Barry Otto

Barry Otto
Otto at the Spot Festival in March 2012
Born	1941 (age 83–84) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1975–present
Spouses	Lindsay Otto ​ (div. 1973)​ Susan Hill
Children	3, including Miranda and Gracie Otto

Barry Otto (born 1941) is an Australian actor.

Early life

Barry Otto was born in 1941 in Brisbane, the son of a butcher.^[1][2][3] He has a sister named Denise.^[4] Otto trained as an artist at Brisbane Central Technical College.^[4] In the 1960s, Otto worked as a commercial artist and fashion illustrator.^[5] He never formally trained as an actor.^[3]

Career

Otto began acting in amateur theatre and drawing room comedies in the 1970s.^[1][3] He has had film roles in Strictly Ballroom, Cosi, The Dressmaker, Kiss or Kill, Dead Letter Office, The Visitor, The Great Gatsby, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Love's Brother (see Filmography). He portrayed Administrator Allsop in Australia in 2008. In 2015 Otto voiced the role of Mayor Wilberforce Cranklepot, a goanna, in Blinky Bill the Movie.

Personal life

Otto married Lindsay, with whom he has a daughter Miranda (an actress), born in 1967 in Brisbane.^[6] They divorced in 1973.^{[citation needed]}

With his second wife Susan "Sue" Hill,^[7] Otto has a son, Eddie (a teacher and professional cricket coach), and daughter, Gracie (a filmmaker and actress), born in 1987 in Sydney.^[6][8]

Otto is also an artist. He often paints members of his family and has twice entered the Archibald Prize.^[9]

Otto was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018.^[10]

Filmography

Otto with Australian actress Deborah Mailman in 2012

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Benny Hill Down Under	Trevor McKenzie	TV movie
1982	Norman Loves Rose	Charles	Feature film
1984	The Secret Discovery of Australia	French Ambassador
	Undercover	Professor Henckel	Feature film
	Who Killed Hannah Jane?	James Harnney	TV movie
1985	Bliss	Harry Joy	Feature film
1986	The More Things Change...	Lex	Feature film
1987	Howling III: The Marsupials	Professor Harry Beckmeyer	Feature film
1988	Takeover	George Oppenheimer	Feature film
1989	The Punisher	'Shake'	Feature film
1992	Strictly Ballroom	Doug Hastings	Feature film
1993	The Custodian	Brian Ferguson	Feature film
1994	Exile	Sheriff Hamilton	Feature film
1995	Dad and Dave: On Our Selection	J.P. Riley	Feature film
1996	Lilian's Story	John Singer	Feature film
	Così	Roy	Feature film
	My Entire Life (aka Mr Reliable)	The Premier	Feature film
1997	I Love Rachel	Unknown
	Mr. Nice Guy	Baggio	Feature film
	Oscar and Lucinda	Jimmy D'Abbs	Feature film
	Kiss or Kill	Adler Jones	Feature film
	Frontier	Government Agent Archibald Meston
1998	Dead Letter Office	Gerald Urquhart	Feature film
2002	The Visitor	Michael	Short film
2004	Love's Brother	Father Alfredo	Feature film
	Loot	Charles Highsmith
2006	Single White Farmer	Poley
2007	Rogue	Merv	Feature film
	La même nuit	The Concierge
	Soul Mates	Paddy Byrne
	Cheap Seats	Enjouer
2008	Newcastle	Gramps	Feature film
	Australia	Administrator Allsop	Feature film
	$9.99	Albert (voice)	Feature film (animated)
	Three Blind Mice	Fred	Feature film
	In a Pig's Eye	Unknown
2010	Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole	Echidna (voice)	Feature film (animated)
	South Solitary	George Wadsworth	Feature film
	Seamstress	Unknown
2011	To Face the Sun	Father
	Waiting for the Turning of the Earth	Tom
2012	A Cautionary Tail	Doctor (voice)
2013	The Great Gatsby	Benny McClenahan	Feature film
2015	Blinky Bill the Movie	Mayor Wilberforce Cranklepot (voice)	Feature film Nominated — Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice in an Animated Film
	The Dressmaker	Percival Almanac	Feature film
2016	Pypo
	Fish with Legs	Head Fish Warren

