Barry Newman
Newman in 1974
Born	Barry Foster Newman (1930-11-07)November 7, 1930 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	May 11, 2023(2023-05-11) (aged 92) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1960–2022
Spouse	Angela Newman

Barry Foster Newman (November 7, 1930 – May 11, 2023) was an American actor of stage, screen and television known for his portrayal of Kowalski in Vanishing Point,^[1] and for his title role in the 1970s television series Petrocelli.^[2][3] He was nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy awards.

Early life

Newman was born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 7, 1930,^[4] the son of a Belarusian-born mother, Sarah (née Ostrovsky), and an Austrian father, Carl Newman. Newman graduated from the prestigious Boston Latin School in 1948.^[5][6] He was a childhood friend of actor Leonard Nimoy.^[7][8]

After graduating from Brandeis University with a degree in anthropology in 1952, Newman was drafted into the Army, and having learned saxophone and clarinet in high school, he was assigned to the 3rd Army Band in Atlanta. After being discharged, Newman went to New York to receive his master's degree in anthropology from Columbia University, when a friend, who was studying acting with Lee Strasberg, invited him to sit in on a class.^[9] His destiny changed as he fell in love with acting and left Columbia after only five weeks to study acting with Strasberg.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Newman's first acting job was in Herman Wouk's first comedy Nature's Way, in which he played a jazz musician. New York critic Richard Watts called him "The creme of the Jesters". This role was followed by a featured part in the play Maybe Tuesday, written by Mel Tolkin.

Newman starred in the New York production of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. After numerous parts on Broadway, including the musical What Makes Sammy Run, Sidney Kingsley's Night Live, America Hurrah,, Newman went on to do TV and movies. While working at nights on Broadway in What Makes Sammy Run, Newman starred as attorney John Barnes in the daytime drama The Edge of Night for two years. Earlier, Newman co-starred in his first film, the gangster potboiler Pretty Boy Floyd (1960), and he made his breakthrough with his first starring role in The Lawyer (1970).

Newman is perhaps best known for his starring role as Kowalski in the 1971 cult film, Vanishing Point, about an existential journey across the western United States by a car transport driver delivering a white Dodge Challenger from Denver, Colorado to San Francisco, California. Vanishing Point was followed by starring roles in 20th Century Fox's Salzburg Connection and Paramount's Fear Is the Key. In 1974, Petrocelli, a TV series created around the character Newman first played in The Lawyer, debuted on NBC and ran two seasons.

After Petrocelli, Newman starred in the film City on Fire with Henry Fonda and Ava Gardner, then in Disney's Amy. He starred or co-starred in more than 20 TV movies of the week, including ABC's King Crab, which won the ABC Theater Award. He also co-starred in several miniseries, including Fatal Vision. Variety called Newman "The Spencer Tracy of the 80s".^{[citation needed]}

In 1989, Barry Newman starred with Suzanne Pleshette in the television series Nightingales. In the early 1990s, Newman starred in the BBC's production of The Mirror Cracked. During the 1990s, Newman co-starred in Daylight, Bowfinger, and The Limey.

Newman's success with the TV movie Night Games, based on the 1970 movie The Lawyer, led to the TV series Petrocelli, starring Newman as a lawyer who lives and works in the fictional town of San Remo, Arizona (filmed in Tucson, Arizona). He was nominated for an Emmy in 1975 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and in 1976, for a Golden Globe.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Newman died at Columbia University Irving Medical Center on May 11, 2023, at the age of 92. He was survived by his wife, Angela.^[4]

Awards and nominations

• 1975, Petrocelli, Emmy for Best Actor, nominated
• 1976, Petrocelli, Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series, nominated

Selected filmography

Selected television work

• The Edge of Night (1964–1965) ... John Barnes
• Way Out (1961) ... Officer Police (1 episode, "Hush-Hush")
• Armstrong Circle Theatre (1963) ... (1 episode, 1963)
• Naked City (1963) "Beyond This Place There Be Dragons" ... Cabbie
• Get Smart (1965) ... Assistant Guru (1 episode, 1968)
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ... Himself (3 episodes, 1973–1975)
• Petrocelli (1974) ... Anthony J. Petrocelli (45 episodes, 1974–1976)
• Dinah! (1975) ... (Cast Member 1975–1977)
• Quincy M.E. (1976)
• The Fall Guy (1981) Himself (1 episode: "The Detectives", season #4, episode #6, 1984)
• Nightingales (1989) ... Dr. Garrett Braden (13 episodes, 1989)
• Murder She Wrote (1989) ... Detective Jack Ballinger (1 episode, 1989)
• The New Hollywood Squares (1989) .... Special Guest(1 episode, 1989)
• L.A. Law (1994) ... Frank Askoff (2 episodes, 1994)
• NYPD Blue ... Jimmy Wexler (2 episodes, 1994–1998)
• The O.C. (2005) ... Professor Max Bloom (3 episodes, 2005)
• The Cleaner (2009) ... Marcus O'Hara (1 episode "Hello America")
• Ghost Whisperer (2009)... Ray James (1 episode "Till Death Do Us Start")
• Murder, She Wrote (1988)..."Snow White, Blood Red", alleged NYPD ex-cop Ed McMasters^[10]

References

Petrocelli: San Remo Justice: An Episode Guide and Much More, by Sandra Grabman, published by BearManor Media ISBN 978-1-62933-205-5

External links

• Barry Newman at IMDb