Barry Dennen

Actor/singer/voice artist Barry Dennen possessed a sliver-eyed, sneering look and brittle, biting diction pattern that easily recalled the earlier flamboyant villainy of actor Jay Robinson. For Dennen, this would be best represented in his cruel, no-holds-barred performance of Pontius Pilate in the rock opera sensation "Jesus Christ Superstar." In a career that lasted over five decades, his versatile resume would include a lengthy series of offbeat characterizations not only on the stage, but on film, TV, radio, video games and animated cartoons. Born in Chicago on February 22, 1938, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child. After graduating from UCLA (where actor George Takei was a classmate), Barry began his career in New York City performing in workshops and on the cabaret circuit while living with and nurturing the singing career of then-girlfriend Barbra Streisand. Having the bohemian desire to explore a wider range of professional opportunities, he decided to travel "across the pond" in 1968 and wound up settling in England. Not long after arriving, he was selected by legendary theater producer Harold Prince to create the role of the Emcee for the original West End presentation of "Cabaret." Barry's magnetic performance opposite Judi Dench as Sally Bowles earned him the Evening Standard Award for "Best Actor in a Musical." The show was preserved on a cast soundtrack album. This major success encouraged him to stay in London. In 1970, he was invited by famed producer Andrew Lloyd Webber to sing the role of Pontius Pilate on the now-heralded double disk concept album of "Jesus Christ Superstar." A year later, he found himself featured in the original Broadway production. While the controversial rock opera received mixed reviews (nominated for five Tony Awards, but won none), Dennen earned raves for his no-holds-barred, show-stopping performance of the emperor who orders the crucifixion of Jesus. Dennen first appeared on American TV in 1968 as a guest presence on such shows as "Blue Light" and "Batman." After moving to England, he guested on several popular BBC series including "Codename," "Premiere," "Ryan International," "Hadleigh" and "Paul Temple." It was there that he also made his feature film debut in the title role of the drama The Juggler of Notre Dame (1970). He was then cast as Mendel in the international film production of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) directed by Norman Jewison. It was Barry who suggested Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) to Jewison as the director's next acclaimed film project. He took it on and Barry revisited his role as Pilate. Throughout the 1970s and '80s, Dennen became a bi-continental actor, working both here and in England. His eerie countenance perfectly fit several offbeat films, including the horror opus Madhouse (1974) starring Vincent Price and Peter Cushing; the action comedy Brannigan (1975) starring John Wayne; the irreverent comedy spoofs The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and Rabbit Test (1978); the Stephen King shocker The Shining (1980); the equally eccentric sequel to "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" entitled Shock Treatment (1981); the period drama Ragtime (1981), which inspired the Broadway musical; the Eddie Murphy starrer Trading Places (1983); the superhero blockbuster Superman III (1983) and the controversial Turkish drama Memed My Hawk (1984). He returned to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s. In addition, he had sporadic TV guest parts on such popular shows as "Remington Steele," "Hill Street Blues," "Newhart," "L.A. Law," "My Sister Sam," "Hooperman," "Murder, She Wrote," "Mr. Belvedere," "Murphy Brown" and "Amen." On the California stage, Barry appeared as the ventriloquist's dummy in "Ghetto" (Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles); the headwaiter in "She Loves Me" (Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles); Mr. Wilson in "Annie Get Your Gun" (A.C.T., San Francisco); and the Major-General in "The Pirates of Penzance" (Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera). Dennen also created the role of Bertold Brecht in the world premiere of "Silent Partners" in Washington, DC. After a decade of being away from the limelight, he was cast as the Old Actor in a 2009 production of "The Fantasticks" at the Freud Playhouse in Los Angeles. As for his most famous theatre role, he would reprise the role of Pontius Pilate in a variety of tours, special one-show productions and anniversary specials over a four-decade span. Dennen's vocal versatility was utilized quite frequently in video games and in such animated series as "The New Adventures of Jonny Quest," "Ducktales," "Pound Puppies," "The Further Adventures of SuperTed," "The Smurfs" and "Batman: The Animated Series." In 1997, Barry published his memoir "My Life with Barbra: A Love Story," detailing his relationship with Streisand and the nightclub act he created/directed that launched her superstar career. During his long, pronounced struggle with being gay, Barry would marry British actress Pamela Strong in 1969. They adopted two children, Timothy and Barnaby, before divorcing in 1981. He later entered into a long-term relationship with James McGachy who died of lung cancer in 2001. In June of 2017, the 79-year-old actor suffered a serious brain injury after a fall and died two months later in hospice care on September 26, 2017. A brother, Lyle, survived him.