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Tony Barry(1941-2022)

  • Actor
  • Additional Crew
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Tony Barry
Indigenous cowboy detective Jay Swan returns to his outback hometown to solve the murder of a teenage girl, whose body is found under the highway trucking route out of town.

Alienated from both the white-dominated police force and his own community, including his teenage daughter (now connected to the murdered girl), Jay stands alone in his determination to fight back - for his town, and his people.
Play trailer2:14
Mystery Road (2013)
6 Videos
1 Photo
Tony Barry was a busy Australian film and television character actor of considerable versatility. He was born in Ipswich, Queensland, and educated at Saint Patrick's College.

His working life began with a diversity of short-lived jobs -- including in retail, as a storeman, barkeeper and waiter-- before he eventually made his screen debut in 1968. Barry's malleable, weather-beaten features have since enhanced numerous films (beginning with a small role in The Mango Tree (1977)) and television episodes in both Australia and New Zealand.

In the 'land of the long white cloud', he became best known for his role in the comedy Goodbye Pork Pie (1980), a road movie described by one writer as 'Easy Rider meets the Keystone Kops'. The picture achieved instant cult status in New Zealand, Barry receiving the sobriquet of 'honorary Kiwi' and even being featured on a postage stamp.

In the Australian cinema revival of the 1970s and 1980s, Barry featured in many classic films, including Newsfront (1978) (Greasy), The Odd Angry Shot (1979) (Vietnam vet Black Ronnie) and We of the Never Never (1982) (station hand Mac). He latterly excelled at father figures, both the kindly and the cruel variety (I Can Jump Puddles (1981), Home by Christmas (2010), Jack Be Nimble (1993)), as police officers (The Picture Show Man (1977)), underworld figures ('Nipper' Jackson in Scales of Justice (1983)), tycoons (Sir Frank Packer in Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo (2011)) and barristers (Hell Has Harbour Views (2005)).

His final recurring role was as Ioan Gruffudd's former boss and mentor in the forensic crime drama Harrow (2018).

Tony Barry was for a number of years afflicted by melanoma, culminating in a 2013 leg amputation. He nonetheless battled on and continued his acting career right up to his death on 21 December 2022, at the age of 81.
BornAugust 28, 1941
DiedDecember 21, 2022(81)
BornAugust 28, 1941
DiedDecember 21, 2022(81)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 2 wins & 6 nominations total

Known for

Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
Australia
6.6
  • Sergeant Callahan
  • 2008
Goodbye Pork Pie (1980)
Goodbye Pork Pie
6.8
  • John
  • 1980
Home by Christmas (2010)
Home by Christmas
7.1
  • Ed
  • 2010
I Can Jump Puddles (1981)
I Can Jump Puddles
8.1
TV Mini Series
  • Alan's Father

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Faraway Downs (2023)
    Faraway Downs
    7.0
    TV Mini Series
    • Sergeant Callahan
    • 2023
  • Marta Dusseldorp, Kerry Fox, and Toby Leonard Moore in Bay of Fires (2023)
    Bay of Fires
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Joseph
    • 2023
  • Krew Boylan in Seriously Red (2022)
    Seriously Red
    5.7
    • Gramps
    • 2022
  • Ioan Gruffudd in Harrow (2018)
    Harrow
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Jack Twine
    • 2018–2021
  • The End (2020)
    The End
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Willie
    • 2020
  • Rachel Griffiths and Deborah Mailman in Total Control (2019)
    Total Control
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Phillip Anderson
    • 2019
  • Eliza Scanlen in Grace (2018)
    Grace
    7.4
    Short
    • Mr. Symonds
    • 2018
  • Nobody's Child (2017)
    Nobody's Child
    Short
    • Hank
    • 2017
  • The Time of Our Lives (2013)
    The Time of Our Lives
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Ray
    • 2013–2014
  • Lessons from the Grave (2013)
    Lessons from the Grave
    7.9
    TV Mini Series
    • Ghost
    • 2014
  • The Caretaker (2013)
    The Caretaker
    Short
    • The Promoter
    • 2013
  • Ryan Kwanten, Aaron Pedersen, and Hugo Weaving in Mystery Road (2013)
    Mystery Road
    6.6
    • Sergeant
    • 2013
  • Richard Roxburgh in Rake (2010)
    Rake
    8.5
    TV Series
    • Father McGuire
    • 2012
  • Bruce Allpress, John Bach, Tony Barry, and Sara Wiseman in Rest for the Wicked (2011)
    Rest for the Wicked
    6.8
    • Murray
    • 2011
  • Wild Boys (2011)
    Wild Boys
    6.8
    TV Series
    • George Jenkins
    • 2011

Additional Crew



  • Rites of Passage (2013)
    Rites of Passage
    6.6
    • project and edit consultant
    • 2013
  • The Crop (2004)
    The Crop
    4.0
    • dialogue coach
    • 2004

Soundtrack



  • Doing Time for Patsy Cline (1997)
    Doing Time for Patsy Cline
    6.2
    • performer: "My Mother's Silver Hair", "Steppin' On Love"
    • 1997

Videos6

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:51
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:36
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:36
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:32
Official Trailer
Australia: Trailer #2
Trailer 2:13
Australia: Trailer #2
Australia: Theatrical Trailer
Trailer 1:40
Australia: Theatrical Trailer
Mystery Road
Trailer 2:14
Mystery Road

Personal details

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  • Born
    • August 28, 1941
    • Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
  • Died
    • December 21, 2022
    • Murwillumbah, Australia(Undisclosed)

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Nominated for the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as Sergeant in Mystery Road (2013).

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