The Breakfast with Binnie and Mike was a show classing the family conversation around varying topics. Barnes was born in Islington, London, the daughter of Rosa Enoyce and George Barnes, a policeman. There were 16 children in her family. Before moving to Hollywood to become an actress, Barnes worked a series of jobs, such as chorus girl, nurse, and dance hostess.
She began her acting career in films in 1923, appearing in a short film made by Lee De Forest in his Phonofilm sound-on-film process. Her film career continued in Great Britain, most notably in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) as Katherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife. Barnes' main qualm in accepting roles as an actress was that she not play submissive roles. Barnes once remarked "One picture is just like another to me, as long as I don't have to be a sweet woman". Later, her career continued in Hollywood, until 1973, when she appeared in the comedy 40 Carats, her last acting role. She was married, secondly, to film producer Mike Frankovich, and later a naturalized United States citizen. The couple adopted three children.