25 Facts About Barry Cryer

Barry Charles Cryer was an English writer, comedian, and actor.

Barry Charles Cryer was born on 23 March 1935 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, to John Cryer, an accountant, who died when Barry was five, and his wife, Jean.

Barry Cryer was a writer for Leeds-based Proscenium Players, the first Jewish amateur stage group, which was founded in 1948.

Barry Cryer left university after learning his first-year results and travelled to London.

Barry Cryer suffered severely from eczema and was hospitalised 12 times in eight years.

Barry Cryer was released from his contract by Van Damm and concluded that a performing career was not a wholly sustainable income choice because of his skin condition, so he chose to focus on writing.

Barry Cryer joined the cast of Expresso Bongo with Susan Hampshire, Millicent Martin and Paul Scofield, during which he recorded the song "The Purple People Eater", best known in the version by Sheb Wooley.

For contractual reasons, Wooley's version was never released in Scandinavia, Barry Cryer's was, and reached number one in Finland.

Barry Cryer's first writing credits were four sketches for The Jimmy Logan Show, co-written with Douglas Camfield.

Barry Cryer became head writer with an occasional stage role for Danny La Rue's London nightclub, where he was spotted by David Frost.

Barry Cryer is seen serving the wine in the original performance of the Four Yorkshiremen sketch on At Last the 1948 Show, first broadcast in 1967.

Barry Cryer enjoyed a prolific partnership with Chapman, in pre-Monty Python days.

Barry Cryer always preferred to write in partnership, so that should he dry up he was never left to deliver material.

Barry Cryer hosted the ITV comedy panel game Jokers Wild and had a role in All You Need Is Cash, a 1978 spoof documentary about the Beatles parody band the Rutles, as well as a cameo as a police inspector in Kenny Everett's 1984 horror spoof Bloodbath at the House of Death.

Barry Cryer wrote and starred in You'll Have Had Your Tea with Graeme Garden.

Barry Cryer wrote an autobiography, You Won't Believe This But.

Barry Cryer performed comic monologues and songs on The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog, which was recorded in 1982, and broadcast by Channel 4 in 1983.

Barry Cryer was the subject of This Is Your Life in June 1995 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at Thames Television's Teddington Studios.

Barry Cryer's clip show Comedy Legends with Barry Cryer, a programme paying tribute to a number of comedians such as Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howerd and Bob Hope with "comedy experts" Tony Hawks, Steve Punt and critic Stephen Armstrong giving their opinions on the stars, began airing on Sky Arts in 2018.

In 2021 Barry Cryer was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the British Music Hall Society.

Barry Cryer married Theresa Donovan, a singer and dancer known as Terry, in 1962.

Barry Cryer was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2001 Birthday Honours for services to comedy drama.

Barry Cryer was a member of the entertainment charity the Grand Order of Water Rats.

Barry Cryer died at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow on 25 January 2022, aged 86.

At the event, a memorial mural of Barry Cryer was unveiled by his widow, containing photos of Barry Cryer and some of his famous jokes.