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Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as ''Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'' and ''Open All Hours''. Barker began acting in repertory theatre and decided he was best suited to comic roles. He had his first success at the Oxford Playhouse and in roles in the West End including Tom Stoppard's ''The Real Inspector Hound''. During this period, he was in the cast of BBC radio and television comedies such as ''The Navy Lark''. He got his television break with the satirical sketch series ''The Frost Report'' in 1966, where he met future collaborator, Ronnie Corbett. He joined David Frost's production company and starred in ITV shows including a short film. After rejoining the BBC, Barker found fame with the sketch show ''The Two Ronnies'' (1971–1987), with Ronnie Corbett. He starred in the sitcoms ''Porridge'', its sequel ''Going Straight'' and ''Open All Hours''. He wrote comedy under his own name and the pseudonym Gerald Wiley, which Barker adopted to avoid pre-judgements of his talent. He won a BAFTA for best light entertainment performance four times, among other awards, and received an OBE in 1978. Later television sitcoms such as ''The Magnificent Evans'' and ''Clarence'' were less successful and he retired in 1987. He opened an antiques shop with his wife, Joy. After 1999, he appeared in smaller, non-comic roles in films. He died of heart failure on 3 October 2005, aged 76. ==Early life== Barker was born Ronald William George Barker on 25 September 1929 in Bedford, Bedfordshire, to Leonard (known as "Tim") and Edith (known as "Cis") Barker.〔 Barker's elder sister Vera was born in 1926 and his younger sister Eileen was born in 1933.〔 His father was a clerk for Shell-Mex, and this job saw the family move to Church Cowley Road in Cowley, Oxford when Barker was four.〔 Barker's biographer Bob McCabe described his childhood as "a happy time, marred by no ructions or family tensions, apart from the occasional wet sock." As a child, Barker enjoyed dressing up, particularly in his father's pierrot outfit, as well as films, comics and animals.〔 He developed a love of the theatre, often attending plays with his family. The first play he saw was ''Cottage to Let'' and he once skipped school to see Laurence Olivier in ''Henry V''.〔 He frequently stood outside stage-doors to collect autographs, his first being the actress Celia Johnson. Barker grew up in the Florence Park area of Cowley, Oxford, and went to Donnington Junior School, Florence Park, Oxford and then the City of Oxford High School for Boys.〔(Ronnie Barker: Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Scheme )〕 Barker's chemistry textbook at Oxford was previously owned by T.E. Lawrence. He found his talent for humour at school and developed his musical ability by singing in the choir at St James's, his local church.〔〔 He got in to the sixth form a year early after gaining the School Certificate but he felt what he was learning would be of no use to him in later life and so left as soon as he could.〔 After leaving school he trained as an architect but gave it up after six months, feeling he was not skilled enough. Barker took his sister Vera's job as a bank clerk at the Westminster Bank (after she had left to become a nurse).〔 Barker harboured dreams of becoming an actor, and took up amateur dramatics, although initially he just saw the pastime as a chance to meet girls.〔 For 18 months while at the bank he worked as an actor and stage manager, making his first appearance in ''A Murder Has Been Arranged'' as the musical director of the play-within-a-play.〔 Eventually he gave up his job to become a professional actor.〔 His father did not support his acting ambition. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ronnie Barker」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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