Paul Barber (born Patrick Barber, 18 March 1951) is an English actor from Toxteth, Liverpool. His mother was from Middlesbrough. His father died when Patrick (or Paddy as he was then known) and his brothers Brian, Paul, Mike and sisters Claudette and Lorraine were very young.

Acting career

Barber began on the stage in the musical Hair. His first major TV role was as Sam "Lucky" Ubootu in the 1974 ITV Playhouse production Lucky, set in Liverpool and made by Granada TV.

Barber has worked extensively in British TV, such as in To the Manor Born (1979) as a Jamaican steel band musician; Boys from the Blackstuff (1982); and as Malcolm in The Front Line; He was best known for his role in Only Fools and Horses, and still attends fan conventions for the show.

In 2008, he had a small part in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street playing a club owner, Nelson, an acquaintance of Vernon Tomlin. He also starred in White Van Man as Hooky Pete in February 2012.

In 2012, Barber played the role of Captain in Sky 1's Sinbad.

Barber also appeared as Fieldhouse in Home from Home in the 2016 pilot episode, and he appeared again in the 2018 series. In 2017, Barber guest-starred in two episodes of the CBBC Tracy Beaker spin-off series The Dumping Ground as a homeless man, George.

Barber's best known movie role was playing one of the stripping steelworkers in the 1997 film The Full Monty. He reunited with Full Monty co-star Robert Carlyle and Samuel L. Jackson in the Liverpool-based crime film The 51st State (2001).

In 2002, He played the role of Luther in the drama The Hidden City.

Paul Barber was cast alongside fellow UK comedy stars Alexei Sayle and Ricky Tomlinson in 2017's Gloves off. and stars in the 2024 horror film The Baby in the Basket.

Personal life

Barber was awarded an honorary doctorate from Liverpool John Moores University in July 2011 for 'outstanding contribution to the performing arts'.

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|-

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

|1977

|The Quality Connection

|Jim

|Short film

|-

|1979

|Porridge

|Morgan

|

|-

| rowspan="2" |1980

|The Long Good Friday

|Erroll

|

|-

| rowspan="2" |The Terence Davies Trilogy

| (segment: Madonna and Child)

| rowspan="2" |Trilogy of short films

|-

||1983

| (segment: Death and Transfiguration)

|-

|1993

|U.F.O.

|Doctor Who (voice)

|

|-

|1994

|Priest

|Charlie

|

|-

|1997

|The Full Monty

|Horse

|

|-

|2000

|Wild About Harry

|Professor Simmington

|

|-

|2001

|The 51st State

|Frederick

|

|-

|2002

|Mad Dogs

|Jimmy Joyce

|

|-

|2003

|The Virgin of Liverpool

|Winston Churchill

|

|-

|2004

| French Fries on the Golden Front

|Clown

|Short film

|-

| rowspan="2" |2006

| Splinter

|Dan

|

|-

|Dead Man's Cards

|Paul

|

|-

|2010

|Mam

|The Chemist

| rowspan="3" |Short film

|-

|2011

| The Turtle & the Nightingale

|Liam's Dad

|-

|2012

| The Boxer

|Joe

|-

| rowspan="3" |2013

|The Magnificent Eleven

|Trainer

|

|-

| The Pugilist's Son

|Jimmy Gotts

| rowspan="2" |Short film

|-

| The Grendel Toots

|Paul

|-

|2014

|One Night in Istanbul

|Gerry

|

|-

|2016

| Souls

|Barrie

|Short film

|-

|2017

| Gloves Off

|Albert

|

|-

|2018

| A Stitch in Time

|Ant

| rowspan="2" |Short film

|-

|2019

| Down

|Dennis

|-

|2020

| Denmark

|The Captain's father

|-

|2020

| Hickory Dickory Dock

|Winston

|-

|2022

|Renegades

|Harris

|

|-

|2023

|The One Note Man

|Florist

|Short film

|-

|2024

|The Baby in the Basket

|Amos

|

|}

Television

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

|-

! scope="col" | Year

! scope="col" | Title

! scope="col" | Role

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes

|-

|1974

|ITV Playhouse

|Sam 'Lucky' Ubootu

|Episode: Lucky

|-

| rowspan="2" |1975

|Play for Today

|Malleson

|Episode: Gangsters

|-

|Z-Cars

|Gambler

|Episode: "Eviction"

|-

|1976

|Gangsters

|Malleson

| rowspan="2" |6 episodes

|-

|1976–1978

|I Didn't Know You Cared

|Louis St. John

|-

| rowspan="2" |1978

|Crown Court

|Lennie Jackson

|Episode: "Does Your Mother Know You're Out?"

