Keith Barron
{{Short description|English actor (1934–2017)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Keith Barron
| image = UpDown S3Ep11.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Barron in 1974
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|8|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = Mexborough, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2017|11|15|1934|8|8|df=y}}
| occupation = Actor, television presenter
| yearsactive = 1961–2017
| spouse = {{marriage|Mary Pickard|1959}}
| children = 1
}}
Keith Barron (8 August 1934 – 15 November 2017) was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama The Odd Man, the sitcom Duty Free, and, playing Gregory Wilmot in period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.
Career
Born in Mexborough in the West Riding of Yorkshire,'South Yorkshire' did not exist before 1 April 1974. 'West Riding of Yorkshire' is correct. Barron completed his national service in the Royal Air Force{{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/keith-barron-actor-who-starred-1980s-sitcom-duty-free-and-haggard-a8060016.html | title= Keith Barron: Yorkshire actor rarely off our screens for half a century but best known for Eighties sitcom 'Duty Free' | work=The Independent | first=Martin | last=Childs | date=17 November 2017 | access-date=7 June 2021}} and his acting career started at the Sheffield Repertory Theatre, where he worked with a young Patrick Stewart and also met his wife, Mary, a stage designer.{{cite news|title=Start of his career|work=BBC News |date=15 November 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41998040|access-date=15 November 2017}} He became well known to British television viewers in the early 1960s as the easygoing Detective Sergeant Swift in the Granada TV series The Odd Man and its spin-off. His major breakthrough, however, was as Nigel Barton in the writer Dennis Potter's semi-autobiographical plays Stand Up, Nigel Barton and Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton (both 1965) in BBC1's The Wednesday Play anthology series; he later played a very similar character in Potter's Play For Today episode Only Make Believe (1973).
Barron made many one-off television appearances, from Redcap and Z-Cars in the mid-1960s, to Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Strange Report, The New Avengers, Thriller, The Professionals, Foyle's War, and A Touch of Frost. He made two appearances in Upstairs, Downstairs as Australian Gregory Wilmot. In 1982, he appeared in the Dutch show De lachende scheerkwast. In March 1983 he was a guest in the Doctor Who story Enlightenment, replacing Peter Sallis who was unavailable. He was a frequent voiceover artist for British TV commercials and public information films.
Barron also played a starring role as Bob Ferguson in the 1993 Granada series The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, entitled The Last Vampyre.
In 1989 he starred on television in a story of relationships in a new town in the Midlands entitled Take Me Home, with Annette Crosbie as his wife and Maggie O'Neill as his girlfriend. One of his best-loved and best-remembered roles was in the 1980s Yorkshire Television sitcom Duty Free. In the 1990s he co-starred in the sitcoms Haggard and All Night Long. In 1990, he appeared as a contestant on Cluedo, facing off against fellow actor Andrew Sachs.
On the big screen he appeared in Baby Love (1968) and David Puttnam's film Melody (1971) as Mr Latimer.
Barron voiced the character of Morgan Jefferies in the 1995 BBC Radio 4 sitcom England's Glory opposite Lynda Baron.{{cite web |date= |title=England's Glory |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/englands_glory/ |work=British Comedy Guide |access-date=17 August 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601205839/https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/englands_glory/|archive-date=1 June 2023 |df=dmy-all }}
Barron also appeared as a celebrity guest in Dictionary Corner on several episodes of the Channel 4 words and numbers game Countdown between 1999 and 2008.
In the 2000s he was a regular character on the ITV Sunday-night drama Where the Heart Is. In 2014 he reprised his role of David Pearce in the touring stage show of the TV series 'Duty Free'. He also starred in the first series of the BBC drama The Chase.
