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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Frank Barrie obituary
There is a dying breed of classically trained, romantic, heroic actors who should not be consigned to oblivion in theatrical memory, and Frank Barrie, who has died aged 88, is a notable example. The youngest leading actor at the Bristol Old Vic in the late 1960s, Barrie was always part of that noble tradition, one that stemmed from William Macready and Edmund Kean in the earlier Victorian era. A current reminder of it comes in Ralph Fiennes's intriguing evocation of Henry Irving in David Hare's new play Grace Pervades, but it is now largely forgotten. Barrie scored his biggest international success in a solo show about Macready (titled Macready!), which he wrote himself and which opened at the Northcott theatre, Exeter, in 1979 and then, after a triumphant season on Broadway, at the Arts in London. It subsequently toured in 65 countries. He put the extravagance and what might be unkindly dubbed 'affectation' of Macready, a great Shakespearean actor, into a contemporary perspective, with due acknowledgement of his attempts to modernise the theatre, a profession of which Macready was openly, and paradoxically, contemptuous. Two chairs, a table and a cloak were all it took. Barrie was delightful company, full of memories and anecdotes, rather like his contemporary stylists, Keith Baxter and John Fraser, who, unlike him, both committed their reminiscent stories to print. Tall and strikingly handsome, he impressed, as the critic Michael Ratcliffe once said, as a character actor of elegance, sympathy and wit. Another critic, Harold Hobson, while praising his Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet at the Bristol Old Vic as 'splendidly manly and romantic', added that few Mercutios could have lived with more swagger or died with more panache, or bitterness, than his. And yet his highest profile performance as far as today's public were concerned was probably that of Dot Cotton's smooth gentleman friend, Edward Bishop, in EasteEnders on television in 20101. Bishop was a local choirmaster whom Dot (June Brown) befriended but shied away from – when Bishop tried to up the affectionate tempo – on the reasonable grounds of her still being married. There were other television appearances – as Coriolanus and King Lear for RTE in Dublin in the early 70s; in the BBC's Doctors soap (2008 and 2012, different characters); as Eglamour in Two Gentlemen of Verona (1984); and in a screen version of Macready! in 1985. But Barrie's natural habitat was the stage. He was born Frank Smith in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, as the third child of Annie (nee Carter) and Arthur, a press photographer. The family moved to York after their house was bombed in the second world war. He attended Archbishop Holgate's school in the city, and took part in the York Mystery Plays before taking a degree in English at Hull University, where he was president of the debating society and where he met a fellow student, Mary Lloyd, whom he married in 1960. There followed four years in weekly and fortnightly rep – in Harrogate, Ipswich, Salisbury and Sheringham, Norfolk – changing his surname to Barrie (in memory of an admired actor, John Barrie) on the advice of an agent before joining the Bristol Old Vic in 1965. Over several seasons there he played Oedipus Rex, Richard II, Long John Silver, Alfie (in Bill Naughton's play), Malvolio in Twelfth Night and Lucio in a Tyrone Guthrie production of Measure for Measure. In 10 years he had acquired a huge range of experience, and a complete skill set for the opportunity that now arose to join Laurence Olivier's National Theatre at the Old Vic in 1969. He was recommended to Olivier by his assistant, Donald MacKechnie, who had worked with Barrie on Macready! He auditioned for, and was immediately cast as, Mirabell in Congreve's Restoration masterpiece The Way of the World (opposite Geraldine McEwan), then Wendoll in Thomas Heywood's stark Jacobean domestic tragedy, A Woman Killed with Kindness, Brachiano in John Webster's glittering The White Devil, Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice (Olivier as Shylock, Joan Plowright as Portia, Jonathan Miller director) and Barelli in Pirandello's Rules of the Games, adapted by Hare, with Plowright and Paul Scofield. In the 70s he played Hamlet and Richard III for the director Richard Digby Day at the Theatre Royal, York, where he returned in 1984 as a tremendous Morose, the grumpy old noise-hating character, in Ben Jonson's Epicœne, or The Silent Woman. Also, in the York Minster, he played Thomas More in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons and, in Regent's Park, London, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream. His later London credits included Royce Ryton's Motherdear (1980) at the Ambassadors, a right royal predecessor of The Crown, set in Sandringham House between 1888 and 1922, in which he stalked magnificently as the prime minister Lord Rosebery opposite Margaret Lockwood as the Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra; another Way of the World at the Haymarket in 1984, playing the adulterous, conniving Fainall in a superb revival by William Gaskill headlined by Maggie Smith