John Barron (actor)
John Barron (24 December 1920 – 3 July 2004) was an English actor. Although Barron was a familiar face on British television from the 1950s, he is best remembered for his role in the BBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–79) playing C J, Perrin's overbearing boss, later employee. The show also gave Barron the memorable catchphrase, "I didn't get where I am today by...".
John Barron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 24 December 1920 |
| Died | 3 July 2004 (aged 83) Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
Biography
Born in Marylebone, London, Barron was interested in acting from an early age. For his 18th birthday, his godfather paid his entry fee to RADA.[1] 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. His movies including The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), Jigsaw (1962), Incense for the Damned (1970), Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973), Clash of Loyalties (1983), To Catch a King (1984) and Thirteen at Dinner (1985).[2] During his career, he also appeared in such popular TV series as Crown Court, The Avengers, Emergency – Ward 10, All Gas and Gaiters, Undermind, The Saint, Department S, Doomwatch, Timeslip, Potter, To the Manor Born, 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 and 1969), 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.[1] Barron's character, CJ (Charles Jefferson), was Perrin's overbearing boss, famous for the catchphrase "I didn't get where I am today by...".[3] He even used this in a TV commercial filmed for an insurance company in New Zealand in the 1980s.[1] He also appeared in the 1986 Christmas Special of Duty Free.
He was president of the actors' union Equity from 1978 to 1982 and vice-president in 1977 and again from 1984 to 1989.[4] His one hobby was enjoying fine wine, which he also inspired his friend Leonard Rossiter to take up. An active supporter of the Conservative Party, he presented a Party Political Broadcast on their behalf in the 1980s and features supporting his party's policies on the BBC's Newsnight programme.
He was married three times: first to the actress Joan Sterndale-Bennett which soon ended in divorce, then to Joan Peart, who died in 1989 after 40 years of marriage, and finally to Helen Christie, who died in 1995. He had two stepdaughters, one each from the second and third marriages.[5] Barron remained active in the profession until his death at the age of 83.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Acacia Avenue | Michael Carraway | TV film |
| Children to Bless You | Ronnie Trent | TV film | |
| 1949 | Mountain Air | Hamish Laurie | TV film |
| 1960 | Sink the Bismarck! | Officer P.R.O. | Uncredited |
| 1961 | The Day the Earth Caught Fire | First Sub-Editor | Uncredited |
| The Court Martial of Major Keller | M.O. Aubrey | ||
| 1962 | Jigsaw | Ray Tenby | |
| A Chance to Shine | Henry | TV film | |
| 1971 | Incense for the Damned | Diplomat | |
| 1973 | Hitler: The Last Ten Days | Dr. Stumpfegger | |
| 1974 | The Turn of the Screw | Mr. Fredricks | TV film |
| 1980 | The Taming of the Shrew | Vincentio | TV film |
| 1981 | Othello | Duke of Venice | TV film |
| 1982 | The Funny Side of Christmas | C.J. | TV film |
| 1983 | Al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra | General Haldane | |
| 1984 | To Catch a King | Selby | TV film |
| 1985 | Thirteen at Dinner | Lord Edgware | TV film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | BBC Sunday Night Theatre | Cecil Harvey | Episode: "The Lake" |
| 1957 | Sword of Freedom | Merchant | Episode: "Angelica's Past" |
| The Vise | Tony Preem | Episode: "Corpse with a Sword" | |
| 1958 | Dr. Marsden | Episode: "Death in a Flask" | |
| Theatre Night | Geoffrey Harrison | Episode: "Any Other Business" | |
| ITV Television Playhouse | Anthony Storey | Episode: "The Heat of the Evening" | |
| Armchair Theatre | Henry Walpole | Episode: "I Can Destroy the Sun" | |
| 1959 | The Wright People | Geoffrey Fairchild | Series regular |
| Glencannon | John Castle | Recurring role | |
| 1959-1964 | Emergency Ward 10 | Harold de la Roux | Series regular |
| 1960 | Hotel Imperial | Episode: "The Cinderella in 104" | |
| On Trial | Travers Humphreys | Episode: "Sir Roger Casement" | |
| No Hiding Place | Inspector Ferris | Episode: "Raising Old Harry" | |
| Saturday Playhouse | Charles | Episode: "Family Occasion" | |
| BBC Sunday-Night Play | Gerrard | Episode: "The Wind and the Sun" | |
| ITV Play of the Week | Lieutenant Colonel Reeve | Episode: "Carrington V.C." | |
| 1961 | Dr. Horsham | Episode: "Harriet" | |
| BBC Sunday-Night Play | Patrick McNally | Episode: "Off Centre" | |
| Our Mister Ambler | Episode: "The Blow Lamp" | ||
| Plateau of Fear | Dr. Miguel Aranda | Recurring role | |
| Deadline Midnight | Globe's Counsel | Episode: "Libel Story" | |
| 1962 | Ghost Squad | Lazenger | Episode: "The Grand Duchess" |
| 1963 | Tales of Mystery | Colonel Masters | Episode: "The Doll" |
| Brian Rix Presents... | Dr. Rodd | Episode: "Caught Napping" | |
| Dial RIX | Sir William Pardon | Episode: "What a Chassis" | |
| Laughter from the Whitehall | Freddie Neville | Episode: "High Temperature" | |
