Tony Barry

Tony Barry
Born(1941-08-28)28 August 1941
Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Died21 December 2022(2022-12-21) (aged 81)
Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationActor
Years active1977–2018
Children1

Tony Barry (28 August 1941 – 21 December 2022) was an Australian actor and activist best known for his television and film roles.

Personal life

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Barry was born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 28 August 1941.[1][2] He had one son.[2] Barry was an environmental and indigenous rights activist and considered himself "an honorary Kiwi".[1][2] Barry is the only Australian who was featured on a New Zealand postage stamp.[3] He took part in political rallies and was a volunteer for rehabilitation programs for indigenous rights groups.[1][2] He visited high schools where he would promote environmentalism.[1]

Health

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Barry was diagnosed with melanoma in the early 2000s.[1] In 2014, between seasons of the television drama series The Time of Our Lives, Barry had his left leg amputated above the knee due to the illness. The loss of his leg was written into the storyline.[4] Due to this illness, he died on 21 December 2022, at age 81, in Murwillumbah, New South Wales.[5][6]

Career

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Barry performed in nearly 60 feature films and over 45 television series, across a five-decade career, in both Australia and New Zealand.[1][2] The longevity of Barry's acting career was recognised when he received the 2014 Film Critics Circle of Australia award for his "extraordinary contribution to the Australian film industry".[1]

After acting in the television series The Box from 1975 to 1976, Barry began his film career in 1977 with The Mango Tree.[1][7] Roles followed in a range of acclaimed Australian and New Zealand films, including Newsfront, Goodbye Pork Pie, The Odd Angry Shot, We of the Never Never, Australia and Home for Christmas, for which he won Best Actor in the 2010 New Zealand Film and TV Awards.[1][3][5]

In 2023 Barry's last television appearance was in season one of ABC drama Bay of Fires. [8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1976 Break of Day[7] Joe Feature film
1977 The Mango Tree [1] Tommy Smith Feature film
1978 Newsfront[1] "Greasy" Feature film
1978 Little Boy Lost[3] Constable O'Day Feature film
1979 The Odd Angry Shot Black Ronnie Feature film
1980 Beyond Reasonable Doubt[7] Detective John Hughes Feature film
1980 Hard Knocks Barry Feature film
1980 The Earthling 'Red' Feature film
1981 Goodbye Pork Pie[1] John Feature film
1982 We of the Never Never Mac Feature film
1982 With Prejudice Adams Feature film
1982 Now and Then Marina manager
1982 Dead Easy Ozzie Feature film
1982 The Settlement Sergeant Crow Feature film
1982 Midnite Spares Detective Howard Feature film
1984 Pallet on the Floor[6] Larkman Feature film
1985 Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe Alan Heffernan TV movie
1985 Archer's Adventure Squatter TV movie
1985 The Coca-Cola Kid[3] Bushman Feature film
1986 The Surfer Calhoun Feature film
1986 Two Friends Charlie Feature film
1986 I Own the Racecourse Bert Hammond TV movie
1986 BabaKiueria Father (Mr. Smith) Feature film
1986 Frog Dreaming Gazza Feature film
1987 Initiation Pat Feature film
1988 Shame Tim Curtis Feature film
1988 Never Say Die[9] Det Insp Bill Evans Feature film
1988 The Man from Snowy River II Jacko Feature film
1991 Old Scores[6] Barry Brown TV movie
1992 Deadly Deputy Commissioner Graham Stewart Feature film
1993 Absent Without Leave[10] Peter Feature film
1993 Jack Be Nimble Clarrie Feature film
1993 Rainbow Warrior Greenpeace activist TV movie
1994 The Last Tattoo James Patrick Carroll Feature film
1994 Country Life Logger Feature film
1995 Vacant Possession Salvation Army man Feature film
1997 Road to Nhill Jim Feature film
1997 Doing Time for Patsy Cline Dwayne Feature film
1999 Paperback Hero Mac Feature film
1999 Fresh Air Bob Feature film
2000 Mullet Col Maloney Feature film
2003 The Night We Called It a Day[11] Ralph Blue Feature film
2003 BlackJack: Murder Archive Joe Bueneroti TV film
2005 Lady Vengeance[7] Jenny's adoptive father Feature film
2006 Home by Christmas[2]
2006 Solo[12] Louis Feature film
2006 Final Call Boss Short film
2006 Hunt Angels Burly Detective Feature film
2006 Pleasance Errol
2006 Gone Ute driver
2007 Cross Life Bill
2007 Almost Dr Khan
2008 Battle of Coal Ben Chifley TV movie
2008 Australia[7] Sergeant Callaghan Feature film
2009 The Ballard of Betty and Joe Joe Short film
2009 Devotion Short film
2009 Devotion Narrator Short film
2010 Home By Christmas Ed
2010 Providence Park Man with Flowers Short film
2011 Rest for the Wicked Murray
2013 The Caretaker The Promoter Short film
2013 Mystery Road[1] Sarge Feature film
2017 Nobody's Child Hank Short film
2018 Grace Mr Symonds Short film
2022 Seriously Red Gramps

