Tony Barry

Tony Barry was a busy Australian film and television character actor of considerable versatility. He was born in Ipswich, Queensland, and educated at Saint Patrick's College. His working life began with a diversity of short-lived jobs -- including in retail, as a storeman, barkeeper and waiter-- before he eventually made his screen debut in 1968. Barry's malleable, weather-beaten features have since enhanced numerous films (beginning with a small role in The Mango Tree (1977)) and television episodes in both Australia and New Zealand. In the 'land of the long white cloud', he became best known for his role in the comedy Goodbye Pork Pie (1980), a road movie described by one writer as 'Easy Rider meets the Keystone Kops'. The picture achieved instant cult status in New Zealand, Barry receiving the sobriquet of 'honorary Kiwi' and even being featured on a postage stamp. In the Australian cinema revival of the 1970s and 1980s, Barry featured in many classic films, including Newsfront (1978) (Greasy), The Odd Angry Shot (1979) (Vietnam vet Black Ronnie) and We of the Never Never (1982) (station hand Mac). He latterly excelled at father figures, both the kindly and the cruel variety (I Can Jump Puddles (1981), Home by Christmas (2010), Jack Be Nimble (1993)), as police officers (The Picture Show Man (1977)), underworld figures ('Nipper' Jackson in Scales of Justice (1983)), tycoons (Sir Frank Packer in Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo (2011)) and barristers (Hell Has Harbour Views (2005)). His final recurring role was as Ioan Gruffudd's former boss and mentor in the forensic crime drama Harrow (2018). Tony Barry was for a number of years afflicted by melanoma, culminating in a 2013 leg amputation. He nonetheless battled on and continued his acting career right up to his death on 21 December 2022, at the age of 81.