Barry John Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More
Barry John Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More
Quick Infoâ
Marital Status: Unmarried
Age: 78 Years
Profession: Theatre Director
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Profession(s) | ⢠Director ⢠Actor ⢠Writer ⢠Teacher |
| Known for | Being the mentor of many famous Bollywood actors including Shah Rukh Khan check sources Barry John Acting Studio |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Eye Colour | True Grey |
| Hair Colour | Grey |
| Career | |
| Founder of | ⢠'Theatre Action Group' (1973) check sources Barry John Acting Studio ⢠'Imago School of Acting' (1997) check sources Barry John Acting Studio - renamed as 'Barry John Acting Studio' check sources Barry John Acting Studio ⢠'The Free Birds Collective' check sources The Free Birds Collective |
| Awards, Honours | ⢠Sangeet Natak Academi Award for Theatre Direction in 1993  ⢠META 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award ⢠Delhi Natya Sangh Award check sources ⢠Sahitya Kala Parishad Award check sources |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 2 February 1944 (Wednesday) check sources Manoj Bajpayee - Twitter |
| Age (as of 2022) | 78 Years |
| Birthplace | West Midlands (County), England check sources |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Nationality | British-Indian check sources Hindustan Times |
| School | Coundon Junior School, United Kingdom check sources Barry John - LinkedIn |
| College/University | The University of Leeds, England check sources The Times of India |
| Educational Qualification | Holds a bachelor's degree check sources The Times of India |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | N/A |
| Parents check sources The Times of India |
His father was an engineer, while his mother was a homemaker. |
| Siblings | Brother- None Sister- Christine John check sources The Times of India |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Barry John
Barry John is a British-Indian theatre director, actor, teacher, and writer. He is known as the mentor of many popular Bollywood actors including Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee .
In an interview, Barry John recalled his growing up in the industrial city of Coventry and said that it was a rugged upbringing as it was a post-war era, and they have to live in temporary settlements, where the houses were made of asbestos. According to Barry John, he was the black sheep in the family, and he never asked for money from his parents. John further said that while studying in school, he was interested in music and theatres; however, his parents never took any interest in his interest, i.e., music and theatre. John was determined to follow his passion, and he started pursuing theatre evening classes, even before he turned 12, he started selling newspapers to fund his studies. check sources The Times of India
In an interview, Barry revealed that during the retro era of classical music, he was so fascinated by Indiaâs culture and classical music that he studied Upanishads, check sources The Times of India the most recent additions to the Vedas, which are further considered as the oldest known Hindu scriptures.
According to Barry, while he was a student in college, he used to spend his vacations working as a labourer at a construction site at âWimpyâs,â where he used to prepare hamburgers, and at a steel factory, where he made meshes. check sources The Times of India Barry added that he never wanted to bother his parents for money and thatâs why he tried to finance his studies and other expenses himself. check sources The Times of India
In an interview, Barry revealed that his first play in college was âKalidas,â and the group used guitars instead of tablas in the play. check sources The Times of India Barry said,
In fact, my first play in college was Kalidasa, for which we used guitars instead of tablas! In 1968, Pandit Ravi Shankar staged a concert at the Coventry Cathedral. I landed up in a kurta, with beads around my neck and long hair. The concert was mind-blowing.â check sources The Times of India
Barry Johnâs fascination for India brought him to Bangalore, India at the age of 22, where he came across an advertisement about a vacancy for a teacher, and he was hired at a salary of Rs 200 per month. Barry John started teaching English literature; he would teach and do some radio programmes during the day and perform in theatres in the evenings. check sources The Times of India
According to Barry, he shifted to Delhi in 1970. check sources The Times of India In an interview, Barry John revealed that he went through hard times in Delhi, where he lived in an under-construction building and joined the Yatrik theatre group, a resident company at the building of the Shriram Center; however, John was thrown out by the members of Shriram after a dispute. check sources The Times of India
Reportedly, in 1973, Barry founded the âTheatre Action Groupâ (TAG), which functioned till 1977. check sources The Times of India In the same year, he joined the National School of Drama, but he started working after three years. check sources The Times of India
In association with TAG, Barry set up the foundation of âNukkar,â a theatre project for street and working children. check sources
Barry John (centre) with the members of the group âNukkarâ
According to Barry, he later moved to Mumbai and worked as an actor in films like âShatranj Ke Khiladiâ (1977) and âKissa Kursi Kaâ (1978); however, Barry was never assigned a lead or primary role in any film. check sources The Times of India In an interview, Barry revealed that he did not like politics in the film industry, and he realised that films werenât meant for him. check sources The Times of India
Barry John has appeared in other films like âGandhiâ (1982), âMassey Sahibâ (1985), âMiss Beattyâs Childrenâ (1992), âShaheed Udham Singhâ (2000), âTere Bin Ladenâ (2010), âChittagongâ (2012), âM Creamâ (2014), and many more.
