Trivia

Ex-father-in-law of Anthony Hopkins.

The only actor in the "Carry On..." films to appear, along with Kenneth Williams and Kenneth Connor in the first (Carry on Sergeant (1958)) and last authentic "Carry On... films (Carry on Emmannuelle (1978)). This does not include the heavily criticised Carry on Columbus (1992).

He suffered a stroke in 1967, which left him paralyzed down the left hand side of his body, pretty much forcing him to give up his acting career.

Carry on Cruising (1962) was based on one of his stories.

Father of Petronella Barker and grandfather of the actress and singer Abigail Hopkins.

Following Carry on Regardless he mentioned an idea of doing a Carry on based on a coach tour around Europe to Peter Rogers who modified it into a Mediterranean cruise. and commissioned Eric to write a 30 to 40 page treatment called 'Carry on at Sea'.

His radio shows with his wife included "Merry-Go-Round" and "Just Fancy".

He had 3 novels published by the time he was 21, written lyrics and sketches for Andre Charlot's revues and had written and produced two plays. One of his short stories had been included in P.G. Wodehouse's anthology 'A Century of Humour'.

An actor since his youth his first adult roles were in 1930 playing juvenile Shakespearean roles at the Q Theatre in London. He moved on to play in repertory in Birmingham. Oxford and Croydon. He reinvented himself as a cabaret artiste and radio comedian specialising in impersonations. During a spell at London's Windmill Theatre he met and married the head ballerina Pearl Hackney in 1936. and together did radio series 'Merry- Go- Round' and 'Steady Barker', the latter becoming his catch phrase.

Barker was one of the most successful comic actors in British radio from World War II until the late 1950s, when he noticed that few new comedy shows were being approved by the executives and that comedy was on its way out. He sought new work opportunities in the film industry, and was cast as the perpetually harassed Ministry of Education official Culpepper-Brown in three "St. Trinian"'s films and as frustrated authority figures in three "Carry On films". Consequently, he was typecast in playing busybodies and authority figures in most of his subsequent appearances in film or television.