Bruce Alaric Barry (24 October 193420 April 2017 (6 May 2017 is also mentioned as a death date in one source)Obituaries in the Performing Arts 2017
Retrieved 12 January 2019) was an Australian stage, television and film actor, and singer.

Early life and career

Bruce Barry was born the son of a teacher in

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, and grew up in

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits und ...

.Philip O'Brien, "Barry happy to perform as himself", ''Canberra Times'', 23 September 1998, p. 16 Having started his career as a radio announcer in Queensland and northern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Barry ventured into singing at Gold Coast nightclubs and then to acting with the Young Elizabethans, a

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

-based theatre troupe. His first role was the title role in '' Henry V''. In his three years there, he performed throughout Australia on various regional tours.Gympie Times, 16 July 2017
Retrieved 12 January 2019 He then combined his singing and acting skills in stage musicals such as '' Funny Girl'' (with

Jill Perryman Jill Perryman (born 30 May 1933) is an Australian retired actress, singer and dancer with a career that spanned 70 years. Perryman is from a family of show business performers; her sister was actress Diana Perryman and her son is media persona ...

), ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' (with

Taina Elg Taina Elisabeth Elg (9 March 1930 – 15 May 2025) was a Finnish and American actress and dancer. She appeared on stage, television and in film. Early life and career Elg was born on 9 March 1930 in Helsinki, and raised in Turku by her parent ...

), ''

Irma La Douce ''Irma la Douce'' (, "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond, based on the 1956 French stage musical of the same name by Marguerite Monnot and Al ...

'', ''

Annie Get Your Gun Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (Malayalam actress) (born 1975), Indian actress who works in Malayalam-language films * ...

'', ''

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludw ...

'', ''

1776 Events January–February * January 1 – American Revolutionary War – Burning of Norfolk: The town of Norfolk, Virginia is destroyed, by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces. * January ...

'', '' Hello, Dolly!'', and '' Promises, Promises''. He also acted in straight theatre such as

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...

'' (with

Susannah York Susannah Yolande Fletcher (9 January 1939 – 15 January 2011), known professionally as Susannah York, was an English actress. Her appearances in various films of the 1960s, including '' Tom Jones'' (1963) and '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' ...

). He then became a familiar face on Australian television screens, in such shows as '' Bellbird'', '' The Spoiler'', ''

The Mavis Bramston Show ''The Mavis Bramston Show'' is an Australian television satirical sketch comedy revue series that aired on the Seven Network from 1964 to 1968. Mavis was created, written, and co-produced by Carol Raye, who also starred in it and was inspired by ...

'', ''

Skyways Skyways may refer to: *Skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways ver ...

'', ''

The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. ...

'', ''

Glenview High ''Glenview High'' is an Australian television drama series produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Seven Network between 1977 and 1978. Story English teacher Greg Walker ( Grigor Taylor) transfers from the country to Glenview High, a t ...

'', ''

The Restless Years ''The Restless Years'' is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and the drama and relationships faced by young adults. It was created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for N ...

'', '' Possession'', and ''

Division 4 ''Division 4'' is an Australian television police drama series broadcast by the Nine Network and created by Crawford Productions airing between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes. Synopsis The series was one of the first to follow up on the enor ...

''. For three years from 1980 he worked in musical theatre in London, in such shows as '' The Biograph Girl'', ''

Marilyn! the Musical ''Marilyn! The Musical'' is a musical written by Mort Garson about Marilyn Monroe that was originally produced in London in 1983 as a vehicle for Stephanie Lawrence. The show's book and lyrics were by Jacques Wilson and it opened at the Adel ...

'' ased on the life of Marilyn Monroe, at the Adelphi Theatre; Bruce sang the role of Arthur Miller">Adelphi_Theatre.html" ;"title="ased on the life of Marilyn Monroe, at the Adelphi Theatre">ased on the life of Marilyn Monroe, at the Adelphi Theatre; Bruce sang the role of Arthur Miller], ''H.M.S. Pinafore'', and a long-running West End theatre, West End revival of ''Oklahoma!''. He also toured the UK with Evita (musical), ''Evita'', appearing with Rula Lenska and others at Leeds and in other UK cities. While living in London, Bruce Barry presented "An Evening with Bruce Barry", followed by a reception, at the High Commission of Australia, London, Australian High Commission in

Aldwych Aldwych (pronounced ) is a street and the name of the List of areas of London, area immediately surrounding it, in the City of Westminster, part of Greater London, and is part of the West End of London, West End West End Theatre, Theatreland. T ...

, London, under the auspices of the Australian Cultural Attache.

Personal life

Bruce Barry was married and divorced twice, and was survived by two children. He died in 2017 in Sydney from complications of dementia.

Filmography

Film

* ''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...

'' (1970) as George King * ''

Libido In psychology, libido (; ) is psychic drive or energy, usually conceived of as sexual in nature, but sometimes conceived of as including other forms of desire. The term ''libido'' was originally developed by Sigmund Freud, the pioneering origin ...

'' (1973) as David * '' ABBA: The Movie'' (1977) as Radio Station Manager * ''

Patrick Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

'' (1978) as Dr Brian Wright * ''

The Umbrella Woman ''The Umbrella Woman'' (released in some areas as ''The Good Wife'') is a 1987 Australian film directed by Ken Cameron and starring Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward. It also features Steven Vidler (actor), Steven Vidler and Sam Neill. Premise The fil ...

'' (aka ''The Good Wife'') (1987) as Archie

Television

* Skippy (1968) * '' Bellbird'' as Michael Foley * '' The Spoiler'' (1972) as Jim Carver * The Evil Touch, Dear Cora, I'm Going to Kill You (1973) as Harry * ''

'' * ''

'' as Douglas Stewart * ''

'' * ''

'' (1987-88) * ''

'' * ''

'' as Miles Dunstan * '' Possession'' (1985) as David Macarthur

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Bruce 1934 births 2017 deaths Australian radio presenters Australian male stage actors Australian male musical theatre actors Australian male soap opera actors Australian male film actors 20th-century Australian male singers