Charlie Barnett (actor)
Encyclopedia
- For other persons with this name, see Charlie BarnettCharlie BarnettCharlie Barnett may refer to:* Charles John Barnett , British Army officer and diplomat* Charles James Barnett , English cricketer* Charlie Barnett , English cricketer...
.
Charlie Barnett (September 23, 1954 – March 16, 1996) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
.
Barnett was born in Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...
, USA. He first made a name for himself in the late 1970s and early 1980s, performing several shows of raunchy comedy a day at outdoor parks in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, most notably in Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is one of the best-known of New York City's 1,900 public parks. At 9.75 acres , it is a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity...
, where he competed for crowds with musicians, frisbee players, jugglers and other entertainers. Flautist/driver Ruben Riera agrees, Charlie was one of the only street performers able to "fill the fountain" (an amphitheatre in a large circular fountain) in Washington Square Park. In September 1980, Barnett auditioned for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and producer Jean Doumanian
Jean Doumanian
Jean Doumanian is an American producer.Doumanian is probably most well known for her short reign as producer of Saturday Night Live between November 1980 and March 1981...
was ready to hire him, but after a last-minute audition, Barnett's spot in the cast was given to Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
.
Barnett went on to appear in film and on television. In the 1983 comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
film D.C. Cab
D.C. Cab
D.C. Cab is a 1983 comedy film, starring Mr. T, Max Gail, Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey and a special appearance by singer Irene Cara. The film was co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher. The R-rated comedy was controversial upon release due to Mr...
, he played the role of Tyrone. He had a recurring role on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
as Neville 'Noogie' Lamont.
He also appeared on Def Comedy Jam. Although the episode was not aired on TV, the DVD release of Def Comedy Jam contains an extra DVD with "2 Raw 4 TV", which has a Barnett performance.
Barnett's last film role was in 1996 in the film They Bite. He died that year of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
Comedian Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
has acknowledged Barnett as an influence.
Filmography
- They Bite (1996)
- Mondo New YorkMondo New YorkMondo New York is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith.-Overview:Mondo New York examines the lives and activities of Manhattan performance artists, and features Joey Arias and Rick Aviles. A number of New York City denizens appear in various sketches, each linked by a young woman's...
(1988) - Nobody's FoolNobody's Fool (1986 film)Nobody's Fool is a 1986 comedy film written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley. It stars Rosanna Arquette, Eric Roberts and Mare Winningham. The film is a romantic drama/comedy involving the lead character Cassie who seeks love, and escape from her mundane ordinary life...
(1986) - Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment (1986) (TV)
- BeerBeer (film)Beer, also known as The Selling of America, is a 1985 comedy film produced by Orion Pictures that satirizes the advertising industry, specifically the TV commercial industry.-Plot:...
(1985) - My Man AdamMy Man Adam-Plot:High schooler Adam Swit constantly daydreams about the same beautiful girl. Soon new student Sabrina McKay shows up who's identical to the girl of his dreams. Struggling to win her over, he doesn't do so well until a complex conspiracy throws them both into potential peril.-Principal cast:...
(1985) - Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(1984–1989) - D.C. CabD.C. CabD.C. Cab is a 1983 comedy film, starring Mr. T, Max Gail, Adam Baldwin, Gary Busey and a special appearance by singer Irene Cara. The film was co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher. The R-rated comedy was controversial upon release due to Mr...
(1983)