Barry Livingston is a former child actor that rose to prominence by starring in the classic
television series My Three Sons alongside his older brother.
Both Barry and his brother managed to eschew the infamous “child-star curse” upon their
coming of age, with Barry still being a successful television actor today!
While Barry rose to prominence playing the nerdy character of Ernie Douglas on My Three
Sons, he underwent a transformation in his adult years because being known for playing
a nerdy kid didn’t help him very much with the ladies.
Join Facts Verse as we explore why the transformation of Barry Livingston is turning heads.
Barry Livingston Says His Time on My Three Sons Didn’t Help Him Very Much with the
Ladies When child star Barry Livingston came onto
the classic television series My Three Sons halfway through its fourth season, he quickly
won the hearts of the television audience thanks to his portrayal of the lovable and
nerdy Ernie Douglas.
However, as the star has been candid about in his later years, rising to prominence as
the nerdy character of Ernie didn’t help Barry much with the ladies when it came time
for him to come of age.
Instead, Barry realized that he was going to have to make a transformation in his adult
years in order to leave this image behind, and he did so!
Barry Livingston is now 68 years old, and he’s been happily married since 1983.
Of course, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Barry was able to turn his
image around after the end of My Three Sons and leave behind the nerdy persona of Ernie
Douglas for good.
Not only was Barry able to make a stunning physical transformation during his adulthood,
but he was also able to avoid the supposed curse that has affected so many other child
stars over the years.
According to Barry, it didn’t take long for him to realize after his coming of age
that using his past experience as a child star on My Three Sons wasn’t a great way
to pick up ladies.
Similarly, he realized fairly early on in his adult life that he was going to have to
work very hard to avoid the fate of most of his child-star peers.
Barry knew that he was going to have a hard time maintaining his success in the entertainment
industry into his adulthood, but he was up for the challenge.
Barry Livingston had already had some experience acting before he was given his role on My
Three Sons.
The child star had appeared in a couple of episodes of The Lucy Show, and he has recalled
his fondness for Lucille Ball.
According to Barry, his perception of Lucille Ball during his childhood years came from
memories of her driving around the studio lot on a golf cart with a cigarette hanging
out of her mouth.
Barry claims that Lucille was always very polite whenever it came time for her to interact
with him, and this pleasant show-business experience helped out a lot when it came time
for Barry to start up his gig as a regular cast member on My Three Sons.
Another thing that helped was that his older brother was already a regular cast member
on the show!
That brother is 71-year-old Stanley Livingston.
Both Barry and Stanley Livingston Avoided the Infamous “Child-Star Curse” Upon Entering
Into Adulthood Despite experiencing show-business fame at
an early age, both Barry and his older brother managed to avoid the effects of the “child-star
curse”.
Of course, the child-star curse dictates that successful child stars rarely ever maintain
their initial success after coming of age, with most of them turning to drugs and alcohol
during their adult years as a means to cope.
Not only have Barry and his brother managed to avoid any serious incidents with illegal
substances over the years, but Barry is also still a fairly successful television actor
after all these years!
According to Barry Livingston, he wasn’t above partying during his teen years.
Barry claims that he and his friends would go out drinking in their van in an effort
to pick up girls, but that things never got too crazy.
In addition, Barry had a fairly easy time letting these hard-partying habits fall by
the wayside once he entered into the true stages of his adulthood.
While avoiding troubles with drugs and alcohol certainly played a big part in helping Barry
avoid the effects of the supposed child-star curse, the star has also worked really hard
during his adult years to maintain his career in the entertainment industry, and it’s
paid off quite well for him!
Barry Livingston’s party days officially came to an end during his late 20s, when he
met the woman that has gone on to become his longtime wife.
That woman’s name is Karen Huntsman, and the two met in the early 80s before tying
the knot officially in 1983.
Since the wedding, the two have had two children together.
Barry has supported his family with his continued acting roles, including notable stints on
shows such as Mad Men.
