Biography
Born in Marylebone, London, Barron was interested in acting from an early age. For his 18th birthday his godfather paid his entry fee to RADA. After serving as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, he returned to stage acting. In the 1950s, he moved into a directorial role, during which time he came to know Leonard Rossiter.
From the mid 1950s, he became more involved in television, and then film, an early appearance being in the 1961 film The Day the Earth Caught Fire. During his long career, he appeared in such popular series as Crown Court, The Avengers, Emergency Ward 10, All Gas and Gaiters, The Saint, Department S, Doomwatch, Timeslip, Potter, Whoops Apocalypse and Yes Minister. Although he had long-running roles in popular dramas like the police series Softly, Softly (where he played the assistant chief constable between 1967-69), almost certainly his best known role was in the situation comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, which began in 1976, and starred Leonard Rossiter as the title character. Barron's character, CJ (Charles Jefferson), was Perrin's overbearing boss, famous for the catchphrase "I didn't get where I am today by...". He even used this in a TV commercial filmed for an insurance company in New Zealand in the 1980s.
Barron remained active in the acting profession for many years before his death at the age of 83. He was president of the actors' union Equity from 1978 to 1982 and vice-president in 1977 and again from 1984-89. His one hobby was enjoying fine wine, a hobby he inspired his friend Leonard Rossiter to also take up. An active supporter of the Conservative Party, he presented a Party Political Broadcast on their behalf in the 1980s and presented features supporting his party's policies on the BBC's Newsnight programme.
He was married twice, first to Joan Peart who died in 1989 after forty years of marriage, and then to Helen Christie who died in 1995. He had two stepdaughters, one from each marriage.
Read more about this topic: John Barron (actor)
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