|-

|Mixed Blessings

|Man in robe

|Episode: "The Housewarming"

|-

| rowspan="2" |1979

|To the Manor Born

|Mackenzie McLeod

|Episode: "The Summer Hunt Ball"

|-

|Return of the Saint

|Winston

|Episode: "The Obono Affair"

|-

| rowspan="2" |1980

|Minder

|Willie Reynolds

|Episode: "Don't Tell Them Wille Boy Was Here"

|-

|Cribb

|George Williams

|Episode: "Wobble to Death"

|-

|1981

|The Chinese Detective

|Ned

|Episode: "Ice and Dust"

|-

| rowspan="2" |1982

|Boys from the Blackstuff

|Docks – Scotty

|Episode: "Moonlighter"

|-

|Muck and Brass

|Louis Delano

|Episode: "Open Government"

|-

|1982–1985

|The Front Line

|Malcolm

|6 episodes

|-

|1983–1996, 2001–2003

|Only Fools and Horses

|Denzil Tulser

|18 episodes

|-

|1984

|Charlie

|2nd Electrician

|Episode: "If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem"

|-

|1985–1988

|The Brothers McGregor

|Wesley McGregor

|26 episodes

|-

|1987

|Carrott Confidential

|Various Characters

|1 episode

|-

|1989

|All Change

|Driver (Series Two)

|TV series

|-

| rowspan="3" |1990

|Boon

|Angus

|Episode: "Trouble in the Fields"

|-

|ScreenPlay

|Drugs Counsellor

|Episode: "Needle"

|-

|Chancer

|Gerald

|11 episodes

|-

| rowspan="2" |1991

|Screen One

|Earl Preston

|Episode: "Alive and Kicking"

|-

| Taking the Floor

|Security Guard 2

|Episode: "Dancing in the Dark"

|-

|1991–2019

|Casualty

|Ernest Maxwell/Carl Myers/Cliff Sidwell ...

|11 episodes

|-

|1993

| The Lodge

|Winston

|Episode: "Worthy Causes"

|-

|1993–1995

|The Bill

|Ade Fellowes/Ted

|2 episodes

|-

|1994

|99-1

|Bobby Fletcher

|Episode: "Doing the Business"

|-

|1994

|Brookside

|Greg Salter

|26 episodes

|-

| rowspan="2" |1995

|The Big One

|Security Guard

|TV film

|-

|Cracker

|Ian McVerry

|Episode: "Best Boys: Part One"

|-

| rowspan="2" |1997

|The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling

|Adderley

|1 episode

|-

|The Drew Carey Show

|Paul Barber

|Episode: "The Dog and Pony Show"

|-

|1999

|Harbour Lights

|Cordell Johnson

|Episode: "Baywatch"

|-

|2000

|Taggart

|Jimmy McEvoy

|Episode: "Football Crazy"

|-

| rowspan="5" |2002

|Nice Guy Eddie

|Big Dawn

|2 episodes

|-

|Holby City

|Sean Meacher

|Episode: "Gamblers"

|-

|The Hidden City

|Luther

|TV film

|-

|Babyfather

|Landlord

|1 episode

|-

|Single Voices

|Godfrey

|Episode: "Little Pinch of Chilli"

|-

|2003–2018

|Doctors

|Gary Alan/Ned Heath

|2 episodes

|-

|2004–2008

|Coronation Street

|Nelson/Billy Arrowsmith

|3 episodes

|-

|2005

|The Green Green Grass

|Denzil Tulser

|Episode: "Keep on Running"

|-

| rowspan="2" |2006

|The Street

|First Patient

|Episode: "Stan"

|-

|Dalziel and Pascoe

|Clive Griffin

|2 episodes

|-

|2007

|Liverpool Nativity

|Landlord

|TV film

|-

| rowspan="2" |2008

|The Invisibles

|Young Nick

|6 episodes

|-

|Caught in a Trap

|Donald

|TV film

|-

|2010

|Terry Pratchett's Going Postal

|Dave Pins

|2 episodes

|-

| rowspan="3" |2012

|Sinbad

|Captain

|Pilot

|-

|Preston Passion

|Simon

|TV film

|-

|White Van Man

|Hooky Pete

|Episode: "Charity"

|-

|2013

|The Slammer

|The Balloonatic

|Episode: "The Balloonatic"

|-

|2014

|Death in Paradise

|Captain Jack

|1 episode

|-

|2017

|The Dumping Ground

|George

|2 episodes

|-

| rowspan="2" |2018

|Home from Home

|Fieldhouse

|5 episodes

|-

|The Card Room Chronicles

|Charlie

|Episode: "Card Room Chronicles"

|-

| rowspan="3" |2019

|Moving On

|Geoff

|Episode: "A Walk in My Shoes"

|-

|The Small Hand

|Brother Thierry

| rowspan="2" |TV film

|-

|A Very British Christmas

|Paul

|-

|2021

|Matchmakers

|Gladstone

|6 episodes

|-

|2021

|Call The Bailiffs: Time To Pay Up

|Narrator

|6 episodes

|-

|2023

|The Full Monty

|Barrington "Horse" Mitchell

|TBC

|}

References

  • Rare British Television Reviews – The Front Line
  • BBC article