Quite a few e-mails have asked me, "Where's your Gene Barry obit?" I wasn't going to post one because I have no special insight or experience with Mr. Barry to share. I enjoyed him in his many TV shows and I thought he was quite good in the musical, La Cage Aux Folles. I have no idea if Mr. Barry had an ounce of gay in him but if he didn't, he did a great job of acting like he did…and if he did, he did a great job of playing one who was good at passing for straight.
I told him that the one time I met him…a brief chat at one of those Hollywood Collector Shows. We also talked a bit about the Bat Masterson and Burke's Law comic books that people were bringing to him for autographing. He hadn't seen much of them back when he was starring in those shows and was only now discovering what was in them. (I identified for him the artist he thought drew him best. It was Gene Colan.)
Pre-Masterson, Barry had been a Broadway actor and a successful one. In 1983, he startled many by returning to the stage there as one of the leads in La Cage Aux Folles. Today, it would not be risky for a "leading man" type to play gay — whether he actually was or wasn't — but back then, a lot of them would have feared damage to their reputations. The job resurrected Barry's acting career and I doubt too many thespians worry about such things these days, thanks in part to the courage of Gene Barry.
He seemed like a nice man. He had a great career. That's about all I have to say. Here's a link to a real obituary.