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Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown, 28 March 1960) is a British actor,
comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing
Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...
, and impressionist
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
. He worked as a vocal impressionist
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
on the ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
sketch show ''Spitting Image
''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ov ...
'' (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around th ...
's butler Hillary in the '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' (2001) and '' Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life'' (2003). Barrie is most renowned for starring as Arnold Rimmer
Arnold Judas Rimmer is a fictional character in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'', played by Chris Barrie. Rimmer is characterised as a second-class technician (and de facto leader) of the mining ship Red Dwarf. Portrayed as snobbish, peda ...
in 13 seasons of the sci-fi space comedy ''Red Dwarf
''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...
'' between (1988–2020), and as Gordon Brittas in 7 seasons of the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...leisure centre
A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people ...
sitcom ''The Brittas Empire
''The Brittas Empire'' is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New To ...
'' (1991–1997),
Early life and career
Barrie was born inHanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...
, West Germany, to a father who was serving in the British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, and attended Methodist College Belfast
God with us
, established = 1865
, type = Voluntary grammar
, religion = Interdenominational
, principal = Jenny Lendrum
, chair_label = Chairwoman
, chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth
, founder ...
boarding school in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. After dropping out of his Combined Studies course at Brighton Polytechnic
The University of Brighton is a public university based on four campuses in Brighton and Eastbourne on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achiev ...
, he became a grave filler. He then began his television career as a sports personality impersonator on '' The David Essex Showcase'' in 1982.
He adopted the surname "Barrie" as there was already an actor named Chris Brown on the Equity UK lists. He was a regular on '' Saturday Live'', amongst performers like Fry and Laurie
Fry and Laurie are English comedy double act, mostly active in the 1980s and 1990s. The duo consisted of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who met in 1980 through mutual friend Emma Thompson while all three attended the University of Cambridge. They ...
, Rik Mayall
Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...
and Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a writer on the sitcoms '' The Young Ones'' and ''Bla ...
. Barrie provided the voice of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
in the pop song "Two Tribes
"Two Tribes" is an anti-war song by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984. The song was later included on the album '' Welcome to the Pleasuredome''. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyric ...
" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guit ...
, as well as various vocalizations for other tracks by FGTH and Art of Noise
Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and music ...
. He also appeared as an impressionist on the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Carrott's Lib
''Carrott's Lib'' is a British satirical comedy series broadcast between 2 October 1982 and 30 December 1983. It starred Jasper Carrott and a cast of many comedians. The show was a satirical comedy and sketch show, featuring many comedians who wen ...
'' between 1983 and 1984, and he starred in his own sketch show ''Pushing Up Daisies'' (re-titled ''Coming Next'' for the following season) from 1984 to 1985 alongside Hale and Pace
Hale and Pace were an English comedy double-act that performed in clubs and on radio and television in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and 1990s. The duo was made up of Gareth Hale and Norman Pace, with the ''Hale and Pace'' television sho ...
and Carla Mendonça
Carla Mendonça (born 1961) in Coventry, Warwickshire is a British actress. She is known for playing Orla Crawshaw in ''Coronation Street'', Sophie Johnson in the CITV children's sitcom ''My Parents Are Aliens'' (2001–2006) and Mrs. Fitzgeral ...
. In 1987, he appeared as a French Revolutionary in ''Blackadder the Third
''Blackadder the Third'' is the third series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987. The series is set during the Georgian Era, and sees the principal character ...
'' (episode "Nob and Nobility") and did various parts in ''The Young Ones'' both as an actor and a voice-over.
''Red Dwarf''
Barrie has played the character Arnold J. Rimmer in all twelve series of ''Red Dwarf
''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...
'', appearing in almost every episode of the series, absent only for a period during series 7. When an unsold pilot for an American version of the show was produced, Barrie was invited to reprise his role as Rimmer. He passed up the offer because of the constraint of the five-series contract.
He starred in the 2020 special '' Red Dwarf: The Promised Land'', alongside the main cast of Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation ...
, Danny John-Jules
Daniel John-Jules (born 16 September 1960) is a British actor, singer and dancer. He is best known for playing Milton Wordsworth in The Story Makers and ''Red Dwarf'', Barrington which are both children's series. Also he played in ''Maid Maria ...
and Robert Llewellyn
Robert Llewellyn (born 10 March 1956) is a British actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He plays the mechanoid Kryten in the sci-fi television sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and formerly presented the engineering gameshow ''Scrapheap Challenge''. He ...
