Barry Pearl

Barry Pearl, Actor / Director / Teacher, has been in the professional theatre for over fifty years with many Broadway, Film and TV credits to his name. Most remembered for his portrayal of Doody in the film version of GREASE and as Professor Tinkerputt in BEDTIME WITH BARNEY: IMAGINATION ISLAND.

Barry holds a BFA from Carnegie-Mellon University and got his Improv training from the renowned Howard Storm and Rex & Sherry Knowles. He has been teaching the Viola Spolin Theatre Game method since 1979 in LA at: Performing Arts Cooperative, Professional Artists Group, LA Film Actors Workshop, Beck Bros., CSUN, In The Act, Actors Alley Repertory Theatre, The Acting Lab (his own school) in New York with Gotham City Improv, as well as many others throughout the nation.

This Drama-Logue Award winner has directed three improv / sketch comedy troupes including THE ALLEY OOPS and the highly successful SHORT RIBS which he also created.

Barry made his Broadway debut in 1961 as Randolph MacAfee in the original production of BYE BYE BIRDIE. He went on to do the National Tour and Vegas companies of the show. Other stage productions include: the original Broadway company of OLIVER!, the first National Tour of GREASE, in which he played Sonny and in which John Travolta played Doody, GUYS AND DOLLS, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and many others.

He has been a TV series regular on CPO SHARKEY (starring Don Rickles) THE NEW LOVE AMERICAN STYLE and SUPERIOR COURT, as well as having guest starred on such TV shows as CRIMINAL MINDS, HOUSE, ER, MISS MATCH, BEVERLY HILLS 90210, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, EVEN STEVENS and THE AMANDA SHOW, to name a few.

Some of his other film credits include: AVENGING ANGEL, DUTCH TREAT and MY FAVORITE MARTIAN.

Barry did a one man show written by Sam Bobrick and Julie Stein about the death and life of the legendary Lenny Bruce. The piece, LENNY'S BACK, played in the spring of 1999 for two performances at Broadway's Studio 54 and that September at the HBO Workspace in Hollywood. The show ran at The American Renegade Theatre in North Hollywood in the fall of 2001 and was subsequently nominated for an OVATION Award.

Awards which he has won include: a Drama-Logue Award for his portrayal of Dirk Nob in THAT OTHER WOMAN'S CHILD; The Santa Barbara Independent Press Award for The Santa Barbara C.L.O. Production of OLIVER! in which he played Fagin; and The San Diego Playbill, Billie Award for Best supporting actor in the Lawrence Welk's OKLAHOMA in which he played Ali Hakim.

In 2003 Barry went to San Diego to star in a new play entitled NICKELS AND DIMES, a semi-autobiographical piece written by Jerry Cesak, of The Jeff And Jer Radio Show about the last day in the lives of a pair of DJs who have been doing a morning radio show for 30 years.

From November of 2003 until May of 2004, Barry played the Genie in ALADDIN at Disney's California Adventure.

He toured from June 14, 2004 until its closing in Pittsburgh on January 30, 2005 with the First National Tour of THE PRODUCERS, and had the great opportunity to play the roles of Mr. Marks, Kevin and Jason Green in the Broadway Production for several weeks between January and April of 2005.

Upon his return from the road, and in between going back to the Broadway Production of THE PRODUCERS, Barry essayed the role of Sheldon Seltzer in SATURDAY NIGHT AT GROSSINGER'S for Theatre West in Los Angeles.

He then had the good fortune to play the role of Ira Taub with pals Randee Heller and Suzanne Ford in THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE at The Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, CA.

After remounting a production of SATURDAY NIGHT AT GROSSINGER'S in Fort Lauderdale, FL for three months, Barry returned to California and landed the role of Lazar Wolf in the Sacramento Music Circus production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, directed by Glenn Casale.

Then in the Fall / Winter of 2006 (six years after the SBCLO production) he, again, got the opportunity to essay one of his favorite roles, Fagin, at the renowned, Fulton Theatre in his hometown of Lancaster, PA.

He immediately followed up with the role of Bernard in DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER for James Gruessing and The Norris Centre For The Performing arts in Rolling Hills Estates, CA. It was there that he had the great pleasure of sharing the stage with a performer whom he'd admired for quite some time, David Engel.

The Summer of '07 found Barry back in Sacramento playing Gangster # 2 in KISS ME KATE, again under the direction of Glenn Casale.

In the Fall of that year he went to New York where he essayed the role of the evil Brain in BRAIN FROM PLANET X for the New York Musical Theatre Festival (nymf). Upon his return he was honored again to play with his friends James Gruessing and David Engel at The Norris in Ken Ludwig's LEADING LADIES. That production was immediately followed by Musical Theatre West's production of ALL SHOOK UP in which he played Jim Haller opposite one of his favorite friends and actresses, Bets Malone.

Jumping ahead to 2008 and 2009, Barry once again took to the road playing the iconic role of "Arnold" from the TV show, HAPPY DAYS in Garry Marshall's musical stage production of HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL.