| 1964 | Sergeant Cork | Monsieur Billot | Episode: "The Case of the Great Pearl Robbery" |
| Story Parade | Bartlett | Episode: "The Flaw in the Crystal" | |
| Joan of Arc | Archbishop | Mini-series | |
| 1965 | Armchair Mystery Theatre | Inspector France | Episode: "Time and Mr Madingley" |
| Undermind | Sir Geoffrey Tillinger | 2 episodes | |
| Cluff | Mr. Liddler | Episode: "The Dictator" | |
| 199 Park Lane | Sir George Strudwick | Recurring role | |
| Out of the Unknown | Sir John | Episode: "The Midas Plague" | |
| 1966 | The Man in the Mirror | Edmund Beatty | Recurring role |
| The Avengers | Henge | Episode: "A Sense of History" | |
| Armchair Theatre | Government Official | Episode: "The Battersea Miracle" | |
| Pardon the Expression | Lord Penge | Episode: "The Dinner Party" | |
| Comedy Playhouse | The Dean, The Very Reverend Lionel Pugh-Critchley | Episode: "The Bishop Rides Again" | |
| Three Rousing Tinkles | Consultant | Episode: "The Best I Can Do for You by Way of a Gate-leg Table Is a Hundred-weight of Coal" | |
| The Troubleshooters | Price | Episode: "Someone's Head Has to Roll" | |
| The Woman in White | Sir Percival Glyde | Recurring role | |
| The Power Game | Sir. Trevor Hoylake | 2 episodes | |
| 1966-1969 | Softly, Softly | Assistant Chief Constable Austin Gilbert | Series regular |
| 1966-1971 | All Gas and Gaiters | The Dean, The Very Reverend Lionel Pugh-Critchley | Series regular |
| 1967 | Girl in a Black Bikini | Francis Heager | Recurring role |
| The Beverly Hillbillies | Chaffeaur | Recurring role | |
| 1968 | The Saint | Neal Lammerton | Episode: "The Scales of Justice" |
| 1969 | Jackanory | Bert | Episode: "No One Must Know" |
| Department S | Byrom Blain | Episode: "The Bones of Byrom Blain" | |
| Hadleigh | Minister | Episode: "M.Y.O.B." | |
| 1970 | Ace of Wands | Bartlett Bonnington | Episode: "The Smile" |
| 1970-1971 | Timeslip | Morgan C. Devereaux | Recurring role |
| 1970-1972 | Doomwatch | The Minister | Series regular |
| 1971 | The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder | Earl of Colebrooke | Episode: "Find the Lady" |
| 1972 | Spyder's Web | Admiral Manders | Episode: "Red Admiral" |
| Pathfinders | James Harley | Episode: "Sitting Ducks" | |
| 1973 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Sir Revel Revell, Q.C. | Episode: "The Missing Q.C.s" |
| Ooh La La! | Soldignac | Episode: "Paying the Piper" | |
| Romany Jones | Mr. Ruskin | Episode: "Look After the Pennies" | |
| Harriet's Back in Town | Peter Ward | Recurring role | |
| The Protectors | Insurance Executive | Episode: "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" | |
| Thirty Minutes Worth | 1 episode | ||
| 1973-1982 | Crown Court | Justice Mitchernor | Series regular |
| 1976 | The Fosters | Mr. Hudd | Episode: "Situations Vacant" |
| Victorian Scandals | Colonel Truelove | Episode: "A Pitcher of Snakes" | |
| 1976-1979 | The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin | C.J. | Series regular |
| 1977 | The Sunday Drama | Doctor | Episode: "The Late Wife" |
| 1977-1978 | The Foundation | Sir Clive Farmer | Series regular |
| 1978 | Wodehouse Playhouse | Reverend Stanley Brandon | Episode: "Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo" |
| 1979 | Spooner's Patch | The Golf Club President | Episode: "Par for the Course" |
| The Glums | Surgeon | 1 episode | |
| Jackanory Playhouse | Wizard of Crumm | Episode: "The Wizard of Crumm and the Ice Princess" | |
| 1979-1980 | Shelley | Cyril | Recurring role |
| 1979-1983 | Potter | The Vicar | Series regular |
| 1980 | The Gentle Touch | Victor Beresford | Episode: "Loyalties" |
| 1981 | To the Manor Born | Lumsden | 2 episodes |
| Cowboys | Surgeon | Episode: "Operation Douche" | |
| 1981-1986 | Yes Minister | Sir Ian Whitchurch, Permanent Secretary to the Environment | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Whoops Apocalypse | The Deacon | Series regular |
| 1984 | Kelly Monteith | Series regular | |
| 1984-1986 | No Place Like Home | Mr. Wilberforce | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The Caterpillar | Mini-series |
| Terry and June | Judge | Episode: "Terry in Court" | |
| Me and My Girl | Mr. Brocklebank | Episode: "Forty Years On" | |
| 1986 | Duty Free | Sir Geoffrey Stoneleigh-Jackson | Episode: "A Duty Free Christmas" |
| 1988 | Don't Wait Up | Sir Geoffrey Lawson | 1 episode |
| 1990 | Brush Strokes | Salamander General | 1 episode |
| 1992 | In Sickness and in Health | Sir Reginald Woodley | 1 episode |
| 1994 | The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna | 1 episode | |
| Paris | Degout's Father | Episode: "La solitude" | |
| 1996 | The Legacy of Reginald Perrin | C.J. | Series regular |
References
- staff (7 July 2004). "John Barron". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f136d8e
- https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/jul/08/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries
- McGarry, Ian (Autumn 2004). "John Barron". Equity. Equity. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- Newley, Patrick (9 July 2004). "John Barron". The Stage. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
