Barry Langford

Barry Langford (7 February 1926 – 25 July 2012) was a television and music director, producer, and businessman. He directed many television programs for the BBC in the 1960s and 1970s, and also worked as manager for musical artists including David Bowie and Tom Jones. He was one of the pioneers of cut editing and rapid perspective changes in BBC television programming, and was a major force behind the creation of Israeli television in the 1970s.

Upon reaching 18 years old during the closing years of World War II, Barry Langford was called for service in the British Army. His family had a long history as professional entertainers (including musicians, whistlers, and stuntmen) and this saw his talents being channeled into the Entertainment National Service Association ENSA Entertainments National Service Association, providing entertainment to the British Army during his period of service.

Barry’s Father, Louis Langford (originally surname was Lelyveld, his family being natives of the Netherlands) had run the family silver business during the war years. After the war, Louis retired, putting the collection in the London Silver Vaults Barry took over the family silver business after his father’s retirement. He entered a small, niche industry, with only 3-4 dealers present at the vaults at the time, mostly trading with other dealers. Barry opted to take the silver business in a new direction. His enormous flair for publicity and concerted efforts to market the Chancellery Lane silver vaults to Americans paid off, with the business becoming highly successful as it became more retail-oriented. Success saw the business moving to Charles Street, the new shop proving a good business headquarters for the Langford silver business. Celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Liberace, and Ava Gardner were drawn to and became customers of the Langford silver business.

Over time, Barry’s talents for publicity and entertainment saw him beginning to produce shows at Brighton Theatre. He also was featured as one of five citizens of London in the documentary Citizen 63 directed by John Boorman. His activities eventually caught the attention of entertainment mogul Lew Grade. The two eventually met, with Barry and Lew sharing similar tastes in entertainment style and direction. Lew guided Barry and set him on his course as a TV director, recognizing in Barry a natural talent for publicity and style.

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