Byron Elsworth Barr - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Byron E. Barr was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota and grew up in Washington, D.C. During his youth he deveoloped a love for acting by performing in a number of amateur plays. He received a scholarship to the Pasadena Community Playhouse where he was discovered by Warner Brothers. After signing with Warner Brothers he realized that he was being confused with another Actor also known as Byron Barr, so after appearing in the 1942 film "The Gay Sisters," where he played a character name "Gig Young," he adopted that name professionally. During his career he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his roll in the "Teachers Pet," and won an Oscar for his role in the 1969 film, "They Shoot Horses Don't They." Gig Young was married 5-time including a 7-year marriage to actress Elizabeth Montgomery. His 5th marriage ended in tragedy when he shot and killed his wife Kim Schmidt and then killed himself. Gig Young is buried in the Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesville, North Carolina. He is resting just a short distance from Secret Service Agent William "Will" Greer. (visit link)

Source/Credit: (visit link)

Description: Byron Elsworth Barr was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota on November 4, 1913. He developed a love for the theatre while appearing in high school plays in Washington, D. C. After appearing in a number of amateur plays he received a scholarship to the Pasadena Community Playhouse where he was discovered by Warner Brothers. He soon realized that he was being confused with another actor by the same name. In 1942 he appeared in the film “The Gay Sisters,” where he played a character named “Gig Young,” he adopted to use this name professionally for the rest of his career. During World War II he served as a Pharmacist Mate in the United States Coast Guard. After the war he signed with Columbia Pictures but eventually returned to the life of a freelance actor. He earned an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the “Teachers Pet.” Young finally won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1969 film, “They Shoot Horses Don’t They.” Later in his career Young became an alcoholic which resulted in his firing from his role on the comedy film “Blazing Saddles.” His last role was in a 1978 film called the “Game of Death.” Gig Young was married 5-time, including to actress Elizabeth Montgomery (“Bewitched”) from 1956 – 1963. His 5th marriage to Kim Schmidt ended in tragedy after only 3-weeks. On October 19, 1978, Young shot his wife in their Manhattan apartment and then killed himself. Gig Young is buried in the Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesville, North Carolina. Date of birth: 11/04/1913 Date of death: 10/19/1978 Area of notoriety: Entertainment Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.

We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark. However, only respectful photographs are allowed. Logs which include photographs representing any form of disrespectful behavior (including those showing personal items placed on or near the grave location) will be subject to deletion.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   08/17/2012 hammerjane visited it