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Born Barbara Klowtmann in Gadsby, Alberta, Canada, Kent won the Miss Hollywood Pageant in 1925. Kent began her Hollywood career in 1926 in a small role for Universal Studios. A vivacious brunette, less than five feet tall, Kent became popular as a comedian opposite such stars as Reginald Denny, and also made a strong impression as the heroine, pitted against Greta Garbo`s femme fatale in Flesh and the Devil (1926).

She attracted attention in the 1927 film No Man`s Law by swimming nude; she wore a flesh colored bathing suit in scenes that were considered very daring at the time. The popularity of this film led to her selection as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars for 1927. She made a smooth transition into talking pictures, opposite Harold Lloyd in the comedy Welcome Danger (1929). Over the next few years she remained popular and received critical praise for her role in the 1933 film version of Oliver Twist.

Her marriage in 1934 to the agent, Harry E. Eddington, interrupted her career. During a one year hiatus, Eddington groomed Kent for what he intended to be a high profile career, however by the time she returned to films, her popularity had waned and she was unable to establish herself again. She made her final film in 1935.

Following the death of her husband in 1949, Kent retreated from public life and eventually settled in Sun Valley, Idaho. She has since refused to acknowledge her film career or to extend interviews