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1968 Skippy TV series
1972 Behind the Legend TV series
1971-72 Pukemanu Dan Harrigan TV series, 6 episodes
1973 Certain Women TV series
1974 Buck House Joe Donovan TV series, 1 episode
1975 Armchair Cinema Mack TV series, 1 episode
1975–76 The Box Doug Jackson TV series, 2 episodes
1976 Blerta Morgan TV series, 4 episodes
1976 Luke's Kingdom Man at Inn TV series, 3 episodes
1976 Power Without Glory Maurice TV series, 1 episode
1981 I Can Jump Puddles Alan's father TV series
1982 A Country Practice Bernie Peterson TV series, 2 episodes
1983 Scales of Justice "Nipper" Jackson TV miniseries
1983 The Dismissal Press Secretary TV miniseries
1983 Cyclone Tracy Mick Brennan TV miniseries
1989 Shadow of the Cobra TV miniseries
1995 Rose Against the Odds Jack Rennie TV miniseries
1996 Crocadoo Rufus B. Hardacare TV series
Halifax f.p. TV series
2003 All The Way TV series
1996-06 All Saints Ross / Frank TV series, 4 episodes
2009 The Diplomat The Libertine TV movie
2009 Dirt Game Alec Nolan TV series, 3 episodes
2011 Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo Sir Frank Packer TV series, 2 episodes
2011 Wild Boys George Jenkins TV series, 2 episodes
2012 Rake Father McGuire TV series, 2 episodes
2013-14 The Time of Our Lives [13] Ray Tivoli TV series, 16 episodes
2014 Lessons from the Grave Ghost TV series, 1 episode
2018-20 Harrow Jack Twine TV series, 6 episodes
2019 Total Control Phillip Anderson TV series, 2 episodes
2020 The End[14] Willie TV series, 4 episodes
2023 Bay of Fires Joseph TV series, 4 episodes

Live theatre

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 A Local Man Former Prime Minister Ben Chifley One-person drama on Chifley's last night[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Losing a leg became part of the script for Australian actor Tony Barry, remembered as a 'hero' by colleagues". ABC News. 23 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Echo, The (27 December 2022). "Vale Tony Barry, actor and activist". The Echo.
  3. ^ a b c d Rahman, Abid (22 December 2022). "Tony Barry, Veteran Australian Film and TV Actor, Dies at 81". The Hollywood Reporter.
  4. ^ "Star's real-life health crisis impacts storylines of family drama The Time of Our Lives". news.com.au. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  5. ^ a b Jack, Amberleigh (22 December 2022). "Goodbye Pork Pie actor Tony Barry has died". Stuff. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Screen, NZ On. "Tony Barry | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e Holmes, Martin. "Tony Barry Dies: Veteran Australian Film & TV Actor Was 81". TV Insider.
  8. ^ Knox, David (16 July 2023). "Tony Barry's final, emotional role in Bay of Fires | TV Tonight". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Goodbye Pork Pie co-star dies at 81". The New Zealand Herald.
  10. ^ "Absent Without Leave".
  11. ^ Roberts, Jamie (22 December 2022). "Tributes pour in as Australia star Tony Barry dies after longtime health issues". mirror.
  12. ^ Byrnes, Paul (8 July 2006). "Solo". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  13. ^ "The Time of our Lives | TV Tonight". 10 June 2013.
  14. ^ "The End | TV Tonight". February 2021.
  15. ^ Keenan, Catherine. "Unearthing our history" The Age, 6 November 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2015
  16. ^ "Ben Chifley on stage in his home town". Charles Sturt University News, 21 July 2004. Retrieved 27 January 2015
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