He was the star on Bunn and Co., a radio show that was broadcast from March 2003 to April 2004 on BBC Radio 4. Barron's performance in the BBC's Test the Nation IQ test show on 2 September 2006 gave him an IQ of 146. In 2007 Barron joined ITV1's Coronation Street as George Trench. In 2011, Barron starred in the BBC show, Lapland, a role which he returned to for a series, Being Eileen, from February 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/lapland-series.html|title=BBC One commissions new six part comedy series, Lapland |date=4 October 2012|work=BBC|publisher=BBC Online|access-date=21 December 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2012/10/tv-castings-sydney-rae-white-keith-barron/|title=TV Castings: Sydney Rae White Joins Sky1′s 'Starlings', Keith Barron To Reprise Role On BBC One's 'Lapland'|date=31 October 2012|work=TV Wise|first=Patrick |last=Munn|access-date=21 December 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/06/being-eileen.html|title=Being Eileen|work=BBC|access-date=29 January 2013}} His last television appearance was in BBC comedy Not Going Out as a toy store employee in the Christmas Special which was shown after his death. He was given an "In Memory Of" at end of credits.
Personal life
Barron served in the RAF as part of his National Service. In 1980, he and his wife opened a restaurant in Hayle in Cornwall. After three years they returned to London and Barron resumed his acting career full time.{{Cite news |date=2017-11-15 |title=Keith Barron, prolific television actor – obituary |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2017/11/15/keith-barron-prolific-television-actor-obituary/ |access-date=2023-12-26 |issn=0307-1235}}
Barron died on 15 November 2017 after a short illness.{{cite news|title=Death notice|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/nov/15/duty-free-star-keith-barron-dies-aged-83|website=The Guardian|date=15 November 2017 |access-date=15 November 2017}}{{cite news|title=Obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/nov/16/keith-barron-obituary|website=The Guardian|date=16 November 2017 |access-date=16 November 2017|last1=Hayward |first1=Anthony }} He lived in the Surrey town of East Molesey, a short distance from Hampton Court Palace and had a second home in St Ives, Cornwall.{{Cite web |title=Keith Barron {{!}} Deceased Estates {{!}} The Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2934915 |access-date=2023-12-26 |website=www.thegazette.co.uk}}
Selected filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes |
| 1969
|Doctor Robert Quayle | |
| 1970
|The Man Who Had Power Over Women |Jake Braid | |
| rowspan="4" |1971
|Jim Maxwell | |
| She'll Follow You Anywhere
|Alan Simpson | |
| Melody
|Mr. Latimer – Daniel's father |Uncredited |
| Freelance
|Gary | |
| 1973
|Dr. Haynes | |
| 1974
|Bradley | |
| rowspan="2" |1976
|Dowsett | |
| Voyage of the Damned
|Purser Mueller | |
| 1986
| |
| 1996
|La passione |Roy | |
| 1997
|Eddie Longshaw | |
| 2012
|Cedric | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes |
| rowspan="3" |1961
|Bank Cashier |1 episode |
| The Night of the Match
|Bob |TV movie |
| The Avengers
|Technician |Episode: "Dragonsfield" |
| 1962/1976
|Billy Catlin/Barry Hulme |Episodes: "Further Enquiries"/"Prisoners" |
| 1962-3
|The Odd Man | rowspan="2" |Det. Sgt. Swift | |
| 1964
|It's Dark Outside | |
| 1964-6
|Cpl. Harkness/Captain Lynne |Episodes: "It's What Comes After"/"The Alibi" |
| rowspan="2" |1965
|Rene Leclerc |Episode: "A Violent Animal" |
| The Troubleshooters
|Miles | |
| 1965-7
|Various |4 episodes |
| rowspan="2" |1967
|Spywatch | | |