(Series 3–present).
In addition to starring in the TV series, Barrie also narrated the first two ''Red Dwarf'' books, ''Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers
''Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers'' is a best-selling science fiction comedy novel by Grant Naylor, the collective name for Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, co-creators and writers of the ''Red Dwarf'' television series, on which the nove ...
'' (1992) and '' Better Than Life'' (1995), including using his vocal talents to recreate the voices of the other characters, as they sound in the show.
''The Brittas Empire''
Barrie played Gordon Brittas, the title role in ''The Brittas Empire
''The Brittas Empire'' is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New To ...
'', a BBC sitcom running from January 1991 to February 1997 for seven series, with 52 episodes, including two Christmas specials. Brittas was the well-meaning, but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. Each episode featured a disastrous occurrence, which Brittas was sure he could sort out, oblivious to the fact he was usually its cause.
In 2014, Barrie reprised his role as Gordon Brittas in the music video for Little Mix
Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...
's version of " Word Up!".
In 2017 the cast reunited for the reopening of Ringwood Leisure centre where a lot of the series was recorded.
Roles in television and films
Barrie's TV work includes '' Britain's Greatest Machines with Chris Barrie'', screened on the National Geographic channel
National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...
from 4 June 2009. Each of the four episodes features some of the most notable air, sea, and land vehicles and equipment of the 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1980s, respectively. The second series of four episodes was transmitted in February 2010, with the 1910s, 1920s, 1940s, and early steam trains as the subjects of each episode.
Barrie has also hosted the television series ''Chris Barrie's Massive Engines'' and ''Chris Barrie's Massive Machines'' on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
, later shown on Channel 5 and released on DVD. The latest in this series ''Massive Speed with Chris Barrie'' was shown on Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
from November 2006. In 2006, he appeared as a regular team captain in the BBC Two quiz show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...
'' Petrolheads'' and was the star of the British crime/comedy/drama film ''Back In Business'', in which he played Tom Marks.
Between 2015 and 2018 he was the voice-over for Channel 5's ''Car Crash TV'' and 2018–2019 ''Idiot TV''.
Filmography
* 1983–1984 Appearances on theBBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
sketch show '' Son of Cliché''.
* 1984 Voice impersonation of Robin Day
Sir Robin Day (24 October 1923 – 6 August 2000) was an English political journalist and television and radio broadcaster.
Day's obituary in ''The Guardian'' by Dick Taverne stated that he was "the most outstanding television journalist of ...
on the Art of Noise
Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and music ...
track "Close Up
A close-up or closeup in filmmaking, television production, still photography, and the comic strip medium is a type of shot that tightly frames a person or object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium and long ...
".* 1984 The ship's captain in the wall-poster cut scene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
during '' The Young Ones'' episode " Nasty".
* 1985 Voice impersonations on recordings by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guit ...
:
** as Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
on the 12-inch release of "Two Tribes
"Two Tribes" is an anti-war song by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984. The song was later included on the album '' Welcome to the Pleasuredome''. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyric ...
".
** as Mike Read
Michael David Kenneth Read (born 1 March 1947) is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter. Read has been a broadcaster since 1976, best known for having been a DJ with BBC Radio 1, and television host for musi ...
, banning the single "Relax
Relax may refer to:
Aviation
* Roland Z-120 Relax, a German ultralight aircraft design for the 120 kg class
Music Albums
* ''Relax'' (Blank & Jones album), 2003
* ''Relax'' (Das Racist album), 2011
Songs
* "Relax" (song), a 1983 song by Fran ...
", on the 12-inch release of " The Power of Love".
** as HRH Prince Charles on "Tag", from the album ''Welcome to the Pleasuredome
''Welcome to the Pleasuredome'' is the debut studio album by English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, first released on 29 October 1984 by ZTT Records. Originally issued as a vinyl double album, it was assured of a UK chart entry at n ...
''.
* 1986 Voice of Ronald Reagan in the video to the Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
song "Land of Confusion
"Land of Confusion" is a song by the English rock band Genesis from their 1986 album ''Invisible Touch''. The song was the third track on the album and was the third track released as a single, reaching No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 14 in the UK in ...
".
* 1987 Trevor, the director of the mock panel show "Ooer, Sounds a Bit Rude" in episode two of ''Filthy Rich & Catflap
''Filthy Rich & Catflap'' is a BBC sitcom produced in 1986 and broadcast in 1987. The series featured former '' The Young Ones'' co-stars Nigel Planer, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson as its three title characters. It was written by Ben Elton ( ...
