- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRonald William George Barker
- Nickname
- The Guvnor
- Height5′ 7¾″ (1.72 m)
- Ronnie Barker's remarkable versatility as a performer can be traced back to his time in repertory theatre, where he was able to play a wide range of roles and develop his talent for accents, voices and verbal dexterity. It was during this time that he met Glenn Melvyn, who taught him how to stammer (something he would later use to great effect in the sitcom Open All Hours (1976)). Melvyn also gave Ronnie his break into television by offering him a role in I'm Not Bothered (1956). During the 1960s, Ronnie became well-established in radio, providing multiple voices for "The Navy Lark" and working with comedy great Jon Pertwee. He also became a regular face on television, appearing in The Frost Report (1966) (perhaps most memorably in a sketch about Britain's class system, with John Cleese and Ronnie Corbett) and playing character roles in The Saint (1962) and The Avengers (1961).
In 1971, Ronnie teamed up with Ronnie Corbett again, this time for a BBC sketch series called The Two Ronnies (1971). This series proved enormously popular, continuing until the late 1980s. In addition to "The Two Ronnies", Barker starred in the popular BBC sitcoms Porridge (1974) (as a cockney prisoner) and Open All Hours (1976) (as a stammering Northern shopkeeper). In fact, only Leonard Rossiter could be said to have rivaled him during this time for the crown of British television's most popular comedy star. In 1982, he revived silent comedy in By the Sea (1982). Despite his extrovert performances on television, Barker remained a quiet, retiring individual in his personal life, much preferring to spend time with his family rather than mix with the celebrity crowd. This humility, combined with memories of his extraordinary abilities, meant that he continued to be greatly respected by his fellow professionals. In a BAFTA special shown by the BBC in 2004, stars as diverse as Gene Wilder, Peter Kay and Peter Hall paid tribute to his contribution to comedy and British television in general. Barker died on 3 October 2005 after suffering from heart problems.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous
- SpouseBeryl (Joy) Joyce Tubb(July 8, 1957 - October 3, 2005) (his death, 3 children)
- Children
- ParentsLeonard BarkerEdith Barker
- RelativesEileen Barker(Sibling)Vera Barker(Sibling)
- His became very close to his co-stars Ronnie Corbett and David Jason. He said that making Open All Hours (1976) with Jason was the happiest experience of his career.
- He was so devastated by Richard Beckinsale's sudden death at the age of 31, he could not work for several days. He collected the BAFTA award for Best Light Entertainment performance a few days later, but told the audience that Beckinsale's death had robbed him of the pleasure of receiving the award.
- He thought about retiring at age 56 after the deaths of Eric Morecambe and Tommy Cooper and working himself into an early grave was playing on his mind. He decided to retire on New Years Day, 1988 at the age of 59. David Jason was disappointed but respected his decision.
- On one occasion, while David Jason was a guest in Barker's house, Jason got slightly drunk and couldn't sleep; he saw a door and assuming it led to a flat roof, decided to get some fresh air to help him sleep even though he couldn't see a thing beyond the door. Jason reconsidered after worrying about cutting his feet on any stones. The next morning Jason found the door led to nowhere but a 30ft drop to a disused mill wheel; Barker had a balcony built to prevent any more near tragedies.
- He was cremated at a private humanist funeral at Banbury Crematorium, which was attended only by family and close friends A public memorial service for Barker was held on 3 March 2006 at Westminster Abbey, with some 2,000 people in attendance. David Jason, Richard Briers, Josephine Tewson, Michael Grade, and Peter Kay all read at the service, while others in attendance included Ronnie Corbett, Stephen Fry, Michael Palin, Leslie Phillips, Lenny Henry, Dawn French and June Whitfield. A recording of Barker's rhyming slang sermon from The Two Ronnies (1971) was played, and while the cross was in procession in the aisle of the abbey, it was accompanied by four candles instead of the usual two, in reference to the Four Candles sketch. Barker was the third comedy professional to be given a memorial at Westminster Abbey, after Joyce Grenfell and Les Dawson.
- It's better to make people laugh than cry.
- I knew with Porridge (1974) from the first episode. It was in front of an audience which is a wonderful sounding board as to how well it's going. My wife was in the audience for that and she said afterwards 'This is going to be a big success' and she was right.
- [on the death of Jon Pertwee] I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. It was always great fun and we had a lot of laughs. Jon was always very nattily dressed. He was certainly the smartest looking Doctor Who (1963). I last saw him at a party I gave last summer. He was in good spirits and looked very healthy.
- We had hoped to have been bringing you Arthur the Human Chameleon, but this afternoon, he crawled across a tartan rug and died of exhaustion.
- The toilets at a local police station have been stolen. Police say they have nothing to go on.
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