Barry Evans (actor)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Barry Joseph Evans (June 18, 1943 – February 11, 1997) was an English actor and television performer best known for his appearances in British sitcoms such as Doctor in the House and Mind Your Language.
Contents |
Biography
Early life
Born in Guildford, Surrey and abandoned as a baby, Evans was educated at the orphanage boarding schools run by The Shaftesbury Homes, first at Fortescue House School in Twickenham and then at Bisley Boys' School in Bisley, Surrey. His acting ability was recognised at an early age and he often played the leading roles in school plays. Evans attended the Italia Conti Academy and later won a John Gielgud Scholarship to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Career
Evans appeared in the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1967), where he was cast as a sex-starved boy who finds it difficult to lose his virginity. One of his first television credits was in the soap opera Crossroads in 1964.
His first major role was in the sitcom Doctor in the House, based on Richard Gordon's series of novels that had already been adapted as feature films. Evans starred as the earnest but gullible Michael Upton. The series had a remarkable writing crew behind the scenes, including John Cleese and Graham Chapman (of Monty Python), and Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie (of The Goodies), as well as Barry Cryer. Both Graham Chapman and Graeme Garden studied medicine and were qualified doctors.
A sequel to that series quickly followed with Doctor At Large in 1971. Again, the writing talent behind the series was notable, with John Cleese writing some of the episodes - with one in particular providing some of the inspiration for Fawlty Towers, and another writer being Jonathan Lynn (co-writer of Yes Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister). Evans enjoyed working with his fellow actors and later described this period as the best years of his life.
During 1975 he had the lead role in Stanley Long's sex comedy Adventures of a Taxi Driver, but despite the film's success, Evans declined to appear in the sequel.
Then, in 1977, he starred as Jeremy Brown in the ITV sitcom Mind Your Language, which was about an evening class tutor attempting to teach immigrants English. By today's standards it was perhaps not entirely politically correct, with most of the characters being foreign stereotypes. However, it was immensely popular - both in and outside the UK - especially in the countries the actors portrayed. The series was written by veteran TV scriptwriter Vince Powell, and was adapted for American TV as What a Country! in 1986.
One of Evans' last appearances on British television was in 1982's Emery Presents episode Legacy of Murder, alongside Dick Emery.
Later career and death
By the late 1980s, his youthful image was working against him, and he found it difficult to obtain mature acting roles in line with his age.His last role was as Bazzard in the film adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 1993. By the late 1990s, he was a minicab driver in Leicestershire, where in 1997 he was found dead in a dilapidated bungalow at the age of 53.
Police discovered the actor's body after going to his house to tell him they had recovered his stolen car. James Leadbitter (18) was arrested over the theft and later accused of attempted murder. He told police he was a friend of Evans, and had visited him on the day he died to say he would not be calling round again. Leadbitter said that the actor became upset and drank half a bottle of whisky. Recording an open verdict, coroner Martin Symington said there was insufficient evidence to prove Evans had intended to kill himself. The charge of attempted murder against Leadbitter was later dropped.