Back in LA after the tour, he got busy with five other projects, bouncing between a terrific production of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, assaying the role of "Senex", at The Norris Theatre in Rolling Hills Estates, CA. to playing "Nathan Detroit" for Cabrillio Music Theatre. Barry has played "Nathan" three times and "Benny Southstreet" once. This was now the second time playing "Nathan" for Cabrillio in fourteen years. A glorious homecoming!

Overlapping this production, Barry headed out to the historic Pasadena Playhouse to play the roles of "Bernie Greenberg" and "Milt Gabler" in a brand new musical about the discover of the 1960's gal group sensation, The Shirelles, entitled BABY IT'S YOU. It was written and directed by famed film director, Floyd Mutrix. Helping to helm this production was Pasadena Playhouse's own artistic director and colleague of Barry's, Sheldon Epps. The show was slated for the Broadway stage sometime in the fall of '10.

Coming full geographical circle, he returned to The Norris to play "Arnold Neddham" in NO SEX PLEASE, WE'RE BRITISH.

Barry then partook in a staged reading of a new musical called, THE ROXY written by Howard George, Shelley Markham and Adryan Russ. It was directed by pal, Bruce Kimmel (writer, director and star of cult classic THE FIRST NUDIE MUSICAL, amongst others which is also headed for the stage.)

In the summer of 2010, Barry put on his producing hat for Cabrillo Music Theatre's highly acclaimed production of HAPPY DAYS: A NEW MUSICAL. Critics raved!

That fall, Barry took to the high seas to perform in The Showroom At Sea on Holland America's, Statendam before being called back to Broadway in February of 2011 to recreate his roles of "Bernie Greenberg" and "Milt Gabler" playing opposite Tony Award winner, Beth Leavel (THE DROWSY CHAPERONE) in BABY IT'S YOU! The show ran for five months at The Broadhurst before closing on September 4, 2011.

On September 1 of that year, Barry celebrated his 50th year in show business while performing directly next door to the theatre in which he began as a child playing "Randolph McAfee" in BYE BYE BIRDIE, The Shubert.

Returning to California on September 9th, he played several roles in a staged reading of a new production slated for The Pasadena Playhouse in the spring called, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE: THE MUSICAL.

From the beginning of October through November 13th, he had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the incomparable, Jim J. Bullock, in Musical Theatre West's production of HAIRSPRAY. Barry played "Wilbur Turnblad". It was BackStage West's, Critic's Pick, and received reviews that were more like love letters to the production.

Another BackStage West Critic's pick was for HUNGER - IN BED WITH ROY COHN at The Odyssey Theatre in LA, in which Barry never left the stage, playing the infamous Mr. Cohn. This dramatic production was directed by Jules Aaron, and choreographed by long time friend, Kay Cole. It ran from January 12 - March 11, 2012.

A recently released Lionsgate film entitled THE NEWEST PLEDGE has Barry playing the role of Mr. Motes.

In the summer of 2012, Barry directed a Sam Bobrick comedy entitled THE CRAZY TIME for LA's Vagabond Players, Gretna Theatre's 40th anniversary production of GREASE in Mt. Gretna, PA. and played "Moonface Martin" in Moonlight Amphitheatre's production of ANYTHING GOES. From October 12 through November 4, he once again assayed the role of "Wilbur Turnblad" in HAIRSPRAY; this time for 3D Theatricals.

2013 began with Barry He then assaying the role of Burt Hines in Neil Simons' PROPOSALS, directed by his dear pal, James Gruessing, artistic director for The Norris Theatre in Rolling Hils Estates. In the spring of 2013, Barry, once again, directed GREASE for Cabrillo Music Theatre in Thousand Oaks, CA with film cast mate, Kelly Ward ("Putzie") choreographing.

Immediately following this record breaking production of GREASE he jumped right into directing a new play, NIGHT HAWKS, written by Robert Vincent O'Neil who also co-directed the piece with Barry. They did this for The Crown City Theatre in North Hollywood, run by old friends, Gary Lamb and Bill Reilly.

Toward the end of the year he was offered the role of Juror #7 in The Pasadena Playhouse's brilliant production of TWELVE ANGRY MEN, directed by his deep friend and collegue, Sheldon Epps, artistic director of the Playhouse. This was a truly special experience with a cast of six African American men and six White men. There are plans in the works to take the production to Argentina in the early summere of 2015.

Barry ended the year on a crazy note when asked to fill in for one performance of The Lythgoe Family's ALADDIN'S WINTER WISH out at The Pasadena Playhouse. Ricjard Karn (HOME IMPROVEMENT) had a commitment that conflicted with a change in the play's schedule, so Barry was asked to step in. It was an amazing experience shgaring the stage with the great Ben Vereen.

At this writing, Barry is on the road with Joey Travolta, Dale Oprandy and Katy Kurtzman teaching film arts to special needs children through Joey's Summer Film Camp. By the end of August, they will have traveled to four cities: Walnut Creek, CA., Pittsburgh, PA., Tenafly, NJ., and Detroit, Michagan. Two weeks are spent in each citie developing and shooting three seven minute films for three separate groups of kids. It is an awe inspiring experience.

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