Bigley, Isabel

Isabel Bigley Barnett (1926-2006) was a Broadway singer and actor. She performed as “Laurie” in the London production of Oklahoma! and originated the role of “Sarah Brown” in Guys and Dolls on Broadway, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in 1951. Other performance credits include the Ed Sullivan Show, the Eddie Fisher Show, and the Colgate Comedy Hour. Rogers and Hammerstein developed a musical for her, Me & Juliet. After her marriage to Lawrence Barnett, she retired from performing to raise their children. She later served as chairwoman of the board of the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, CA. Lawrence Barnett (1913-2012) worked his way to President of Music Corporation of America (MCA) Talent Agency, enjoying a 37 year tenure with the company and representing many of the bigband leaders and movie stars of the day. After his time with MCA, he served as an executive for several media and entertainment organizations such as General Artist Corporation (GAC), and United Television. As a philanthropist, he served as founding chair for the ALS Association and with his wife Isabel Bigley Barnett established the Ohio State University Arts Administration and Policy graduate program, and the Barnett Center for Integrated Arts and Enterprise.

From the guide to the Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Collection, 1906-2007, 1947-1980, 1993-2006, (The Ohio State University. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Insitute.)