Barbara Kent (née Cloutman; December 16, 1907 – October 13, 2011) was a Canadian film actress, prominent from the silent film era to the early talkies of the 1920s and 1930s. In 1925, Barbara Kent won the Miss Hollywood Beauty Pageant.
Career
Barbara Cloutman was born on December 16, 1907, in Gadsby, Alberta, Canada, to Lily Louise Kent and Jullion Curtis Cloutman.[1] Sources differ on surname as Klowtmann or Cloutman and birth year as 1907 or 1906.[2] In 1925, she graduated from Hollywood High School and went on to win the Miss Hollywood Pageant.[3][4] It was also the year in which she began her Hollywood career with a small role for Universal Studios, which signed her to a contract.[4] A petite brunette who stood less than five feet tall, Kent became popular as a comedian opposite such stars as Reginald Denny. She made a strong impression as the heroine pitted against Greta Garbo's femme fatale in Flesh and the Devil in 1926 after Universal had lent the actress to MGM to make the film.[4]
Kent then attracted the attention of audiences and censors in the 1927 production No Man's Law by appearing to swim nude. She actually wore a flesh-colored moleskin bathing suit in scenes that were considered very daring at the time.[5] The popularity of that film led to her selection as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars for 1927. She made a smooth transition into talking pictures opposite Harold Lloyd in the 1929 comedy Welcome Danger.[5] Kent was also featured with Lloyd in his iconic Feet First.[4] Over the next few years, she remained popular and received critical praise in 1933 for her role in the film version of Oliver Twist.[5]
Kent had a great love for the outdoors. Always active, she enjoyed golf, fly fishing, hunting, and gardening. She was a longtime member of Marakkesh, Sunland, and Thunderbird Country Clubs. She was known as a talented cook and loved entertaining friends and family.[citation needed]
Following the death of her husband Harry in 1949, Kent retreated from public life.[citation needed]
She married again in 1954, to Jack Monroe,[8] a Lockheed aircraft engineer.[9][5] Her second husband gave her flying lessons,[9] and Kent continued to fly light aircraft until her 85th birthday,[8] and was still playing golf well into her mid-90s.[10] The couple resided initially in Sun Valley, Idaho, but later relocated to Palm Desert, California. There Kent lived until her death, at the age of 103, on October 13, 2011.[5]