''.
* 1987 A revolutionary in the French embassy in ''Blackadder The Third
''Blackadder the Third'' is the third series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987. The series is set during the Georgian Era, and sees the principal character ...
'' (Episode: ''Nob and Nobility
"Nob and Nobility" is the third episode of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder the Third'', the third series of ''Blackadder''.
Plot
Edmund is disgusted with the English obsession over the Scarlet Pimpernel, the masked vigilante who has saved so many ...
'').
* 1992 Voice of a motorbike racing commentator in episode 3 of the BBC Comedy series ''Grace and Favour
''Grace & Favour'' (American title: ''Are You Being Served? Again!'') is a British sitcom and a spin-off of ''Are You Being Served?'' that aired on BBC1 for two series from 1992 to 1993. It was written by ''Are You Being Served?'' creators and ...
''.
* 1993–1995 The voices of Captain Smollett and Ben Gunn in ''The Legends of Treasure Island
''The Legends of Treasure Island'' is a British animated television series. It had two series of 13 episodes each and each episode runs for 22–25 minutes.
The series was loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson's original 1883 novel ''Treasure ...
''.
* 1994 The voice of Simon the Sorcerer in the Amiga CD32
The Amiga CD32 (stylized as Amiga CD32, code-named "Spellbound") is a 32-bit home video game console developed by Commodore and released in Europe, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. It was first announced at the Science Museum in London on July 16, ...
re-release of the Adventure Soft
Adventure Soft, previously Horror Soft, was a British video game developer established by Mike Woodroffe, first as an importer and reseller of Adventure International games. The firm operates out of Sutton Coldfield, and is best known for the ' ...
computer game ''Simon the Sorcerer
''Simon the Sorcerer'' is a 1993 Adventure game#Point-and-click adventure games, point-and-click adventure game developed and published by Adventure Soft, for Amiga and MS-DOS. The game's story focuses on a boy named Simon who is transported ...
'' .
* 1997–1998 Gary Prince in '' A Prince Among Men''.
* 2001 Hillary the Butler in the film '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider''
* 2003 Hillary the Butler in the film '' Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life''.
* Doubting Thomas in a small series of television advertisements for Anglian Windows.
* The voice of Jif Micro Liquid.
* 2015–2018 Narrator for the Channel 5 show ''Car Crash TV''.
Personal life
Barrie's interests include vintage motorbikes and collecting fast cars. In 1995, he released a video called ''Chris Barrie's Motoring Wheel Nuts'', a showcase for his personal car collection. His current classic car collection consists of aTriumph TR2
The Triumph TR2 is a sports car produced by the Standard Motor Company in the United Kingdom between 1953 and 1955. It was only available in roadster form.
The car had a 121 cid (1991 cc) four-cylinder Standard wet liner inline-fou ...
, MGB-GT, Wolseley 1500
Wolseley may refer to:
People
*Sir Charles Wolseley, 2nd Baronet (c. 1630–1714), English politician
*Sir Charles Wolseley, 7th Baronet (1769–1846), English landowner and political agitator
* Frances Garnet Wolseley, 2nd Viscountess Wolseley ( ...
and a Jaguar XJ
The Jaguar XJ is a series of full-size luxury cars produced by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars (becoming Jaguar Land Rover in 2013) from 1968 to 2019. It was produced across five basic platform generations (debuting in 1968, 1986, 1 ...
6 (his everyday car).
He has been married twice: first to Monica De Meo from 1987 to 1990 and then to Alecks (1997–present) with whom he has two sons. He lives in Cookham
Cookham is a historic River Thames, Thames-side village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north-eastern edge of Berkshire, England, north-north-east of Maidenhead and opposite the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Bourne ...
, Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
.
References
External links
* * *Chris Barrie on National Geographic Channel
Interviews
AYME
Interview – Association of Young People with ME * 26 September 2005: BBC – Wiltshire – Films â€
Interview with Chris Barrie
* 11 August 2005: BBC – Wiltshire â€
Mark Seaman Interview with Chris Barrie
Video Interview with Chris Barrie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrie, Chris 1960 births Alumni of the University of Brighton British impressionists (entertainers) British male comedians British male comedy actors British male film actors British male television actors British television presenters British male voice actors Living people People educated at Methodist College Belfast Male actors from Belfast 20th-century British comedians 21st-century British comedians