Jack Elvyn Barrett (18 February 1910 – 22 May 1983) was a British actor on film, television and stage, best known for his roles as Smellie Ibbotson in The Dustbinmen and Hylda Baker's father in Not On Your Nellie.
Biography Born in Rochdale in 1910, Barrett worked in a family business there, and in the 1930s began working in the theatre. He started as an assistant stage manager, and at different times worked as an actor, stage manager, director and actor-manager. Before and during World War II he produced and acted in local productions in Rochdale. Following the war, he joined weekly repertory companies across England, working in places such as Birmingham, Rugby, Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings in Sussex, Portsmouth in Hampshire, Bournemouth in Dorset, and Burnley in Lancashire. In the mid 1950s, he made his first appearances on screen and thereafter had frequent roles on television and in films. In the 1960s and 1970s, he acted in London at the Royal Court Theatre, Savoy Theatre and the National Theatre under directors like William Gaskill, Michael Wearing, Lindsay Anderson, Richard Eyre and Bill Bryden.
The Daily Mirror wrote in 1976 that Barrett, then aged 66, "has the sort of career that makes him the envy of many younger actors". In 1968, he played the lead role in a revival of D. H. Lawrence's play A Collier's Friday Night, with reviewers saying, "The director, Peter Gill, elicits admirable style and even ensemble from a first-rate cast including John Barrett as the collier, Anne Dyson as his wife, Victor Henry as the son, and Jenifer Armitage as Maggie." "The characters have the ring of truth about them. Old Lambert (John Barrett) is marked physically and mentally by his work at the coalface. ... All are excellently portrayed in this first-rate production." In 1970, Barrett played the lead role in Barry Hines's play Billy's Last Stand. One reviewer wrote, "Both John Barrett as Billy and Ian McKellen as Darkly give powerful performances, each sombre, thoughtful, balanced and real, though, by the end, the melodrama seems even to have seeped through to their performances." Another said, "The acting is first-rate. ... John Barrett is wonderfully solid and self-satisfied at the start as an innocent faced by capitalism; and in his final gritty resignation to his fate the actor never puts an eyelid wrong."
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1959 Jack the Ripper Onlooker at 2nd Murder Scene Uncredited 1960 Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Man in Cafe Uncredited1962 A Prize of Arms Publican at Window Uncredited 1965 City Under the Sea Third Fisherman Uncredited 1966 The Witches Mr. Glass Uncredited 1966 The Trygon Factor Guide 1967 Far from the Madding Crowd Joseph Poorgrass 1968 Star! Speaker at Hyde Park Uncredited 1972 Up the Chastity Belt 1st Peasant 1972 Nearest and Dearest Joshua Pledge 1973 O Lucky Man! Bill 1973 Malachi's Cove Polwarth1974Our CissyStan Butler 1974 Smokey Joe's Revenge Bill Bassett 1976 Robin and Marian Jack 1976 It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet Crump 1976 The Eagle Has Landed Laker Armsby 1979 Porridge Hedley 1979 Tess Old Dairyhand 1979 The Quiz Kid Old Man 1981 The French Lieutenant's Woman Dairyman 1982 Remembrance Jimmy 1982 The Missionary Old Man outside Hotel
Television Year Title Role Notes1957 The Machine BreakersForeman of Jury1958Quatermass and the Pit1963Ghost SquadMelchekSeries 2, Episode 14 - Interrupted Requiem1964The Massingham Affair George Sugden4 episodes 1966–1970Mystery and Imagination - Casting the RunesCoachman1968The War of Darkie PilbeamToddy Bartholomew1969–1970The DustbinmenSmellie Ibbotson (main role) 1971Play for TodayBilly (main role)Billy's Last Stand 1971One More On TopITV play by Jonathan Hales1972 ClochemerlePoipanel 1973The Jensen CodeMr. Buckle1974–1975Not On Your NellieJed Pickersgill (main role)Series 1 and 2, 13 episodes 1976Play for TodayBen Packman (main role)Packman's Barn 1976ShadowsEli (main role)The Inheritance 1978–80All Creatures Great and SmallKitson / Mr. Dent 1980 God's Wonderful Railway Robbie Grant (main role) Clear Ahead, 3 episodes 1980Juliet Bravo Mr.Israel Smethurst (Lollipop man)(Series 1, Ep. 5 – 'Trouble At T’Mill') 1961,1980Coronation StreetMr. Stark / Monty Shawcross 1982 Objects of Affection (Alan Bennett plays)Mr. Joey Wyman (main role)Rolling Home
Selected stage performances Year Title Author Theatre Role Director 1939 The Bear Anton Chekhov The Curtain Theatre, Rochdale Jack E. Barrett 1939 Laodice Wallace B. Nichols The Curtain Theatre, Rochdale Euphorion, Lord of the Syrian Court E. Nuttall Butterworth 1942 The Two Gentlemen of Verona William Shakespeare The Curtain Theatre, Rochdale Jack E. Barrett 1946 While the Sun Shines Terence Rattigan De La Warr Pavilion,Bexhill-on-Sea Duke 1952 A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams White Rock Pavilion, Hastings 1953 Charley's Aunt Brandon Thomas Theatre Royal, Portsmouth Brassett Carl Clopet 1954 Grand National Night Campbell Christie andDorothy Christie Victoria Theatre, Burnley Morton(the butler) John Barrett 1954 White Sheep of the Family John Hay Beith and L. du Garde Peach Victoria Theatre, Burnley James Winter John Barrett 1954 Piccadilly Alibi Guy Paxton and Edward Hoile Victoria Theatre, Burnley 1954 When We Are Married J. B. Priestley Victoria Theatre, Burnley John Barrett 1954 Dial M for Murder Frederick Knott Victoria Theatre, Burnley John Barrett 1954 Babes in the Wood(pantomime) Victoria Theatre, Burnley Robber Morris Parsons 1968 A Collier's Friday Night D. H. Lawrence Royal Court Theatre, London Old Lambert, collier(main role) Peter Gill 1969 Saved Edward Bond Royal Court Theatre, London main role William Gaskill 1969 Early Morning Edward Bond Royal Court Theatre, London Gladstone William Gaskill 1970 Billy's Last Stand Barry Hines Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court, London Billy (main role) Michael Wearing 1971 The Changing Room David Storey Royal Court Theatre, London Harry Lindsay Anderson 1972 Lloyd George Knew My Father William Douglas-Home Savoy Theatre, London Robertson Robin Midgley 1974 Bingo Edward Bond Royal Court Theatre, London Old man Jane Howell & John Dove 1978 Lark Rise Flora Thompson Cottesloe, National Theatre Bill Bryden and Sebastian Graham-Jones 1980 Hamlet William Shakespeare Royal Court Theatre, London Gravedigger Richard Eyre 1981 The Crucible Arthur Miller Comedy Theatre, London Bill Bryden
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