Harry "Barry" Atwater is an American television actor who played various characters in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Sometimes mistakenly thought to be a British actor.
Biography and creativity
Barry Atwater was born on May 16, 1918 in Denver, Colorado. Barry's father is Garrett Atwater, a landscape designer.
Before starting his acting career, he worked as Head of Sound at UCLA. Work closely related to audio technology led Barry to his first role in the student film Time From War, an allegorical film about the American Civil War that won the Oscar for Best Short Film of 1954.
Atwater began appearing on television series in the 1950s. Most often he could be seen in the role of the main guest star or the title character in such shows as "Millionaire", "Meeting McGraw", "Court of Last Resort", "One Step Ahead" (played the role of Abraham Lincoln), "Cheyenne" (played the role of George Armstrong), "Rebel", "Empire" and "Riverboat".
In 1960, Atwater starred in the BBC's famous Twilight Zone episode Monsters on Maple Street. Barry made six appearances on Visiting Perry Mason between 1959 and 1965.
In the mid-1960s he spent three years in the soap opera "ABC Hospital", in the period from 1963 to 1965 he often appeared in prime-time, introducing himself as Abuater G. B.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he began to star in the science fiction and science fiction series The Man from U. N. C. L. E., Wild Wild West, Outer Limits, Gallery Night and Kung Fu. In these paintings, his characteristic face matched his grim and sinister role and threatening behavior.
At the beginning of his career, Atwater used steroids extensively to increase the volume of his muscles, according to press reports. As a result, the actor fell ill with incurable cancer.
Barry died on May 24, 1978 in Los Angeles from a stroke immediately after his 60th birthday.
Sci-fi legacy
Atwater's role as vampire Janos Skorzeny in the acclaimed television thriller Night Stalker (1972) made him the most popular guest at fan meetings in the 1970s. This same role contributed to the revival of classic horror films in the same 70s.
Atwater became one of the most famous actors from Star Trek, playing the character of Surak from the planet Spock.
Barry's most recent television work was Roach in a scene from The Rockford Files (1977), in which Atwater's character interviews star James Garner while he was feeding pigeons on a park bench.
Barry's personal life and family are unknown.
Filmography
In 1956, Barry starred as a criminalist (uncredited) in the American crime drama Scarlet Hour directed by Michael Curtis. In the same year, the actor appears in the role of Captain Warner in the American crime drama "Nightmare" directed by Maxwell Shane.
In the same year, Atwater appears in several more films:
- In The Man from Del Rio, an American western film directed by Harry Horner.
- As Major Byron Phillips in the American military-drama film The Stance. According to the plot, his character is serving a 2-year sentence in a North Korean prison, and upon returning home to the United States, he is accused of cooperation with the North Korean authorities.
- In the American comedy film "Everything but the Truth" as Arthur Taylor. The film is directed by Jerry Hopper, starring Maureen O'Hara and John Forsyth.
In 1957, Barry starred as Lawyer Walker in The True Story of Jesse James, an American drama western. The film focuses on the relationship between the two James brothers during the last 18 years of Jesse James's life.
In the same year, the actor plays the role of George Dennison in the film "Difficult Man" directed by George Sherman with Guy Madison in the title role.
In 1958, Atwater played police officer Jim Hagan in The True Story of Lynn Stewart. This is an American biographical crime drama based on the true story of a young housewife from Santa Ana, California. She became the first undercover volunteer anti-narcotics agent and is known publicly only under the pseudonym Lynn Stewart. After serving in this field for 6 years, she provided information that helped put 30 people behind bars on drug charges.
In the same year, Barry played one of the main roles - Mr. Peterson in the drama "As Young As We Are" directed by Bernard Girard and screenwriter Meyer Dolinsky.
In 1959, he starred in three films at once:
- "Crime and Punishment in the USA" is a feature film directed by Denis Sanders, based on Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment", only the plot unfolds in the era of the beatniks.
- Pork Chop is a film about the 1959 Korean War. The latest war film directed by Lewis Milestone, based on a book by military historian and Brigadier General Samuel L. Marshall. The film depicts the first fierce battle between the US Army and Chinese and North Korean forces in April 1953. Barry played the role of the commander of the US infantry battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Davis.
- "Vice Raid" as Phil Evans. This is a Category B crime drama directed by Edward Kahn. According to rumors, the money for the film was allocated by one of the American mafias.
In 1961, Barry appeared in the role of Pelham in the film Battle on Bloody Beach, directed by Herbert Coleman. The film tells the real story of Audie Murphy in World War II and is based on his autobiographical novel, To Hell and Back.
In 1962, Atwater starred as Ben Jackson in the drama The Sweet Bird of Youth. The plot of the picture tells the story of the relationship between a tramp and a retired movie star. The film is known for the fact that before censorship, a gigolo character was used instead of a vagabond, who in the ending (was changed) receives a realistic sexual mutilation, which leads him to impotence.
In 1963, Atwater appeared as Major Dawes in the comedy film Captain Newman, MD.
In 1966, the actor plays General Kauts in the historical film Alvarez Kelly, which tells the story of the American Civil War.
In 1967, Barry played the character of Lomax in the Western European film "The Return of the Archer," directed by James Nilson.
In 1969 he plays General Conway in the color film Raid of a Thousand Aircraft, which tells about the raid of 1,047 RAF bombers on the German city of Cologne in May 1942.
In 1974 he appeared in the film "The Teacher". The film in the genre of erotic suspense is dedicated to the problems of adolescence in the United States. Written, produced and filmed in just 12 days on a $ 65,000 budget. The plot tells about the relationship between an 18-year-old boy and his school teacher, including their sexual pranks. Barry plays the role of Sheriff Murphy.
In 1978, Atwater appeared as a lawyer in the American drama FIST, starring Sylvester Stallone. The film follows the war between the owners of a warehouse in Cleveland and the union leadership of the fictional Federation of Interstate Truckers.
Barry Atwater's last work was Nickerson's final role in the 1978 film Baby Not So Big.
