Barry Hugh Crocker (born 4 November 1935
Official Barry Crocker website) is an Australian character actor, television personality, singer, and variety entertainer with a

crooning Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range ...

vocal style known for his iconic Australian films during the 1970s ''

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'' is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a chara ...

'' (1972) and sequel ''

Barry McKenzie Holds His Own ''Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'' is the 1974 sequel to the 1972 Australian comedy film ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie''. Returning from the original film is Barry Crocker in the title role, as well as Barry Humphries in the role of Barry's ...

'' (1974). Crocker was also the presenter and leading performer on the TV series ''The Sound of Music'', taking over from entertainer

Bobby Limb Robert "Bobby" Limb AO, OBE (10 November 1924 – 11 September 1999) was an Australian-born entertainment pioneer, comedian, band leader and musician and legend of radio, television and theatre of the 1960s and 1970s, he also founded the film a ...

, which earned him a Gold Logie in 1970 as Australia's favourite TV personality. His singing talents eventually earned him over 30

Gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile meta ...

s. In 1971 ''Sound of Music'' was the 11th most popular show in the country. Crocker sang the theme tune to the Australian soap opera ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

'' between 1985 and 1992. Crocker published an autobiography called ''Bazza – The Adventures of Barry Crocker'', in 2003.

Early life

Crocker was born in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

, Victoria. After undergoing

National Service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The l ...

with the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

in 1955, Crocker toured with a theatre group and did the club circuit in Melbourne, followed by a partnership with David Clark (aka Dave Nelson), and performed in the UK and the United States.

Career

In 1966, Crocker returned to Australia to star in a TV musical comedy show called ''66 And All That'', in 1966 hence the title which became the eponymous ''

The Barry Crocker Show Barry Hugh Crocker (born 4 November 1935
Official Barry Crocker website) is an Australian character actor, televisio ...

'' (1966–67) on Channel 10 Sydney (now

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

). This was followed by the musical variety show '' Say It With Music'' (1967–1969), also broadcast on Ten.

Acting

Crocker made his acting debut on a 1969 episode of '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo''. He has been in a relationship with English actress

Katy Manning Catherine Ann "Katy" Manning (born 14 October 1946) is an English-Australian actress, television presenter, voice artist and former model. Although she has made many appearances on both screen and stage, Manning is best known for her part as th ...

since 1990, although she moved back to the UK in 2010 and they maintain a

long-distance relationship A long-distance relationship (LDR) or long-distance romantic relationship (LDRR) is an intimate relationship between partners who are geographically separated from one another. Partners in LDRs face geographic separation and lack of face-to-face ...

. Barry Crocker has also had a successful career as a stage, television and motion picture actor, most notably starring alongside

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film prod ...

in the title role of

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. Beresford's notable films he has directed include ''Br ...

's 1972 movie ''

'' and its 1974 sequel, ''

''. The "bogan" character of Barry McKenzie gave rise to Crocker recording such ribald songs as "My One Eyed Trouser Snake" and other "off-colour" songs. Barry Crocker was Beresford's first choice as lead actor when it came to the filming of

David Williamson David Keith Williamson Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australians, Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Vi ...

's popular play ''

Don's Party ''Don's Party'' is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The play opened on 11 August 1971 at The Pram Factory theatre in Carlton. Plot Don Henderson is a schoolteacher living with his wife Kath and ba ...

'', but serious back problems curtailed Crocker's screen career at this point, opening the way for John Hargreaves to achieve film success in the coveted role of Don. Nevertheless, Barry Crocker was crowned

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

's '' King of Moomba'' in 1976, at the annual entertainment festival He had the lead role as Governor Alan Smith in the short-lived prison drama ''

Punishment Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular acti ...

'' (1981). He guest starred on two episodes of the Australian satirical black comedy series ''

Review with Myles Barlow ''Review with Myles Barlow'' is an Australian satirical black comedy television series which screened on Thursday nights on ABC2 and Friday nights on ABC 1. The series began screening on 16 October 2008. It is co-written and directed by Trent O' ...

''. More recent TV roles have included parts in ''

Pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

'', ''

Swift and Shift Couriers ''Swift and Shift Couriers'' is an Australian comedy television series that first screened on SBS TV in October 2008. The series is produced, directed and written by Paul Fenech, who was also responsible for the comedy series '' Pizza''. It is s ...

'', and ''

Housos '' Housos '' is a Logie Award-winning Australian comedy television series created by Paul Fenech for SBS, that screened on SBS One. The series is a satirical parody of low income Australian residents of fictional suburb Sunnyvale, New South Wal ...

'' for SBS and ''

The Strange Calls ''The Strange Calls'' is an Australian television comedy series based on a short film with the same title, which had been produced by Daley Pearson and released in 2011. The series, broadcast in 2012, follows the adventures of Toby Banks, a youn ...

'', an ABC2 comedy series. In 1994, Crocker appeared as himself in the worldwide record-breaking film ''

Muriel's Wedding ''Muriel's Wedding'' is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by P.J. Hogan. The film, which stars Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Jeanie Drynan, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambi ...

''. Barry proved his acting/comedy credentials once again as the retro-disco-host Donny Destry in the movie ''Razzle Dazzle'' in 2009. Crocker appeared as Charles "Hoot" Russell, Greg Russell's father in the '' Hey Dad..!'' episode "Hoot's Boots". This was the second-to-last episode of the show, which spanned 14 seasons. A DVD box set of ''Hey Dad'' has had to be abandoned, following the conviction of the original "Dad" – Robert Hughes – on several sex charges. In 2005, Crocker was featured on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

program '' This Is Your Life''. It was a rare accolade, as Crocker had already been the subject of this prestigious TV program thirty years earlier, in 1975, when the show was hosted by

Roger Climpson Roger Climpson (born 18 October 1932) is an English-born Australian retired media personality who served a lengthy career in both radio and television, as a journalist, announcer, newsreader and presenter. He is best known for his time at ''S ...

