Barry Robins
Encyclopedia
Barry Robins
was an American
stage, film and television actor. He was best known for his leading role as Cotton in Stanley Kramer
's 1971 movie, Bless the Beasts and Children
.
, he attended New York's High School of Performing Arts, and later studied acting with Stella Adler
and singing with Ruth Miller. His Chicago
performance as the Crown Prince in a 1963 production of The King and I
led its composer, Richard Rodgers
, to invite him to reprise the role in the 1964 revival in New York
at Lincoln Center. He would eventually play the part more than 600 times in various regional and touring productions.
, Mordred and Tom of Warwick in Camelot
, Adi in Milk and Honey
, Cesario in Fanny
, Dromio of Ephesus in Boys From Syracuse, and Evil Eye Fleagle in Li'l Abner
. His roles in dramatic plays included Nick in A Thousand Clowns
and the Boy in Incident at Vichy
. In Colorado
, he also had the speaking role of Puck
in Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream
, and a few cameos at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York.
On television, he appeared as Mahatma Gandhi
in A Night in Maritzburg, as the teenage Munya in Actor: The Paul Muni Story, and on the series Twelve O'Clock High
, Columbo, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
, and Rat Patrol. On the first season DVD of The Monkees
, his name is listed as one of the unsuccessful applicants for a position in the series and band.
In 1977, Robins penned Our Days at M.A.D., an unproduced teleplay based on his experiences at the High School of Performing Arts. From time to time he also performed as a cocktail lounge pianist.
was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage, film and television actor. He was best known for his leading role as Cotton in Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
's 1971 movie, Bless the Beasts and Children
Bless the Beasts and Children (film)
Bless the Beasts and Children is a 1971 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, by Glendon Swarthout, that was directed by Stanley Kramer, featuring Bill Mumy and Barry Robins.-Plot:...
.
Early life
Born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, he attended New York's High School of Performing Arts, and later studied acting with Stella Adler
Stella Adler
Stella Adler was an American actress and an acclaimed acting teacher, who founded the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the The Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles with long-time protege Joanne Linville, who continues to teach and furthers Adler's legacy...
and singing with Ruth Miller. His Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
performance as the Crown Prince in a 1963 production of The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
led its composer, Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, to invite him to reprise the role in the 1964 revival in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at Lincoln Center. He would eventually play the part more than 600 times in various regional and touring productions.
Career
He appeared around the country in many other musicals, among which his roles included Little Jake in Annie Get Your GunAnnie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
, Mordred and Tom of Warwick in Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
, Adi in Milk and Honey
Milk and Honey (musical)
Milk and Honey is a musical with a book by Don Appell and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The story centers on a busload of lonely American widows hoping to catch husbands while touring Israel and is set against the background of the country's fight for recognition as an independent nation...
, Cesario in Fanny
Fanny (musical)
Fanny is a musical with a book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. A tale of love, secrets, and passion set in and around the old French port of Marseille, it is based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays entitled Marius, Fanny and César.The musical premiered on...
, Dromio of Ephesus in Boys From Syracuse, and Evil Eye Fleagle in Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner (musical)
Li'l Abner is a musical with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, music by Gene De Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer.Based on the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp, the show is, on the surface, a broad spoof of hillbillies but is also a pointed satire taking on any number of topics, ranging...
. His roles in dramatic plays included Nick in A Thousand Clowns
A Thousand Clowns
A Thousand Clowns is a 1962 American play by Herb Gardner, which tells the story of a young boy who lives with his eccentric uncle Murray, who is forced to conform to society in order to keep custody of the boy. A 1965 movie version was adapted from the play by Gardner and directed by Fred Coe.-...
and the Boy in Incident at Vichy
Incident At Vichy
Incident at Vichy is a 1964 play by American dramatist Arthur Miller focusing upon the subjects of human nature, guilt, fear, and complicity using Vichy France for the setting. Miller, a Jew himself, wrote the one act play about a group of detainees waiting for inspection by German officers during...
. In Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, he also had the speaking role of Puck
Puck (Shakespeare)
Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream that was based on the ancient figure in English mythology, also called Puck. Puck is a clever and mischievous elf and personifies the trickster or the wise knave...
in Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (opera)
A Midsummer Night's Dream is an opera with music by Benjamin Britten and set to a libretto adapted by the composer and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream...
, and a few cameos at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York.
On television, he appeared as Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
in A Night in Maritzburg, as the teenage Munya in Actor: The Paul Muni Story, and on the series Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II. The film was adapted by Sy Bartlett, Henry King ...
, Columbo, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. is an American spy-fi TV series that aired on NBC for one season from September 16, 1966 to April 11, 1967. The series was a spin-off from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and used the same theme music composed by Jerry Goldsmith, which was rearranged into a slightly different,...
, and Rat Patrol. On the first season DVD of The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
, his name is listed as one of the unsuccessful applicants for a position in the series and band.
In 1977, Robins penned Our Days at M.A.D., an unproduced teleplay based on his experiences at the High School of Performing Arts. From time to time he also performed as a cocktail lounge pianist.