John Barron (actor)
Encyclopedia
John Barron was an English actor.
, London
, Barron was interested in acting from an early age. For his 18th birthday his godfather paid his entry fee to RADA
. After serving as a Lieutenant
in the Royal Navy
during the Second World War, he returned to stage acting. In the 1950s, he moved into a directorial role, during which time he came to know Leonard Rossiter
.
From the mid 1950s, he became more involved in television, and then film, an early appearance being in the 1961 film The Day the Earth Caught Fire
. During his long career, he appeared in such popular series as Crown Court
, The Avengers
, Emergency Ward 10
, All Gas and Gaiters
, The Saint
, Department S
, Doomwatch
, Timeslip
, Potter
, Whoops Apocalypse
and Yes Minister
. Although he had long-running roles in popular dramas like the police series Softly, Softly
(where he played the assistant chief constable between 1967-69), almost certainly his best known role was in the situation comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
, which began in 1976, and starred Leonard Rossiter
as the title character. Barron's character, CJ (Charles Jefferson), was Perrin's overbearing boss, famous for the catchphrase "I didn't get where I am today by...". He even used this in a TV commercial filmed for an insurance company in New Zealand in the 1980s.
Barron remained active in the acting profession for many years before his death at the age of 83. He was president of the actors' union Equity from 1978 to 1982 and vice-president in 1977 and again from 1984-1989. His one hobby was enjoying fine wine, a hobby he inspired his friend Leonard Rossiter to also take up. An active supporter of the Conservative Party, he presented a Party Political Broadcast on their behalf in the 1980s and presented features supporting his party's policies on the BBC's Newsnight programme.
Biography
Born in MaryleboneMarylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Barron was interested in acting from an early age. For his 18th birthday his godfather paid his entry fee to RADA
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
. After serving as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the Second World War, he returned to stage acting. In the 1950s, he moved into a directorial role, during which time he came to know Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
.
From the mid 1950s, he became more involved in television, and then film, an early appearance being in the 1961 film The Day the Earth Caught Fire
The Day the Earth Caught Fire
The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a British science fiction disaster film starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro. It was directed by Val Guest and released in 1961....
. During his long career, he appeared in such popular series as Crown Court
Crown Court (TV series)
Crown Court was an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984....
, The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, Emergency Ward 10
Emergency Ward 10
Emergency – Ward 10 is a British television series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like The Grove Family, a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, Emergency – Ward 10 is considered to be one of British television's first major soap operas.-Overview:The series was made by the ITV...
, All Gas and Gaiters
All Gas and Gaiters
All Gas and Gaiters was a British television ecclesiastical sitcom which aired on BBC1 from 1966 to 1971. It was written by Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps, a husband-and-wife team who used the pseudonym of "John Wraith" when writing the pilot...
, The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
, Department S
Department S
Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The series consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969–1970. It starred Peter Wyngarde as author Jason King , Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan, and Rosemary Nicols as computer expert Annabelle Hurst...
, Doomwatch
Doomwatch
Doomwatch is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC One between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present-day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist , responsible for investigating and combating various...
, Timeslip
Timeslip
Timeslip is a British children's science fiction television series made by ATV for the ITV network and broadcast between 1970 and 1971. The series centres around two children, Simon Randall and Liz Skinner who discover the existence of a strange anomaly, known as the “Time Barrier”, that enables...
, Potter
Potter (TV series)
Potter was a 1979 BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke. Running for three series, it originally starred Arthur Lowe as Redvers Potter, a busybody former sweet manufacturer with time on his hands following retirement...
, Whoops Apocalypse
Whoops Apocalypse
Whoops Apocalypse is a six-part 1982 television sitcom by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, made by London Weekend Television for ITV. Marshall and Renwick later reworked the concept as a 1986 movie from ITC Entertainment, with almost completely different characters and plot, although one or two...
and Yes Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
. Although he had long-running roles in popular dramas like the police series Softly, Softly
Softly, Softly (TV series)
Softly, Softly is a British television drama series, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol and Chepstow area of the UK...
(where he played the assistant chief constable between 1967-69), almost certainly his best known role was in the situation comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin is a series of novels which developed into a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role...
, which began in 1976, and starred Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
as the title character. Barron's character, CJ (Charles Jefferson), was Perrin's overbearing boss, famous for the catchphrase "I didn't get where I am today by...". He even used this in a TV commercial filmed for an insurance company in New Zealand in the 1980s.
Barron remained active in the acting profession for many years before his death at the age of 83. He was president of the actors' union Equity from 1978 to 1982 and vice-president in 1977 and again from 1984-1989. His one hobby was enjoying fine wine, a hobby he inspired his friend Leonard Rossiter to also take up. An active supporter of the Conservative Party, he presented a Party Political Broadcast on their behalf in the 1980s and presented features supporting his party's policies on the BBC's Newsnight programme.
External links
- Obituary of John Barron (Daily Telegraph)