Ras Barker
Encyclopedia
Ras Barker is an English
actor, producer, editor, and writer. Ras was born in Hampstead, north west London. The son of artists Clive Barker
and Rosemary Bruen, he spent his childhood between London and the Malvern
Hills in Worcestershire
.
in 2005 and long running TV series such as Londons Burning, The Bill
and most recently Eastenders
in 2010.
As well as acting, through his production company, Extra Digit, he has written and produced short films, including the award winning Life is a Circus, which he wrote and produced, and Somewhere, which also featured ex Stranglers front man, Hugh Cornwell
, which Ras commissioned.
According to Ras, he wrote Life is a Circus as "an ode to his first true love, his 'lost love' and the town, Malvern, Worcestershire
", where he went to school.
Life is a Circus was first shown in the US at the Hypefest International Film Festival, LA where it received a standing ovation. In 2004, Life is a Circus won the Dragon*Con Best Magic Realism Film Award and it was also nominated for the Time Out Best London Film Award the same year. It was televised on the Performance Channel in the UK in 2007.
It has been shown at over 60 festivals worldwide, including:
Century City Film Festival, LA, USA
Damah Film Festival, LA
ION International Short Film Festival, LA
Cinema Paradise Film Festival, Hawaii, USA
Dead Center International Film Festival, Oklahoma, USA
The Oxford Film Festival, Oxford, USA
Da Vinci Film and Video Festival, Oregon, USA
Ohio Independent Film Festival, Ohio
Forest Film Festival, Oregon
The Rebelfest Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
VideoTheatre, NYC
Somewhere, 2005
Being a Stranglers fan from an early age, (Ras credits this to growing up with an elder brother), he commissioned Somewhere 2005 to fulfil his dream of working with Hugh Cornwell
. Somewhere was written and directed by Ras's friend, ex playschool presenter, Ben Thomas
.
Somewhere opened the Brighton International Film Festival in 2005
It has also been shown at:
DeadCenter Film Festival, Oklahoma
Ohio International Film Festival
, the daughter of Sylvia Young
and the younger sister of Frances Ruffelle
. They have a daughter together, Coral Barker.
Ras's nieces and nephews by marriage include singer Eliza Doolittle (singer).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor, producer, editor, and writer. Ras was born in Hampstead, north west London. The son of artists Clive Barker
Clive Barker (artist)
Clive Barker is a pop artist who was born in Luton, Bedfordshire in 1940 as the second youngest of six children. He has been exhibited in numerous galleries around the world during his career and has works in permanent collections including the Tate collection and the National Portrait Gallery. He...
and Rosemary Bruen, he spent his childhood between London and the Malvern
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
Hills in Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
.
Career
Against his bohemian upbringing he trained as an accountant but later also trained as an actor. He has appeared in a number of TV programmes and feature films, including the film StonedStoned (film)
Stoned, also known as The Wild and Wycked World of Brian Jones in the UK, is a 2005 film about Brian Jones, one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones...
in 2005 and long running TV series such as Londons Burning, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and most recently Eastenders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
in 2010.
As well as acting, through his production company, Extra Digit, he has written and produced short films, including the award winning Life is a Circus, which he wrote and produced, and Somewhere, which also featured ex Stranglers front man, Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
, which Ras commissioned.
Extra Digit
Life is a Circus, 2004According to Ras, he wrote Life is a Circus as "an ode to his first true love, his 'lost love' and the town, Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
", where he went to school.
Life is a Circus was first shown in the US at the Hypefest International Film Festival, LA where it received a standing ovation. In 2004, Life is a Circus won the Dragon*Con Best Magic Realism Film Award and it was also nominated for the Time Out Best London Film Award the same year. It was televised on the Performance Channel in the UK in 2007.
It has been shown at over 60 festivals worldwide, including:
Century City Film Festival, LA, USA
Damah Film Festival, LA
ION International Short Film Festival, LA
Cinema Paradise Film Festival, Hawaii, USA
Dead Center International Film Festival, Oklahoma, USA
The Oxford Film Festival, Oxford, USA
Da Vinci Film and Video Festival, Oregon, USA
Ohio Independent Film Festival, Ohio
Forest Film Festival, Oregon
The Rebelfest Film Festival, Toronto, Canada
VideoTheatre, NYC
Somewhere, 2005
Being a Stranglers fan from an early age, (Ras credits this to growing up with an elder brother), he commissioned Somewhere 2005 to fulfil his dream of working with Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Cornwell
Hugh Alan Cornwell is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the punk/new wave group, The Stranglers, from 1974 to 1990.-Career:...
. Somewhere was written and directed by Ras's friend, ex playschool presenter, Ben Thomas
Ben Thomas
Benjamin Thomas Jr. is a former defensive lineman in the National Football League who played for the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams...
.
Somewhere opened the Brighton International Film Festival in 2005
It has also been shown at:
DeadCenter Film Festival, Oklahoma
Ohio International Film Festival
Personal life
Ras is married to Alison RuffelleAlison Ruffelle
Alison Ruffelle is an English actress and Producer. Her mother is Sylvia Young, the founder of the theatre school at which Alison trained and where she began performing...
, the daughter of Sylvia Young
Sylvia Young
Sylvia Young OBE is the founder and Principal of Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, UK.-Sylvia Young Theatre School:Young founded her theatre school in 1981 in Drury Lane, London before moving to Rossmore road Marylebone premises in 1983. In 2010 they moved to their current location near...
and the younger sister of Frances Ruffelle
Frances Ruffelle
Frances Ruffelle is an English musical theatre actress and recording artist. Her mother is Sylvia Young, the founder of the famous theatre school at which Frances trained, and her daughter is recording artist Eliza Doolittle. Her younger sister is actress Alison Ruffelle...
. They have a daughter together, Coral Barker.
Ras's nieces and nephews by marriage include singer Eliza Doolittle (singer).