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	Until Tomorrow	Trevor McKenzie	TV series
1978	Case for the Defence	Doctor	TV series
	Tickled Pink	Leo	TV special
1980	Spring & Fall	Harry Dawson	Anthology series, season 1, episode 5: "The Slammer"
1983	The Dismissal		Miniseries
	A Country Practice	Bela Szollos	TV series
1984	Singies		Miniseries
1998	Murder Call	Otis Farrow	TV series, season 2, episodes 10-11: "Deadfall" (parts 1 &2)
2005	The Secret Life of Us	Bill Holdforth	TV series, season 4, episode 12: "The Heart of Friday Night"
2006	Stupid Stupid Man	Principal Cooper	TV series, season 1
	All Saints	Bob Tyrell	TV series, 1 episode
2013	Dance Academy	Sir Jeffery	TV series, season 3, 6 episodes
2016	Rake	Judge Cowper	TV series, 1 episode
2017	Sisters	Julius Bechly	TV series, 7 episodes
2019	The Other Guy	Ron	TV series, episode: "New Wheels and Cock Socks"

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Company
1970	Eden House	Bernie Smith	La Boite Theatre
1971	Flash Jim Vaux	Circus Style Performer	Twelfth Night Theatre
1974	Present Laughter		SGIO Theatre
1974	A Doll’s House	Torvald Helmer	SGIO Theatre
1975	How Does Your Garden Grow?		Twelfth Night Theatre
1976–77	Travesties	Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov	Nimrod Theatre
1976	The Tatty Hollow Story	Ben	Stables Theatre
1976	Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been?	Edward Dmytryk / Investigator	Nimrod Theatre
1976	The Recruiting Officer	Constable	Nimrod Theatre
1976	The Duchess of Malfi	Castruchio / Count Malateste	Nimrod Theatre
1977	Twelfth Night	Orsino	Nimrod Theatre
1977	Wild Oats	Ephraim Smooth	Seymour Centre
1977	The Tempest	Sebastian	Sydney Opera House
1978	Black Comedy	Brindsley Miller	Sydney Opera House
1978	The Misanthrope	Alceste	Sydney Opera House
1978	Hay Fever	Sandy Tyrell	Canberra Theatre, Sydney Opera House
1978	The Lady from Maxim’s	Dr Petypon	Sydney Opera House
1979	What Price Glory?	Pharmacist's Mate	ABC Radio, Sydney
1979	The Bed Before Yesterday	Felix	Theatre Royal, Sydney
1979	On Our Selection	Old Carey / Jim Carey	Jane Street Theatre, Nimrod Theatre
1979	Upside Down at the Bottom of the World	D H Lawrence	Nimrod Theatre
1980	Traitors	Giorgi Krasin	Nimrod Theatre
1980	The Bride of Gospel Place	The Master	Jane Street Theatre
1980	The Dybbuk	Azriel	Jane Street Theatre
1980	Volpone	Corvino	Nimrod Theatre
1981	Three Sisters	Fyodor Ilyich Kulyghin	Nimrod Theatre
1981	Protest: Audience / Private View / Protest	Malster / Michal / Stanek	Nimrod Theatre
1981	Cloud Nine	Clive / Cathy	Nimrod Theatre
1981	Tales from the Vienna Woods	Zauberkonig	Nimrod Theatre
1982	Welcome the Bright World	Sebastian Ayalti	Nimrod Theatre
1982	Burn Victim		Nimrod Theatre
1983	Uncle Vanya	Uncle Vanya	Nimrod Theatre
1983	The Portage to San Cristobal of A.H.		Sydney Opera House
1987	Tom and Viv		Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
1987	Kiss of the Spider Woman		Seymour Centre
1988	Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune	Johnny	University of Sydney
1989–91	The Marriage of Figaro	Figaro	Wharf Theatre, Playhouse, Melbourne with Sydney Theatre Company
1990	Hot Fudge and Icecream		Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
1991	Hotel Sorrento	Edwin	Wharf Theatre
1992; 1994	Cosi	Roy	Belvoir Theatre, Russell Street Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
1993	The Trials of Brother Jero		Courtyard Theatre, Bondi
1993	Faust	Faust	Russell Street Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
1994	White Wheat		Domain Theatre, Sydney
1994	Amadeus	Salieri	Melbourne Athenaeum
1995	The Tempest	Prospero	Belvoir Theatre, Space Theatre, Adelaide
1996	Night on Bald Mountain		Playhouse Adelaide, Belvoir Theatre
1996	Wasp		Belvoir Theatre
1998	Show Boat	Cap'n Andy	Lyric Theatre Sydney, Regent Theatre, Melbourne
1999	Barrymore	John Barrymore	Sydney Opera House, Glen Street Theatre, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Cremorne Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2000	The Falls		Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company
2002	Volpone	Volpone	Sydney Opera House
2003–04	Last Cab to Darwin	Max	Octagon Theatre, Perth, Sydney Opera House, Broken Hill Entertainment Centre, Orange Civic Theatre, Glen Street Theatre, Manning Entertainment Centre, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Theatre Royal, Hobart, Princess Theatre, Launceston, Dunstan Playhouse Adelaide, IMB Theatre, Wollongong, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Butter Factory Theatre with Pork Chop Productions
2003	Proof	Robert	Sydney Opera House, Glen Street Theatre
2005	Boy Gets Girl	Les Kennkat	Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2007	Troupers	Isaac	Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2007	Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?	Martin	Cremorne Theatre with Queensland Theatre
2007	Heroes	Philippe	Cremorne Theatre with Queensland Theatre
2008	Tartuffe	Orgon	Malthouse Theatre with Melbourne Theatre Company
2008	Hamlet	Polonius	Sydney Opera House, Playhouse, Melbourne with Bell Shakespeare
2009	Optimism	Pangloss	Malthouse Theatre, [[]], Sydney Opera House & Royal Lyceum Theatre for Edinburgh Comedy Festival
2012	The Histrionic	The Landlord	Malthouse Theatre, Wharf Theatre with Sydney Theatre Company
2013	The Kreutzer Sonata	Pozdnyshev	State Theatre Company of South Australia
2015	Seventeen	Ronny	Belvoir Theatre

