James Lee Barrett
Born in Charlotte in 1929, Barrett was reared in Anderson by a schoolteacher aunt, Armina Barrett, who claimed that while in elementary school he put together and distributed a neighborhood newspaper. Known for being outspoken, independent and for championing the underdog, Barrett is remembered by some Andersonians for one of his earliest published pieces, a letter to the editor which appeared in the Anderson Daily Mail in 1950 in defense of film star Ingrid Bergman, who was vilified at the time for becoming pregnant as a result of an extramarital affair.
Twenty years--and every odd job imaginable--later, he had established himself as a writer-producer and one of Hollywood's best scenarists. Among his screen adaptations are The Greatest Story Ever Told, Bandolero, and Fools' Parade. He wrote original screenplays such as The Cheyenne Social Club, ...tick... tick... tick..., Something Big and Shenandoah, for which he received a Tony Award. His television film credits include Angel City, Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo, The Quick and the Dead, Jesse, and more. Barrett died of cancer on October 15, 1989, at his home in Templeton, California.
Twenty years--and every odd job imaginable--later, he had established himself as a writer-producer and one of Hollywood's best scenarists. Among his screen adaptations are The Greatest Story Ever Told, Bandolero, and Fools' Parade. He wrote original screenplays such as The Cheyenne Social Club, ...tick... tick... tick..., Something Big and Shenandoah, for which he received a Tony Award. His television film credits include Angel City, Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo, The Quick and the Dead, Jesse, and more. Barrett died of cancer on October 15, 1989, at his home in Templeton, California.