Barry John as Police Superintendent in the film âGandhiâ (1982)
Barry John (right) as Vishnu Das in âM Creamâ â A still from the film
According to Barry, he quit films and started working in theatres. check sources The Times of India While sharing one of his experiences from his performance in theatres, Barry, in an interview, revealed that he was once told by Feisal Alkazi, one of his friends, that his performance in a comic play was appreciated by former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi . check sources The Times of India Barry added,
In one scene, I wore only underpants and, in other scene, I was dressed as a woman, complete with wig and make-up!â check sources The Times of India
Barry has worked in many theatrical productions such as âOthello: A Play in Black and White,â directed by Roysten Abel, an internationally acclaimed play that won the Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival. check sources Barry John Acting Studio
Barry John (extreme left) in the play âOthello: A Play in Black and Whiteâ
Barry has taught acting to many popular Bollywood actors like Anupam Kher , Pankaj Kapoor , Annu Kapoor , Surekha Sikri , Manoj Bajpayee , Shah Rukh Khan , and many more. check sources Barry John Acting Studio
Picture of Manoj Bajpayee (left) with Barry John (right)
In an interview, Barry told that he met Shah Rukh Khan for the first time while he was carrying out auditions at Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi. check sources The Times of India According to John, Shah Rukh Khan was a dancer at that time. check sources The Times of India Barry suggested him to give the audition as he wanted to be a part of the actual event that was going to happen. check sources The Times of India Barry described Shah Rukh Khan as a confident, talkative, and fast learner. check sources The Times of India
Barry John (left) with Shah Rukh Khan (right) in an Indian talk show â âJeena Isi Ka Naam Haiâ
In an interview, Barry revealed that he met a ten-year-old boy through the Salaam Baalak Trust while working at a theatre workshop for Mira Nairâs film âSalaam Bombay.â Barry also added that he supported his studies as a result of which he became a graphic artist. check sources The Times of India Barry said,
I found my son through Mira Nair: Mira is a friend. I held my first theatre workshop for her film Salaam Bombay. Subsequently, the Salaam Baalak Trust, which supports street children, was formed. Through this trust, I met my son, around 15 years ago. He was 10 then and wanted to study â I have supported his education through school and college. He is a graphic artist and, last year, expressed the desire to marry this girl. But he was turned down by her family members â they called him a street-urchin and the child of a single parent. Nobody bothers to appreciate the fact that he is a self-made boy with strong values.â check sources The Times of India
Barry once revealed on social media that there was some kind of confusion about his name being used in the name of the BJAS, an acting studio founded as âImago School of Actingâ in 1997; the âImago School of Actingâ was renamed âBarry John Acting Studioâ after the company moved to Mumbai. Barry made it clear that he was no longer associated with that organisation. check sources The Free Birds Collective Making it clear that he was not in any sort of collaboration with BJAS, Barry said,
There is some confusion about BJAS. My name is still being used and abused by certain people in another organisation called BJAS but Iâve no contact with them. Iâve resigned from that company for various reasons.â check sources The Free Birds Collective
After resigning from BJAS, Barry founded a performing arts school and named it âThe Free Birds Collective.â check sources The Free Birds Collective
Reportedly, Barry has contributed to the introduction of Drama and Theatre as subjects by framing the syllabus for the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). check sources Barry John Acting Studio
Barry John has written a handbook titled âPlaying For Real: Using Drama in the Classroom,â consisting of 178 drama exercises and games for actors.
Barry Johnâs handbook âPlaying For Real Using Drama in the Classroomâ
According to some sources, Barry John has bought a house in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India. check sources The Indian Express
Barry John at his home in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
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