RONNIE BARKERRonnie Barker, who died on 3 October, 2005, aged 76, was acomic genius whose talent helped create some of the UK ’s most memorable and popular TVshows.His writing, comic timing and gifted wordplay served to makehim one of the best loved and most respected British performers.In a career that lasted 40 years Barker is perhaps bestknown for his double-act with Ronnie Corbett in the TV variety show, The Two Ronnies.He also starred in twoof the most popular sitcoms ever - Porridgeand Open All Hours.An intensely private and modest man, Mr Barker retired in 1988 at theheight of his fame to run an antiques shop at his home in Oxfordshire.Ronald William George Barker was born on 25 September, 1929,in Bedford,Buckinghamshire, the second of three children. His father, a clerk for the ShellOil Company, took the family to Oxford when Mr Barker was two years old.He was educated at City of Oxford High School for Boys butleft at the age of 16 and began working as a bank clerk. However the theatrewas his true love and he left the bank to join Aylesbury Repertory Company in1948.After a period at the Playhouse Theatre in Oxford,Mr Barker worked as an actor and assistant stage manager with the ManchesterRepertory Company where he was spotted by Sir Peter Hall who gave him his first West End role in 1955.Mr Barker made his first radio appearance in 1956 and was inover 300 editions of The Navy Lark, anavy-based sitcom on the BBC Light Programme.He made his first regular television appearances in the mid1960s in the satirical show The FrostReportfor which he also wrote numerous sketches. It was while working onthe show that he first began working with Ronnie Corbett.The first Two Ronniesshow was aired in 1971 and during the course of 12 series became a nationalinstitution. The success of the show was down to impeccable comic timing,brilliant wordplay and tight scripts many of which were written by Mr Barker underthe pseudonym of Gerald Wiley.In 1973 Mr Barker gave his first performance as “habitual criminal”Norman Stanley Fletcher in the prison sitcom Porridge.The show ran for three series and was hugely popular.Mr Barker rated his portrayal of the street-wise lag as his best work ever.He followed this up with another hit series Open All Hoursin which he playedstuttering shopkeeper, Arkwright, opposite David Jason as hisnaïve nephew, Granville.Barker married Joy Tubb in 1957 and together they had threechildren – Adam, Larry and Charlotte – who all became actors.He was universally respected by his peers and adored by the public. Hewas awarded an OBE in 1978 and his life and works were honoured at the BritishAcademy Awards in 2006.
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