Barbara Bebe Lyon was born in the
Hollywood district of Los Angeles in 1931. Her parents,
Ben Lyon and
Bebe Daniels, were both Hollywood actors, beginning in
silent films with careers extending into the 1930s. In the early part of
World War II, Ben Lyon joined the
Royal Air Force, and though the family returned later to the United States, they made Britain their adopted home. From 1950 to 1961 they had a radio programme on the
BBC,
Life With The Lyons. Ben, Bebe, Barbara, and Barbara's brother Richard all played themselves on this show (perhaps inspired by the success in the US of
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, also featuring a real-life family), bringing the family before the British public. In the 1950s, both Barbara and Richard began their own independent careers; Richard recorded one single, but primarily found his career to be as an actor, both in the UK and the US. With Barbara, the situation was reversed: she did some acting, but found more popularity as a singer, with two hits in the
UK Singles Chart. She married Russell Turner, the show's producer, at St. James' Church in London the following year. The couple divorced, and she married accountant Colin Birkett in 1968. They had one son, and later divorced. ==Death==