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Shaun Williamson (born 29 November 1965) is an English actor best known as Barry Evans in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' and as a satirical version of himself in 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. ...

...

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

sitcom '' Extras'', 'Barry off EastEnders'.

Early life

Williamson was born in

Park Wood, Maidstone Park Wood is a suburb of Maidstone, Kent. History Before the Second World War most of the area around the village of Park Wood was mainly woodland and fields which made up Park Wood farm and nearby Brishing Court Farm among others, on the south e ...

. He attended Holy Family RC Primary School, followed by St Simon Stock Catholic School where he frequently played

truant Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not ref ...

. Following school he became a postman, but developed a drink problem, consuming 12 pints of beer a day by the time he was 18. He later said he joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

at that point "to break that cycle". He completed his training at HMS ''Raleigh''. He intended to become a helicopter pilot but was rejected when it was discovered he was

colour blind Color blindness or color vision deficiency (CVD) is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. It can impair tasks such as selecting ripe fruit, choosing clothing, and reading traffic lights. Color blindness may make some aca ...

. He subsequently worked in various jobs such as a Bluecoat for

Pontins Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. Since 2011, it has been owned by Britannia Hotels. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment ...

, as a rep for

Club 18-30 Club 18-30 was a holiday company working from its head office in Peterborough, that provided holidays for people aged 18–30 in typical party island destinations. Club 18-30 was sold on to Thomas Cook in 1998 and took around 45,000 guests ea ...

and one season at Camp America. Aged 26 he was working for

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

when he decided to enlist at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...

Career

Television

Williamson is widely known for his portrayal of the foolish, hapless Barry Evans in the

...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'', a role that he played from 1994 to 2004. This was Williamson's second role in the soap; he previously had a brief role as a paramedic earlier in 1994. In 2009, he stated that he had no regrets about leaving the show. Williamson was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 2001. In 2004, Williamson appeared on and won an episode of ''

Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes ''Stars in Their Eyes'' is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format ''Soundmixshow''. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars. The show premiered on 21 July 1 ...

'', impersonating the singer

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally as Meat Loaf, was an American rock singer and actor. He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. He is on t ...

. Williamson finished third in the 2007 series of '' Comic Relief does Fame Academy''. Other television roles have included parts in the detective series ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'', the ITV drama '' London's Burning'', the BBC sitcom '' Waiting for God'', the

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...

and

Stephen Merchant Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English comedian, actor, director, presenter and writer. Alongside Ricky Gervais, Merchant was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series ''The Office'' (2001–2003), and ...

comedy '' Extras'' as a send-up of himself and as Balbus, a midlife crisis afflicted Roman charioteering instructor in historical comedy series ''Plebs'' Williamson competed in ''

Celebrity Big Brother 20 ''Celebrity Big Brother 20'' was the twentieth series of the British reality television series ''Celebrity Big Brother'', hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 1 August 2017, and concluded on 25 August 2 ...

'', and became the eighth housemate to be evicted, on day 23. Most recently, in 2020, Williamson appeared as recurring character Chris Smith, future father-in-law to the titular character played by Spencer Jones in the BBC Two sitcom, ''Mister Winner''. He reprised the role from the pilot which had previously been broadcast in 2017 on BBC One.

Stage

Stage roles have included Monty the DJ in the West End run and UK tour of '' Saturday Night Fever,'' and appearing at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Marlowe Theatre The Marlowe Theatre is a 1,200-seat theatre in Canterbury named after playwright Christopher Marlowe, who was born and attended school in the city. It was named a Stage Awards, 2022 UK Theatre of the Year. The Marlowe Trust, a not for profi ...

from December 2003 to January 2004 in a

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

production of ''

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...

'', alongside

Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...

. In 2006 he starred in the pantomime ''Dick Whittington'' at The Playhouse in

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

. He returned to the

from December 2007 to January 2008, in ''Aladdin'', alongside

Stephen Mulhern Stephen Daniel Mulhern is an English television presenter, magician, and comedian. He began his television career on CITV, presenting the children's shows ''Finger Tips'' (2001–2004) and ''Tricky TV'' (2005–2010). Mulhern has presented vario ...

. During 2008 he played Nathan Detroit in the touring production of ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'', having already appeared in the part in the West End. In 2008–2009, he was again appearing in ''Aladdin'', this time at the

Wyvern Theatre The Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, opened in 1971. It is managed on behalf of Swindon Borough Council by Wyvern Theatre Ltd, a subsidiary of HQ Theatres Ltd. The auditorium has 635 seats, all designed to be within 70 feet ...

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

. In May 2006, Williamson played the lead in the play ''Road to Nirvana'' at

The King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...

London and in October 2006, appeared in a sketch as part of the charity benefit ''

The Secret Policeman's Ball ''The Secret Policeman's Ball'' is a series of benefit shows staged initially in the United Kingdom to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started in 1976 featuring popular British comedians but lat ...

'' which was staged at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. In 2009, Williamson toured the UK playing habitual criminal Norman Stanley Fletcher in a stage version of the classic TV comedy ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...

''. The script had been newly written by the series' co-authors,

Dick Clement Dick Clement (born 5 September 1937) is an English writer, director and producer. He became known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais for television series including '' The Likely Lads'', ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?' ...

and

Ian La Frenais Ian La Frenais (born 7 January 1937) is an English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including ''The Likely Lads'', ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', ''Porridg ...

. In 2012 he toured in '' The Ladykillers''. He played Baron Bomburst and Lord Scrumptious in the UK tour production of ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''.

Radio

In 2018, Williamson wrote a BBC radio drama series titled ''Eden's End'', set in the Kent hop picking season of 1939. The series starred Shane Taylor (''Band of Brothers''), Steve Nallon (''Spitting Image'') and Candis Nergaard (''Call the Midwife'').

Quizzing

Williamson spent a year competing in the UK Quiz Grand Prix as research for his book A Matter Of Facts which details the world of elite general knowledge quizzing competitions. During this time he became a Top 50 ranked player in the UK. During an appearance on ITV's ''

Beat The Chasers ''The Chase'' is a British television quiz show broadcast on ITV1 and hosted by Bradley Walsh. Contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize. The six chasers ar ...

'' (in which he won £120,000 for The Paul Strank Charitable Trust based in south London), the Dark Destroyer described him as "celebrity quizzing royalty".

Personal life

Williamson has three children and has been married twice. His first child was born in 1987 when Williamson was 22. The child's mother was a circus performer with whom Williamson was in a relationship. After breaking up she told Williamson of her pregnancy but Williamson left to pursue a career in America, promising to care for the child on his return. When he returned the circus performer had married another man, and this man was listed as the child's father on the birth certificate. Williamson subsequently married his manager Melanie Sacre, and they were married for 16 years. They have two children together. He married Adele, his second wife, in 2018.

Filmography

Television

Film

Music Video

References

External links

*
Shaun Williamson interview

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

interview
British Comedy Guide interview

Filming This is Jayde article in The Citizen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Shaun 1965 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors 20th-century Royal Navy personnel Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art English male soap opera actors English male stage actors Male actors from Kent Living people People educated at Maidstone Grammar School People from Maidstone