David Barry
Speaker Topics
Entertainment & Comedy
Locations Covered​
- South East
Fees
£75 - £150
Availability
Short Notice
Profile Bio
I became a professional actor at the age of 12, and had a role in 'Abandon Ship' with Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling and Stephen Boyd, I was cast in a West End play as a Mexican Boy in 'The Power & the Glory' which starred Paul Scofield and Harry H Corbett. At the age of 14 I toured to six European capitals in Shakespeare's 'Titus Andronicus' with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, the first British production to go behind the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War. I played Ginger in the first ITV production of 'Just William', and in my early twenties I played Frankie Abbott in 'Please Sir!' and 'The Fenn Street Gang', and I also played the same role in the feature film of the former. I also played a starring role in 'George and Mildred - The Movie'. I am also a successful writer and have had many books published, crime novels and some non fiction about working in television and in the theatre. I have given many talks to groups such as Probus, U3A, WI and many others.
Talk Description
From Child Actor to Frankie Abbott in Please Sir!
If you love showbusiness anecdotes and true stories about actors this talk is all about the true events of my career as a child actor from the age of 12, and features gossip about working with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, right up until the early 1970s when I starred as Frankie Abbott in Please Sir!, and I have many stories and funny anecdotes about working with John Alderton, Deryck Guyler and many others, and meeting some famous people along the way like Tommy Cooper. The talk is also of great historical interest about what was happening during those times.
Other Talks
Actors Behaving Badly is another one of my popular talks, telling stories about many actors who may used too much alcohol as a stimulant, and often disgraced themselves.
And another of my talks is Dylan Thomas and Under Milk Wood, with many extracts, and stories about the times I toured with members of 'Please Sir!', like Richard Davies who played Welsh teacher Mr Price, and many anecdotes about the Welsh poet.