Barry Bostwick filmography and biography
Date of birth: 24 February 1945, San Mateo, California, USA
Barry Bostwick biography
Tall (6'4"), agile, energetic, and ever-so-confident as both actor and
singer, especially on the award-winning Broadway stage, Barry Bostwick
possesses that certain narcissistic poise, charm and élan that reminds
one instantly (and humorously) of a Kevin Kline -- both were
quite brilliant in their respective interpretations of The Pirate King
in "The Pirates of Penzance". Yet, for all his diverse talents (he is a
Golden Globe winner and was nominated for the Tony Award three times,
winning once), Barry is indelibly caught in a time warp. Even today, 35
years after the fact, he is indelibly associated with the role of nerdy
hero Brad Majors in the midnight movie phenomena
The Rocky Horror Picture Show. While it is extremely
flattering to be a part of such a cult institution, Barry's acting
legacy deserves much more than this.
He was born Barry Knapp Bostwick on February 24, 1945, in San Mateo,
California, one of two sons born to Henry "Bud" Bostwick, a city
planner, and his wife Betty. A student at San Mateo High School, he and
his elder brother Peter use to put on musicals and puppet shows for the
neighborhood kids. Barry attended San Diego's United States
International University's School for the Performing Arts in 1967, and
switched from music to drama during the course of his studies. He also
worked occasionally as a circus performer, which would come in handy on
the musical stage down the line. He subsequently moved to New York and
attended the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at New York
University.
Making his stage debut at age 22 in a production of "Take Her, She's
Mine," Barry performed in a number of non-musical roles in such
productions of "War and Peace" (1968) and "The Misanthrope (1968).
Making his 1969 Broadway debut in "Cock-a-Doodle Dandy", which ran in
tandem with "Hamlet" in which he was featured as Osric, it was his
portrayal of the swaggering, leather jacket-wearing 50s "bad boy" Danny
Zuko in the 1972 Broadway high-school musical smash "Grease" that put
Barry's name prominently and permanently on the marquee signs.
Originating the role, he was nominated for a Tony but lost out that
year to the older generation (Phil Silvers for "A Funny Thing
Happened...").
In the midst of all this star-making hoopla, Barry was also breaking
into films with a minor role in Jennifer on My Mind and
leading parts in the comedy spoofs Road Movie and
The Wrong Damn Film. It all paled after winning the role
as Susan Sarandon's simp of a boyfriend in the
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which featured a delicious
Tim Curry (I) camping it up as a transvestite monster-maker. The
movie, based on the macabre 1973 British stage musical "The Rocky
Horror Show," packed the midnight movie houses with costumed fans
replicating every move and, word and offering puns and props aplenty in
recapturing the insanity of the show.
While the "Rocky" association hit like a tornado, Barry ventured on and
tried to distance himself. He created sparks again on Broadway,
garnering a second Tony nomination for the comedy revival "They Knew
What They Wanted" in 1976. He finally took home the trophy the
following year for the musical "The Robber Bridegroom" (1977), which
relied again on his patented bluff and bravado as a Robin Hood-like
hero. Following top roles in the musicals "She Loves Me" and "The
Pirates of Penzance", Barry turned rewardingly to film and TV.
The two-part feature Movie Movie, which played like an
old-style double feature, was a great success, performing alongside
esteemed actor George C. Scott. Barry excelled in both features,
but especially the musical parody. He fared just as well on the smaller
screen in TV movies, playing everything from historical icons (George
Washington) to preening matinée idols (John Gilbert), and winning a
Golden Globe for his role as a military officer in the epic miniseries
War and Remembrance. A variety of interesting roles
followed in glossy, soap-styled fare, farcical comedies and period
drama.
A welcomed return to Broadway musicals in the form of "Nick & Nora" (he
as sleuth Nick "The Thin Man" Charles) was marred when the glitzy
production folded after only nine perfs. Instead, the prematurely
grey-haired actor found steadier success in sitcoms as a smug comedy
foil to Michael J. Fox (I) playing Mayor Randall Winston for six
seasons in Spin City. He later enjoyed a recurring role
as a dauntless attorney on
Law amp; Order: Special Victims Unit. Then again, Barry
could be spotted pitching items in commercials or hamming it up in
family-oriented Disneyesque entertainment in the "Parent Trap" and "101
Dalmatian" mold.
In 1997, Bostwick was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 10 days later
had his prostate removed. The operation was successful and in 2004, he
won the Gilda Radner Courage Award from the Roswell Park Cancer
Institute. Just a year earlier he appeared on an episode of "Scrubs" as
a patient also having prostate cancer. Barry married somewhat late in
life. For a brief time he was wed to actress Stacey Nelkin
(1987-1991), but has since become a father of two, Brian and Chelsea,
with second wife Sherri Jensen, an actress who appeared with
Barry in the TV movie Praying Mantis (1993) (TV).
Barry Bostwick trivia
- Son of Bud Bostwick.
- 7/97: He underwent surgery for prostate cancer. The surgery was
successful.
- Children: Brian (May, 1995) and Chelsea (October, 1996)
- Won Broadway's 1977 Tony Award for Best Actor (Musical) for "The Robber
Bridegroom." Was also nominated in the same category in 1972 for
"Grease" and in 1976 as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for "They
Knew What They Wanted."
- Best remembered for The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- MFA in Acting - New York University, Tisch School of the Arts (1968).
- His older brother, Peter, died in an automobile accident in 1973 at the
age of 32.
- His companion for a number of years (1980-1984) was actress
Lisa Hartman (I).
- Father Henry Bostwick Jr. joined Screen Actors Guild at age 79. He later
died of a cerebral hemorrhage and cardiac arrest on December 7, 1999 at
age 86.
- Appeared in a New York rock musical called "Salvation" in 1969.
- Bostwick served as host of the nationally televised annual Capitol
Fourth celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for eight
years.
Barry Bostwick quotes
- "I'll be quoting 'Dammit, Janet' to people for the rest of my life."