Jess Barker

Who was Jess Barker?

Jess Barker was an American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s. He began his film career credited as Philip Barker until changing his stage name to Jess Barker in the early 1940s. He is probably most famous for being the first husband of actress Susan Hayward. They had twin sons together during their ten-year marriage, whose custody was won by Hayward after a bitter court battle. Barker's movie career was damaged because of the bad publicity, but he still managed to find work as an actor on radio and films in supporting roles. Barker appeared in Scarlet Street and the Abbott and Costello film The Time of Their Lives. He also made two guest appearances on Perry Mason. In 1961 he played defendant Walter Eastman in "The Case of the Injured Innocent," and in 1965 he played Doug Hamilton in "The Case of the Murderous Mermaid."