| Further Adventures of Lucky Jim
|Jim Dixon | |
| 1967-76
|Himself |43 episodes |
| 1969
|Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) |Jarvis |Episode: "When Did You Start to Stop Seeing Things?" |
| 1972
|Major Harkness |Episode: "Two Fathers" |
| rowspan="2" |1973
|Thinking Man as a Hero |David Duncan |TV movie |
| Armchair Theatre
|Henry |Episode: Red Riding Hood |
| 1973/1980
|Harry/Christopher Hudson |Episodes: Only Make Believe/Jessie |
| rowspan="2" |1974
|Gregory Wilmot |2 episodes |
| No Strings
|Derek | |
| 1976
|Draker |Episode: "Target!" |
| rowspan="3" |1977
|The Foundation |Don Prince | |
| Crown Court
|Timothy Dorney |7 episodes |
| The Professionals
|Charles Nesbitt |Episode: "Private Madness, Public Danger" |
| rowspan="2" |1979
|Tim Hart | |
| Prince Regent
|Charles James Fox | |
| 1981
|Stephen Belgard | |
| rowspan="3" |1982
|George Hitchman |Episode: "A Harmless Vanity" |
| Holding the Fort
|Trevor Chesterton | rowspan="2" |2 episodes |
| De lachende scheerkwast
|Mr. Carrington |
| 1983
|Mr. Striker |Serial: "Enlightenment" |
| 1984
|Johnny Caine |Episode: "Senior Citizen Caine" |
| 1984-5
|Daniel Ford | |
| 1984-6
|David Pearce | |
| 1986-8
|Kevin Hughes | |
| 1989
|Tom | |
| 1990-2
|Squire Amos Haggard | |
| 1992
|Guy Lofthouse | |
| 1993
|The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes |Rob Ferguson |Episode: "The Last Vampyre" |
| 1994
|Ned Nunelly |Episode: "The Jolly Joker" |
| 1996
|Inspector Masters |Episode: "A Case of Coincidence" |
| rowspan="2" |1997
|Dick Elgood |Episode: "Eggheads" |
| Pie in the Sky
|Eric Dunfries |Episode: "Ugly Customers" |
| 1998
|Hetty Wainthropp Investigates |Gordon Gregson |Episode: "Digging for Dirt" |
| rowspan="2" |2000
|L'heureux | |
| Peak Practice
|Jeff Barton |Episode: "Last Orders" |
| 2003
|Roy Fletcher |Episode: "Pat and Roy's Story" |
| 2004
|Alan Clifford |Episode: "The Straw Woman" |
| 2005
|Ronnie Ross |Episode: "A Delicate Touch" |
| rowspan="3" |2006
|David Barrett |Episode: "Invasion" |
| Judge John Deed
|William Glyn |Episode: "One Angry Man" |
| Hustle
|Hemmings |Episode: "Price for Fame" |
| 2006-7
|George Williams | |
| 2007
|George Trench |11 episodes |
| rowspan="2" |2008
|David Crewes |Episode: "Mind Games" |
| Heartbeat
|Les Hepplewhite |Episode: "Strike Up the Band" |
| 2008-13
|Wardrobe/Basil King/Howard Coombes |Various |
| rowspan="2" |2009
|Vernon Mortimer |Episode: "Buried" |
| Benidorm
|Deputy Mayor |1 episode |
| 2010
|Harry |Episode: "Ben Behaving Badly" |
| 2011
|Maurice |TV movie |
| 2011-15
|Arthur Barrett/Ludo Jameson/Brian Olsen |3 episodes |
| 2015-16
|Hugh Musgrove |3 episodes |
| 2017
|Michael |Episode: "The True Meaning of Christmas" |
=Radio=
- Not as Far as Velma, as Commissaire Henri Castang (1990)Freeling, Nicholas. [http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/review-not-as-far-as-velma.html Not as far as Velma]. suttonelms.org.uk
- To the Manor Born, as Richard Devere (1997)
- My Turn to Make the Tea as Mr Pellet (2006)
Notes
{{reflist|group=note}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|0057685|name=Keith Barron}}
- [http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=1026 Keith Barron]{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at Aveleyman
{{Authority control}}
]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barron, Keith}}
Category:20th-century Royal Air Force personnel
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:English male voice actors
Category:People from Mexborough
Category:Male actors from Surrey
Category:Male actors from South Yorkshire
Category:Military personnel from South Yorkshire