and Plowright, and a 1991 revival at Wyndham's of Christopher Hampton's inverted Molière-sque comedy, The Philanthropist, as the self-centred bestselling novelist Braham, alongside Edward Fox and Tim Brooke-Taylor. Two delightful, nostalgic gems in tiny London theatres marked his farewell to the stage: as Noël Coward in Chris Burgess's Lunch with Marlene (Kate O'Mara as a slinky Dietrich) at the New End in Hampstead in 2009, and – a real collector's item – as the financier Sir Claude Burton in Ivor Novello's last musical, Gay's the Word (lyrics by Alan Melville) at the Jermyn Street theatre in 2013. Frank and Mary lived in Brockley, south London, for their last 40 years. He is survived by Mary, their daughter, Julia, grandchildren Becky and Dudley, great-granddaughter Pearl and his older siblings, Nancy and Harold. Frank Barrie (Frank Smith), actor, born 19 September 1936; died 30 June 2025
The Irish Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
EastEnders pays tribute after show star passes away – as BBC says show cast are ‘deeply saddened'
EASTENDERS has paid tribute to a show legend after he died. The BBC soap posted a tribute to late star Advertisement 2 Legendary actor Frank Barrie died last month 2 The BBC soap paid tribute to him with a touching post on Instagram Credit: BBC The tribute read: 'We are deeply saddened to hear that Frank Barrie has passed away. Our love and thoughts are with Frank's family and friends.' A statement from Frank's agency Scott Marshall Partners stated he passed away on June 30 "peacefully at his home", comforted by his wife Mary and daughter Julia. It read: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved client, Frank Barrie, at the age of 88. "He died peacefully at home, with his wife Mary and daughter Julia." Advertisement Read more on EastEnders His appearances on EastEnders in 2010 and 2011 marked his most recent time on screen, playing choir master Edward Bishop - a gentleman friend of veteran character Dot Branning, portrayed by the late Prior to this final appearance on TV, Frank had featured in countless His acting debut came in 1959 during a production of Henry IV, Part 2 at the York Theatre Royal. From this came a five-decade-long career in acting, including the creation of his one-man show Macready! which toured 65 countries across the world. Advertisement Most read in Soaps Spoiler Exclusive After a number of Shakespeare roles with the Bristol Old Vic, Frank then joined the National Theatre in 1969. This led him to play many leads in Laurence Olivier's company, including Mirabell in The Way of the World with Geraldine McEwan, Wendoll in A Woman Killed with Kindness with Joan Plowright, and Bassanio to Olivier's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Other stage roles included performances in The Woman in Black and Lunch With Marlene. His solo show Macready! won Frank the London Critics Plays and Players Award for Best Actor when it was performed in the West End. Advertisement
Scottish Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
EastEnders pays tribute after show star passes away – as BBC says show cast are ‘deeply saddened'
MUCH MISSED EastEnders pays tribute after show star passes away – as BBC says show cast are 'deeply saddened' EASTENDERS has paid tribute to a show legend after he died. The BBC soap posted a tribute to late star Frank Barrie after the legendary actor, director and writer died at the age of 88. Advertisement 2 Legendary actor Frank Barrie died last month 2 The BBC soap paid tribute to him with a touching post on Instagram Credit: BBC The tribute read: 'We are deeply saddened to hear that Frank Barrie has passed away. Our love and thoughts are with Frank's family and friends.' A statement from Frank's agency Scott Marshall Partners stated he passed away on June 30 "peacefully at his home", comforted by his wife Mary and daughter Julia. It read: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved client, Frank Barrie, at the age of 88. "He died peacefully at home, with his wife Mary and daughter Julia." Advertisement His appearances on EastEnders in 2010 and 2011 marked his most recent time on screen, playing choir master Edward Bishop - a gentleman friend of veteran character Dot Branning, portrayed by the late June Brown. Prior to this final appearance on TV, Frank had featured in countless Shakespearean productions, including Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Merchant of Venice. His acting debut came in 1959 during a production of Henry IV, Part 2 at the York Theatre Royal. From this came a five-decade-long career in acting, including the creation of his one-man show Macready! which toured 65 countries across the world. Advertisement After a number of Shakespeare roles with the Bristol Old Vic, Frank then joined the National Theatre in 1969. This led him to play many leads in Laurence Olivier's company, including Mirabell in The Way of the World with Geraldine McEwan, Wendoll in A Woman Killed with Kindness with Joan Plowright, and Bassanio to Olivier's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Other stage roles included performances in The Woman in Black and Lunch With Marlene. His solo show Macready! won Frank the London Critics Plays and Players Award for Best Actor when it was performed in the West End.
