Barrett, Ray

Ray Barrett was born on 2 May 1927 in Brisbane. He studied music and elocution and began acting at the age of eleven. He was the first actor put under contract by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Drama section. He worked for several years on radio in Brisbane and Sydney, before working successfully in Britain between 1958 and the mid-1970s, when he returned to Australia.

He has had many roles in Australian films over the last 20 years. He has starred in films such as Sundowners (1960), Don's Party (1976), The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith (1978), Goodbye Paradise (1983), Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1994), Hotel Sorrento (1994), Brilliant Lies (1996) and In the Winter Dark (1997). Ray is a highly skilled character actor, able to play leading or support roles with enormous credibility and empathy, with all accents, including Australian. He has received four AFI awards (including the Raymond Longford Lifetime Achievement Award, and one Logie (Most Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Film Industry). Four further awards are also listed.