DAVID BARRY...ACTOR-WRITER
I have been an actor for more than sixty years, having worked with some great actors in my time, including Laurence Olivier, Paul Scofield, Vivien Leigh, Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Anthony Quayle and many others, including the great cast from Please Sir! and The Fenn Street Gang. Having cut my teeth writing television scripts with episodes of Keep It In The Family for Thames Television, I have also been commissioned to write scripts for Alan J. W. Bell, Humphrey Barclay, BBC Wales and Working Title
I had my first novel, Each Man Kills, published in 2002.
Below you will see some of my latest publications. And for details of my two latest crime novels go to the next page 'Crime Novels' and you will see two more DI Lambert mysteries, following the first Each Man Kills.
Do you love the cinema and want to know more about its history? Are you a film fan looking for an informative yet light-hearted review of the last one hundred and thirty years of the silver screen?If so, you've found what you're looking for. The book will take you from the birth of cinema, the invention of dreams, all the way to today's huge CGI-fuelled blockbusters. Whether you're already a movie-buff with plenty of knowledge, or a film fan seeking an understanding of how we got to where we are today, this is the perfect book for you. The book is now available on many outlets, including Amazon, and by ordering from independent bookshops.
LATEST NEWS
On the next page, Crime Novels, you will see that my book BEFORE THEY DIE is now available as an audio book, just go to Amazon Audible and there you will find it. It is read by me, and has had some great reviews. But for a brief blurb of what it's about go to my Crime Novels page
Laurence Olivier & Vivien Leigh - The Final Curtain has now been published and you will find it available on Amazon in both hardcover and paperback. The book contains many photographs and images, and the book is also available by ordering from independent bookstores.
It is theatre history that has never been told in such detail, because I played Olivier's grandson Young Lucius in one of the most prestgious theatre productions of all time, revealing what really went on during the crazy, hectic, wild and utterly sensational productiion.
At last here is the complete story of a show that is generally considered to hold a firm place in the distinguished ranks of the greatest of British sitcoms. The journey through the golden age of British sitcom and beyond will bring back all kinds of memories for those lucky enough to have seen Please Sir! first-time around...and an enjoyable waltz through TV history for those that didn't. If you've ever wondered what it was like to play a key part in one of the best-loved British sitcoms of all time, this is the perfect book for you!
Lavishly illustrated with dozens of photos and images, and a foreword by Peter Cleall.
Available now at Amazon
Or to order a signed copy go to the fourth page Signed Books Available
The ever optimistic Mr Micawber bids a fond farewell to David Copperfield and takes his family to Australia, confident that their lives will change for the better. This, my latest book, is about the further adventures of Micawber in this brash new world that is Melbourne in 1855. Full of humour and a mystery for Micaawber to solve, the book is now available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon and also from ordering at all good bookshops.
New Two-Act Play
Read what some professional actors had to say about The Franz Anton Mesmer Show.
'David Barry takes us into a rehearsal room where a late run-through of a play about Mesmer is about to begin. As the fascinating story of Mesmer's life unfolds, moving between the Imperial Court of Vienna and Revolutionary Paris, the frequently strained and often combustible relations between the cast begin to unravel and the interplay between epic narrative and thespian skirmishing proves truly mesmerising.' Hugh Fraser, Captain Hastings in Poirot
Read more professional actors' comments at Amazon
AmazonUK AmazonUSA Beercottbooks
Soho Tales
11 entertaining stories from London's adult playground. Soho and its colourful characters comes alive with this collection of earthy tales. It also includes a brief history of the area and some of its famous pubs.
An indispenable guide for anyone planning to visit the area, and a nostalgic wallow for those already familiar with the red-light district.
Although I write mainly crime fiction for adults, when I worked as Writer in Residence in Aberdeen for a year, teaching creative writing for children, I wrote The Ice Cream Time Machine, which was published a year later. Although a children's book, if you are still a child at heart, and you enjoy sci-fi and Dr Who, this time travelling adventure is suitable for fans of all ages from 8 - 80
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Throughout 2019, I have been giving humorous accounts of my years in theatre, film and television for all kinds of groups up and down the country. These have been very successful, and I have met many interesting people as I regale them with stories of touring Europe with Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, as well as tales about working on Please Sir! There are two booking websites, so if you are interested in hearing hilarious stories about actors behaving badly or you might be interested in creative writing, then please go to either webiste for further details.
This is me, aged fourteen, marching at the head of the protest with Sir Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, a march to try to save the St James's Theatre, when we performed in London following the European tour. Vivien Leigh had astounded everyone by an outburst from the visitors' gallery in the House of Lords before being thrown out. Sir Winston Churchill, one of her admirers, offered £500 for her cause, but said, 'As a Parliamentarian I cannot approve of your disorderly method.' This is just one of many stories from my public speaking events
And this is me as Frankie Abbott in the Please Sir! film, with Barbara Mitchell who played my mother. Working in the series was an enjoyable experience and there are funny anecdotes about working in the series, when we behaved like schoolchildren playing pranks on other actors, and hearing of the many theatrical anecdotes of actors like Deryck Guyler, who has been in The Mousetrap for 66 years! If you want to know how that is, you will just have to book a talk with me, won't you?