Joanna Barnes – star of both Parent Trap movies – dies, aged 87
The actress appeared in the the original version and the remake of The Parent Trap.
Actress and writer Joanna Barnes has died at the age of 87 following a long illness, according to her friend Sally Jackson (via The Hollywood Reporter).
She died on Friday at her home in California after dealing with “multiple health problems,” her friend said.
Barnes starred as the antagonist Vicky Robinson, the money-grabbing woman with her sights set on marrying the twins' father Mitch Evers (Brian Keith) in 1961's The Parent Trap.
She later played the gold-digging Meredith Blake's (Elaine Hendrix) mother in the 1998 remake.
Barnes was a silver and small screen veteran whose acting career included roles in The War Wagon, with Kirk Douglas and John Wayne, Home Before Dark and Spartacus.
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She also played Jane opposite Denny Miller in 1959's Tarzan, the Ape Man.
In 1958's Auntie Mame, she played snooty debutante Gloria Upson, earning herself a Golden Globe nomination.
Her TV credits include 21 Beacon Street, The Millionaire, Murder She Wrote and Cheers.
She was also a regular panelist on early episodes of What's My Line?.
In addition to acting, Barnes was known as a writer and newspaper columnist.
She wrote a book on home decorating, titled Starting from Scratch, and several novels, including The Deceivers, Who is Carla Hart? and Pastora.
Her final acting credit was in an episode of ABC sitcom Then Came You back in 2000.
Fans have paid tribute to Barnes on social media, with one praising her performance as Gloria Upson, saying: "[F]ew performers ever brought me as much joy as you did in a single scene."
She is survived by her sisters, Lally and Judith, and her stepchildren, John, Laura and Louise.