. Crocker was caught by surprise when host

Mike Munro Michael Kenneth Munro, (born 12 April 1953), is an Australian journalist and television presenter. Early life Munro cites a tough childhood—with an abusive and alcoholic mother—as one of the main reasons behind his motivation to succeed. ...

and the TV production team arrived, after a lot of careful planning by his long-term partner, Katy Manning, the popular English actress. Crocker was chosen by

Chaim Topol Chaim Topol ( he, חיים טופול; born September 9, 1935), also spelled Haym Topol, mononymously known as Topol, is an Israeli actor, comedian, singer, film producer, author, and illustrator. He is best known for his portrayal of Tevye the ...

to co-star as his nemesis Lazer Wolfe in a long-running Australian season of the musical ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

.'' He also featured in the role of The Lecturer in the 2008 Australian premiere of the stage musical ''

Reefer Madness ''Reefer Madness'' (originally made as ''Tell Your Children'' and sometimes titled ''The Burning Question'', ''Dope Addict'', ''Doped Youth'', and ''Love Madness'') is a 1936 American propaganda film about drugs, revolving around the melodramat ...

''. Crocker presented the Australian version of ''

Behind Mansion Walls ''Behind Mansion Walls'' is an American documentary television series on Investigation Discovery that debuted on June 6, 2011. The series, hosted by Christopher Mason, tells the stories of crime and investigation that are unveiled in wealthy fam ...

'' on the Crime and Investigation network on

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

in Australia.

Music career

In 1959, after successfully touring and a number of television appearances, he convinced Cyril Stevens of Spotlight Records in Thornbury to give him and his musical partner to see him. Cyril, who was a photographer by trade, had set up a recording studio in the early 1950s. He recorded manly Jazz and musical events around Victoria. Barry and Dave Clark were about to leave, Cyril wasn't impressed, when Cyril's son entered the room. He recognised the pair from television and concerts, and convinced his father to record the team. Two EPs were recorded totaling eight tracks. The records were Spotlights' highest sellers. In May 1973, he released the album ''Music Makes My Day'', featuring an updated version of American rockabilly singer

Robin Luke Robin Luke (born 20 March 1942, Los Angeles, California, United States) is an American rock and roll singing, singer who is best known for his 1958 song, "Susie Darlin'". He later worked as a University professor in Marketing. Luke has been enshrin ...

's " Susie Darlin' on the

Festival Records Festival Records (later known as Festival Mushroom Records) was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005. Festival was a wholly owned subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to ...

label. The recording featured

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

and

Pat Carroll Patricia Ann Carroll (May 5, 1927 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress and comedian. She was known for voicing Ursula in ''The Little Mermaid'' and for appearances in CBS's ''The Danny Thomas Show'', ABC's ''Laverne & Shirley'', and NBC' ...

on backup vocals and enjoyed chart success, peaking at number 7. He sang the original recording of the theme song for the 1977

Reg Grundy Reginald Roy Grundy (4 August 1923 – 6 May 2016) was an Australian entrepreneur and media mogul, best known for his numerous television productions. He was the producer of various Australian game shows, such as '' Blankety Blanks'' (based on ...

soap opera, ''

The Restless Years ''The Restless Years'' is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and the drama and relationships faced by young adults. It was created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for N ...

'' (later a hit for Renee Geyer), and also the original theme to the long-running soap opera, ''

'', another Reg Grundy production. His version was used from 1985 to 1992, and it was also played during the series final episode, which aired in July 2022. Crocker wrote and recorded an unofficial theme song for the Australian Rules

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

, entitled ''Come on the Cats''.

Discography

Charting albums

Charting singles

Awards

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Barry Crocker won 2 awards in that time and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. (wins only) , - , 1976 , Barry Crocker , Entertainer of the Year , , - , 1981 , Barry Crocker , Entertainer of the Year , , - , 2013 , Barry Crocker , Hall of Fame , , -

In popular culture

During the 1980s, the

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...

expression "Barry Crocker", or simply "Barry" or "Baz", emerged in

Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and ''de facto'' national language; while Australia has no official language, Engli ...

to mean a "shocker", as in "very poor". The most recent notable public use of the expression was on the front page of the Sydney newspaper '' ''The Daily Telegraph'' on 17 April 2014 when

Barry O'Farrell Barry Robert O'Farrell (born 24 May 1959) is a former Australian politician who has been Australia's High Commissioner to India and non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan since May 2020. O'Farrell was the 43rd Premier of New South Wales and Minis ...

the

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...

, was forced to resign, allegedly for accepting a gift of an expensive bottle of wine without declaring it, and then later denying in court that he had even received the gift. The headline, consisting of almost half the front page, read "A Barry Crocker". In February 2022, news of the cancellation of ''Neighbours'' in the British press prompted fans of the TV show to download the theme song. It reached No. 1 on UK

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and at No. 11 on the

UK Singles Sales Chart The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

sales and downloads chart ending 17 February 2022.

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crocker, Barry 1935 births Australian autobiographers Australian male film actors Australian male singers Australian male stage actors Australian television personalities Gold Logie winners Living people Members of the Order of Australia Male actors from Geelong Royal Australian Air Force personnel Transatlantic Records artists