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
EastEnders pays tribute after show star passes away – as BBC says show cast are ‘deeply saddened'
EASTENDERS has paid tribute to a show legend after he died. The BBC soap posted a tribute to late star Frank Barrie after the legendary actor, director and writer died at the age of 88. 2 2 The tribute read: 'We are deeply saddened to hear that Frank Barrie has passed away. Our love and thoughts are with Frank's family and friends.' A statement from Frank's agency Scott Marshall Partners stated he passed away on June 30 "peacefully at his home", comforted by his wife Mary and daughter Julia. It read: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved client, Frank Barrie, at the age of 88. "He died peacefully at home, with his wife Mary and daughter Julia." His appearances on EastEnders in 2010 and 2011 marked his most recent time on screen, playing choir master Edward Bishop - a gentleman friend of veteran character Dot Branning, portrayed by the late June Brown. Prior to this final appearance on TV, Frank had featured in countless Shakespearean productions, including Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Merchant of Venice. His acting debut came in 1959 during a production of Henry IV, Part 2 at the York Theatre Royal. From this came a five-decade-long career in acting, including the creation of his one-man show Macready! which toured 65 countries across the world. After a number of Shakespeare roles with the Bristol Old Vic, Frank then joined the National Theatre in 1969. This led him to play many leads in Laurence Olivier's company, including Mirabell in The Way of the World with Geraldine McEwan, Wendoll in A Woman Killed with Kindness with Joan Plowright, and Bassanio to Olivier's Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. Other stage roles included performances in The Woman in Black and Lunch With Marlene. His solo show Macready! won Frank the London Critics Plays and Players Award for Best Actor when it was performed in the West End.
North Wales Chronicle
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Former EastEnders actor and prolific theatre star Frank Barrie dies aged 88
According to a statement from his agency Scott Marshall Partners, Barrie died peacefully at home surrounded by his family. The statement read: 'It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved client, Frank Barrie, at the age of 88. 'He died peacefully at home, with his wife Mary and daughter Julia.' The Yorkshire-born actor played Edward Bishop in the BBC soap from 2010 to 2011, his character was the leader of the local church choir and embarked on a romance with Dot Cotton, played by the late June Brown. On the stage, Barrie was a member of Sir Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, and was praised for his numerous Shakespearean and other stage roles, including The Woman In Black and Lunch With Marlene. His one-man show Macready! played in 65 countries worldwide, representing GB at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Arts Festival in Australia. Barrie also made more than 150 screen appearances, including in shows such as Emergency Ward 10, No Hiding Place, Softly, Softly, Special Branch, On Giant's Shoulders and Queen Of Swords. In 1983, he played Eglamour in the BBC TV adaptation of Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen Of Verona. He also found success as a director on productions of Shylock, JM Barrie and The Life And Loves Of Edith Wharton, all of which toured internationally. Barrie's writing credits include Wellington, The Family At Ham, The Devil You Know and The Other Woman, which was broadcast by the BBC, starring the late Dame Thora Hird. The actor met his wife while attending Hull University, where he was president of the debating union. Barrie died on June 30.
