Biography

Ronnie Barker's remarkable versatility as a performer can be traced back to his time in repertory theatre, where he was able to play a wide range of roles and develop his talent for accents, voices and verbal dexterity. It was during this time that he met Glenn Melvyn, who taught him how to stammer (something he would later use to great effect in the sitcom Open All Hours (1976)). Melvyn also gave Ronnie his break into television by offering him a role in I'm Not Bothered (1956). During the 1960s, Ronnie became well-established in radio, providing multiple voices for "The Navy Lark" and working with comedy great Jon Pertwee. He also became a regular face on television, appearing in The Frost Report (1966) (perhaps most memorably in a sketch about Britain's class system, with John Cleese and Ronnie Corbett) and playing character roles on The Saint (1962) and The Avengers (1961).

In 1971, Ronnie teamed up with Ronnie Corbett again, this time for a BBC sketch series called The Two Ronnies (1971). This series proved enormously popular, continuing until the late 1980s. In addition to "The Two Ronnies", Barker starred on the popular BBC sitcoms Porridge (1974) (as a cockney prisoner) and Open All Hours (1976) (as a stammering Northern shopkeeper). In fact, only Leonard Rossiter could be said to have rivaled him during this time for the crown of British television's most popular comedy star. In 1982, he revived silent comedy in By the Sea (1982). Despite his extrovert performances on television, Barker remained a quiet, retiring individual in his personal life, much preferring to spend time with his family rather than mix with the celebrity crowd. This humility, combined with memories of his extraordinary abilities, meant that he continued to be greatly respected by his fellow professionals. In a BAFTA special shown by the BBC in 2004, stars as diverse as Gene Wilder, Peter Kay and Peter Hall paid tribute to his contribution to comedy and British television in general. Ronnie Barker died on 3 October 2005 after suffering from heart problems.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Ronnie studied to be an architect but realised that he wasn't going to be good enough so became a bank clerk for a while before turning to acting in 1948 and spent 4 years with the Oxford Repertory Company. Later he was in 'Listen to the Wind' and 'Summer Time' in London's West End at the same time which he was able to do by being in the first act of play and the third act of the other so allowing him time to dash from one theatre to the other. Even when he moved to radio and the comedy series 'The Navy Lark' he had two parts in that playing 'Fatso' and 'Lt Queeg'. On television he's well known for three comedy series, those of 'Porridge', 'Open All Hours' and 'The Two Ronnies' in which he partnered Ronnie Corbett. Although he was in a dozen or so films over the years none were memorable in comparison to his televison work, When he retired he ran an antiques shop in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5

He made his professional debut in 1948 production of Quality Street at Aylesbury's old County Theatre, His television career started in the 1950's but it was in 1966 with the first series off The Frost Report that he started to make a name for himself leading to 12 series of The Two Ronnies which began in 1971, his roles o Norman Stanley Fletcher on Porridge and Albert Arkwright in Open All Hours, He retired in 1987 just before his final sitcom of Clarence was aired, Away from show business he opened an antiques shop in Oxfordshire He died in 2005 aged 76

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5