Michael Barrington (3 July 1924 – 5 June 1988) was a British actor best known for his television work. His best remembered role is as the ineffectual Governor Venables in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

'' which featured

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge (1974 TV series), Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', ...

in the lead role.

Early life

Born in

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

, Middlesex he was 16 when both his parents died. His plans to train as a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

were interrupted by

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

service in a munitions factory and the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

Acting career

Barrington decided to become an actor after the war and trained at the Birmingham School of Drama. He then appeared in repertory theatres and at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

in a production of '' Salad Days.'' In addition to ''

'' Barrington also appeared in; ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'', '' The Avengers'', ''

Private Schulz ''Private Schulz'' is a 1981 BBC television comedy drama serial set mostly in Germany, during and immediately after World War II. It stars Michael Elphick in the title role and Ian Richardson playing various parts. Other notable actors included ...

'', ''

Adam Adamant Lives! ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' is a British adventure television series that ran from 1966 to 1967 on BBC 1, starring Gerald Harper in the title role. The series was created and produced by several alumni from ''Doctor Who''. The titular character w ...

'', and in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' story ''

The Seeds of Doom ''The Seeds of Doom'' is the sixth and final serial of the Doctor Who (season 13), 13th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 31 January to 6 M ...

'', as Sir Colin Thackeray. He was cast as

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

in the 1975 English miniseries ''

Edward the Seventh ''Edward the Seventh'' is a 1975 British historical drama series, made by ATV in 13 episodes. Based on the biography of King Edward VII by Philip Magnus, it stars Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria, Timothy West as the elder Edward VII, wit ...

''. (In the USA this miniseries was renamed Edward the King.)

Personal life and death

He was married to character actress Barbara New until his death from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on 5 June 1988, aged 63 in London, following many years of ill health due to lung disease. He was buried in the East London Cemetery and Crematorium.

Selected filmography

* ''

Payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

'' (1961) – Hay (uncredited) * '' The Hellfire Club'' (1961) – Footman (uncredited) * '' Follow That Man'' (1961) – Hotel manager * '' Privilege'' (1967) – The Bishop of Essex * '' Up the Junction'' (1968) – Barrister * '' The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer'' (1970) – Major Scott * '' Follow Me!'' (1972) – Mr. Scrampton * '' The Black Panther'' (1977) * '' The Stud'' (1978) – Vicar (uncredited)

References

External links

* * 1924 births 1988 deaths 20th-century English male actors English male television actors Male actors from London British Army personnel of World War II Royal Engineers soldiers {{UK-tv-actor-1920s-stub Actors from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames People from Twickenham