rancho Mirage and in 2005 she was named chairwoman of the board of the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert.
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