George Barris

George Barris was born in Chicago in the mid twenties. In 1928, he and his older brother Sam moved to Roseville, California with relatives after their parents died. George pursued a passion for building scratch-built aircraft models which led to model cars. The brothers interest in cars intensified during their teenage years as they discovered "the black art" of body work by hanging out after school at local body shops. The movie studios had taken note of Barris kustoms on the streets and at races and came to George for cars for their films. One of the first films Barris made cars for was called High School Confidential! (1958). The success of the initial movie car venture motivated George to seek business in Hollywood. This included customizing the personal cars of the stars as well. As the past forty plus years have shown, this association with the studios and stars has been long and fascinating. As the sixties began, George shifted gears and bought a new shop in Toluca Lake, CA where he designed and built award winning cars. He also became a father to daughter Joji and son Brett. George continues to work out of this shop today.