Barret Spencer Oliver (born August 24, 1973) is an American photographer and a former child actor. He is best known for his role as Bastian Balthazar Bux in the film adaptation of

Michael Ende Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende (12 November 1929 – 28 August 1995) was a German writer of fantasy and children's fiction. He is known for his epic fantasy '' The Neverending Story'' (with its 1980s film adaptation and a 1995 animated televisio ...

's novel ''

The Neverending Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...

'', followed by roles in ''

D.A.R.Y.L. ''D.A.R.Y.L.'' is a 1985 science fiction film written by David Ambrose, Allan Scott, and Jeffrey Ellis. It was directed by Simon Wincer and stars Barret Oliver, Mary Beth Hurt, Michael McKean, Danny Corkill, and Josef Sommer. D.A.R.Y.L. was rel ...

'', ''

Cocoon Cocoon may refer to: *Cocoon (silk), a pupal casing made by moth caterpillars and other insect larvae *Apache Cocoon, web development software * ''Cocoon'' (film), a 1985 science fiction-fantasy film **'' Cocoon: The Return'', 1988 sequel to ''Coco ...

'', and '' Cocoon: The Return''.

Career

Oliver had minor roles in television and film, until starring as Bastian in the 1984 movie ''

The NeverEnding Story ''The Neverending Story'' (german: Die unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, published in 1979. The first English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several ...

''. Subsequently, he was cast as the lead in

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...

's short film '' Frankenweenie'' and as the

cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

"Daryl" in the 1985 film ''

'', a part for which he won a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

. His last role in a feature film was Willie Saravian in

Paul Bartel Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. He was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy ''Eating Raoul'', which he wrote, starred in and directed. Bartel appeared in over 90 movies and ...

's 1989 ensemble comedy ''

Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills ''Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills'' is a 1989 American black comedy film co-written and directed by Paul Bartel. The film re-unites Bartel with his '' Eating Raoul'' co-stars Mary Woronov and Robert Beltran. It also stars Jacquel ...

''. Later Oliver became a printer and photographer, specializing in nineteenth-century processes such as

collodion Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol. There are two basic types: flexible and non-flexible. The flexible type is often used as a surgical dressing or to hold dressings in place. When painted on the ski ...

and

Woodburytype A Woodburytype is both a printing process and the print that it produces. In technical terms, the process is a ''photomechanical'' rather than a ''photographic'' one, because sensitivity to light plays no role in the actual printing. The process ...

. His work has been displayed in museum and gallery exhibitions and used in films. In 2007, his book ''A History of the Woodburytype'' was published by Carl Mautz Publishing.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

Bibliography

* Holmstrom, John. ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 393–394.

External links

*
Barret Oliver archiveSilverstein Photography Annual
(Archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Barret 1973 births 20th-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American photographers American male television actors American Scientologists Living people Male actors from Los Angeles