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Barry Stills Works Hard in the Entertainment Industry
Barry Livingston has never shied away from talking about how hard it has been for him
to maintain his success in the entertainment industry after the end of My Three Sons.
Child stars rarely find success in the entertainment industry as adults, and Barry knew he was
going to have to work very hard to avoid the generic child-star fate.
Thankfully, Barry is still acting on television today.
One of the actor’s most notable roles in recent years came via the hit cable series
Mad Men.
Another notable role came in 2021, when Barry appeared in a film by the name of Notorious
Nick, which was about a one-armed MMA fighter.
Although Barry’s older brother and former fellow child star Stanley Livingston hasn’t
had quite the same level of continued Hollywood success as his younger sibling, he has similarly
managed to eschew the worst effects of the supposed child-star curse by blossoming into
a well-rounded and highly functioning adult.
Stanley Livingston Was the First of the Two Livingston Brothers to Be Cast on My Three
Sons Of the two Livingston brothers that rose to
prominence on the classic television series My Three Sons, Barry is certainly the one
that gets more work in the entertainment industry nowadays.
However, there was a time during their childhood years when Stanley’s star greatly eclipsed
his younger brother’s.
As the slightly older of the two brothers, Stanley was the first to find success in the
entertainment industry back in the day.
In fact, it was through his older brother’s success that Barry got his role on My Three
Sons.
Prior to My Three Sons, Stanley Livingston had risen to slight prominence as a child
actor thanks to his time on the series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
In fact, Barry even made a few appearances on the series alongside his brother, though
Stanley was the much bigger star at the time.
It was through the fame that he garnered from The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet that young
Stanley managed to secure his role on My Three Sons.
As compared to younger brother Barry, Stanley Livingston was a part of My Three Sons from
the beginning.
Stanley came onto My Three Sons playing the character of Chip Douglas, and the character
quickly became a favorite of audience members.
Barry has recalled feeling slightly jealous about how much attention his older brother
was getting as a result of his being featured on the show.
Years later, Barry would be cast on the series himself alongside his older brother, which
helped smooth over this jealousy.
How Barry Got His Role on My Three Sons According to Barry, his and Stanley’s mother
wanted him to accompany Stanley on the set of My Three Sons, just for the experience.
This ended up paying off well for the young boy, as the producers took notice of him over
the course of the show’s earlier seasons.
During the early years of My Three Sons, there was another child actor by the name of Tim
Considine who rounded out the show’s child cast.
Eventually, Tim decided that he wanted to abandon his role on the show to try and find
work elsewhere.
This created a void on the classic sitcom, and one that the producers knew they were
going to have to fill.
Since the producers were already well aware of Barry, they turned their sights on him.
Following Tim Considine’s departure, Barry Livingston was given the opportunity to audition
for a new role on My Three Sons that was intended to fill the place of the void left by Tim’s
departure.
According to Barry, he was very nervous about this audition and didn’t very much want
to do it.
However, he ended up impressing the producers and was subsequently written onto the series
as Ernie Douglas.
Barry had a positive experience on My Three Sons, and claims that he enjoyed working in
such close proximity with his older brother all day.
Another aspect of the show’s production that helped create a positive environment
for the young boy was director Gene Reynolds, who had recently been hired onto My Three
Sons and was a former child star himself.
These positive experiences certainly helped Barry avoid the effects of the supposed child-star
curse.
Barry and Stanley Loved Working on My Three Sons
When Barry became a cast member on My Three Sons, the show became more successful than
ever before!
Barry joined the cast in 1963, and the show would go on to last until 1972.
Nowadays, Barry is more closely associated with the series than Tim Considine.
Besides the fun of working with his older brother, Barry has shared that another one
of his favorite parts of working on My Three Sons was getting to know William Frawley,
who is perhaps better known for his work on I Love Lucy.
According to Barry, William was always making him and his older brother laugh.
68-year-old Barry Livingston stands today as a rare former child actor that has managed
to eschew the infamous child-star curse.
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that the two most popular child actors
on the classic television series My Three Sons were brothers in real life and that one
of them is still a successful actor today?
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