Marion Barney (1879–1968) was an American character actress whose career spanned the stage, silent cinema, and early radio. Born in San Francisco, Barney began her acting career at the age of eighteen while attending the University of California, Berkeley. Her early professional experiences included performing across California with theatrical troupes led by Harry Corson Clarke and T. Daniel Frawley. By 1901, she had joined E. H. Sothern's touring company, a move that introduced her to major theatrical venues in New York City and Philadelphia.
Throughout the early twentieth century, Barney established herself as a versatile stage actress, balancing national touring productions with appearances on Broadway. From 1908 to 1913, she served as a resident actress at the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, after which she returned to Broadway, where she remained active in various productions until the early 1930s.
In addition to her theatrical work, Barney ventured into the film industry during the silent era. She appeared in a handful of silent films in 1913, and later returned to the screen for several releases between 1918 and 1921. As the entertainment landscape shifted in the 1930s, Barney transitioned her career to radio broadcasting. She became particularly well-known for her long-standing collaboration with the radio programs of writer and producer Elaine Sterne Carrington, marking the final chapter of her decades-long career in American entertainment.
