Raymond Charles Barrett (2 May 19278 September 2009) was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a

leading actor A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in '' The Troubleshooters'' (1965–1971). From the 1970s, he appeared in lead and character roles in Australian films and television series.

Early life

Barrett was born on 2 May 1927 in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

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 was educated at Windsor State Primary School and at Brisbane State High School. Fascinated by radio from an early age, he won an on-air talent competition in 1939 at the age of 12 for an eisteddfod that was broadcast on 4BH radio, with a musical monologue about a dog called "Paddy". This was to place him on a path different from his dream of becoming a boatbuilder. In 1949, Barrett was initiated into

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as an initiate and member of Empire Lodge #197 of the United Grand Lodge of Queensland.

Acting career

Along with Tatjana Hitrina, Rosemary Stevenson and Betty Ross, Barrett was in the play '' Cockpit''. The production which ran from 18 June to 21 June 1952 was produced by Babette Stephens and ran at the Albert Hall in Brisbane.

United Kingdom

Ray Barrett first appeared on radio in

, and later in

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 ...

, to where he moved in 1954. In 1957, he moved to Britain, where his background as a singer earned him a part in a revue alongside Beryl Reid, Patrick Wymark and

Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway ...

.''The Timeless Land'', TV guide compiled by Kate Reid, photographs by Martin Webby, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, page 56, Sydney, 1980, Owing to his supposedly tough look, Barrett was given character and tough guy roles from an unusually young age. In Britain, he played one of the lead roles in the TV series '' Emergency Ward 10'' and later one of the main characters, the hard-nosed oil worker Peter Thornton, in the long-running

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 ...

series '' The Troubleshooters''. While Barrett mostly appeared in television, he also made several films including Hammer's '' The Reptile'' (1966). He also voiced characters in Gerry Anderson-produced " Supermarionation" series of the 1960s: '' Stingray'' (1964–65), as Commander Shore and Titan, and '' Thunderbirds'' (1965–66) as John Tracy, the Hood and various extras. Also in 1965, he appeared as Bennett/Koquillion 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 ...

'' serial '' The Rescue''. Also as a bankrupt businessman in a 1972 edition of '' Public Eye''.

Australia

In later years, Barrett starred in film and TV roles in his native Australia, living on Stradbroke Island,

during the 1970s. He appeared as the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

(a character who is assassinated) in '' Burn the Butterflies'', and as a miner in '' Golden Soak''. In 1980, he played the part of the controversial Australian historical figure Governor Bligh in the ABC Television production '' The Timeless Land''. He had secondary roles in many other productions, including '' Something in the Air''. He had the "role of a lifetime" as the leda in '' Goodbye Paradise''. Barrett also appeared in such films as '' Don's Party'' and '' The Carmakers'' (about the 1973 release of the Leyland P76 car, co-starring Noel Ferrier and Nick Tate). In 2005, he received an Australian Film Institute Longford Life Achievement Award.

Death

Barrett died on 8 September 2009 at the Gold Coast Hospital in

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

, aged 82, after suffering a brain haemorrhage.Veteran Actor Ray Barrett Dies at 82
''

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'', 8 September 2009. His final acting appearance had been in the 2008 film ''

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Ray Barrett Collection 1927-2007
State Library of Queensland - Collection of papers, scrapbooks, visual and audiovisual material relating to the life and career of Ray Barrett. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Ray 1927 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors Actors from Queensland Australian expatriate male actors Australian expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom Australian expatriates in England Australian Freemasons Australian male film actors Australian male radio actors Australian male television actors Australian male voice actors Best Actor AACTA Award winners Best Supporting Actor AACTA Award winners Logie Award winners Male actors from Brisbane Male actors from Sydney Neurological disease deaths in Queensland People educated at Brisbane State High School