Ray Barrett
| Ray Barrett | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Raymond Charles Barrett 2 May 1927 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 8 September 2009 (aged 82) Southport, Queensland |
| Cause of death | Cerebral haemorrhage |
| Residence |
Sydney, New South Wales (1954–57) United Kingdom (1957–60s) Stradbroke Island, Queensland (1970s) |
| Education | Brisbane State High School |
| Occupation | Actor and singer |
| Years active | 1957–2008 |
| Spouse(s) | Miren Cook (?-?) (divorced) (2 children) Audrey Bettanay (1951-?) (divorced) (1 child) Gaye O'Brien (1986-2009) (his death) |
| Partner(s) | Celia Sherman |
| Children | Suellen Reginald (b. 1972) John (b. 1978 |
| Awards |
AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (1982) Raymond Longford Award (2005) |
Raymond Charles "Ray" Barrett (2 May 1927 – 8 September 2009) was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters (1965–71). From the 1970s, he appeared in lead and character roles in a number of Australian films and TV series.
Barrett was born in Brisbane, Queensland and was educated at Brisbane State High School. Fascinated by radio from an early age, he won an on-air talent competition in 1939, at the age of 12: an eisteddfod that was broadcast on 4BH radio, with a musical monologue about a dog called "Paddy". This was to place him on a path different from his dream of becoming a boat-builder. In 1949, Barrett was initiated into Freemasonry as an initiate and member of Empire Lodge #197 of the United Grand Lodge of Queensland.
Ray Barrett first appeared on radio in Brisbane, and later in Sydney, to which he moved in 1954. In 1957, he moved to England, where his background as a singer earned him a part in a revue alongside Beryl Reid, Patrick Wymark and Sheila Hancock.
Due to his "tough looks", Barrett was given character and "tough guy" roles from an unusually young age. In England, he played one of the lead roles in the TV series Emergency – Ward 10 and later one of the main characters, the hard-nosed oil worker Peter Thornton, in the long-running BBC series The Troubleshooters.
He also provided the voice of several characters in Gerry Anderson-produced "Supermarionation" series of the 1960s: Commander Shore and Titan in Stingray (1964–65) and later John Tracy, the Hood and various extras in Thunderbirds (1965–66). Also in 1965, he appeared as Bennett/Koquillion in the Doctor Who serial The Rescue.
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