Editor’s Note: Western North Carolina is rich with untold stories—many resting quietly in local cemeteries. In this Tombstone Tales series, we explore the lives of people from our region’s past whose legacies, whether widely known or nearly forgotten, helped shape the place we call home.
WAYNESVILLE, N.C (828newsNOW.com) — In a quiet corner of Green Hill Cemetery, beneath a modest headstone etched with the name Byron E. Barr, lies one of Hollywood’s most complicated stars. Known to the world as Gig Young, the Oscar-winning actor built a career on charm, wit and sophistication. His life ended in a violent murder-suicide that stunned the entertainment industry.
His grave in Waynesville offers no hint of the fame he once carried. Instead, it reflects the life he lived before Hollywood, a life rooted, in part, in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
A Hollywood Life With Humble Beginnings
Born Nov. 4, 1913, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Byron Elsworth Barr grew up far from the glamour of the film industry. His parents, John and Emma Barr, moved frequently for work. They eventually settled in Washington, D.C., where Young discovered acting in high school. A scholarship to a playhouse in Pasadena, California led to a meeting with a Warner Bros. Studio executive and film roles followed. He was renamed after a character he played in the 1942 film The Gay Sisters…