Tony Barry

Tony Barry (born 28 August 1941 in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia) was an Australian actor whose five‑decade career spanned nearly sixty feature films and more than forty‑five television series across both Australia and New Zealand. Beyond the screen, Barry was a committed environmental and Indigenous‑rights activist, often describing himself as an “honorary Kiwi” and becoming the only Australian to appear on a New Zealand postage stamp. He regularly participated in political rallies, volunteered with rehabilitation programmes for Indigenous groups, and visited high schools to promote ecological awareness, blending his public platform with a deep‑seated advocacy for social justice. His early life in Queensland shaped a worldview that combined the rugged Aussie spirit with a profound respect for the natural world and its first peoples, values that he carried into every role he portrayed. In 1977 Barry launched his film career with The Mango Tree, following earlier television work on The Box (1975‑1976). He later delivered memorable performances in classics such as Newsfront, Goodbye Pork Pie, The Odd Angry Shot, We of the Never Never, Australia and Home for Christmas, the latter earning him Best Actor at the 2010 New Zealand Film and TV Awards. His contributions were recognised in 2014 when the Film Critics Circle of Australia honoured him for his extraordinary contribution to the Australian film industry. A melanoma diagnosis in the early 2000s led to the amputation of his left leg above the knee in 2014, a loss that was ingeniously woven into his role on the television drama The Time of Our Lives. Barry’s final screen appearance came in the 2023 ABC drama Bay of Fires before his death on 21 December 2022 in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, at the age of 81.