^[11]

Awards

Otto received an AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in Strictly Ballroom and was nominated for Bliss, Cosi and The More Things Change....

Otto's plaque at the Australian Film Walk of Fame, Ritz Cinema, Randwick, Sydney

Barry Otto at Randwick in Sydney on the Australian Film Walk of Fame.

References

1. Porter, Zoë (15 January 2020). "Otto The Great". The National Treasures Series. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
2. "Dichotomia, Barry Otto, 2008". National Portrait Gallery collection. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
3. Morgan, Joyce (26 January 2007). "Barry Otto's busting to talk". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
4. Faulkner, Noelle (29 December 2017). "The Imaginarium of Mr Otto by Jake Terrey". Side-Note. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
5. Kornits, Dov (25 January 2020). "Otto on Otto". FilmInk. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
6. Gannon, Genevieve (22 June 2023). "Miranda Otto reveals what working with her sister is really like". The Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
7. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/its-like-hes-trying-to-remember-who-he-is-barry-ottos-daughters-share-heartbreaking-update-on-australian-screen-legends-health/news-story/8be843ba917bc5b501fecf3a953b186f. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
8. Lehmann, Megan (6 November 2021). "Gracie Otto, the human sparkplug". The Australian. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
9. Schwartzkoff, Louise (7 February 2009). "Barry's M.Otto: if at first you don't succeed, paint on". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
10. Maddox, Garry (7 May 2024). "Gracie Otto began a film about her dad's one-man show. A diagnosis changed the story". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
11. "AusStage".

External links

• Barry Otto at IMDb