- Paul Barber
Paul Barber (born Patrick Barber, 1952) is an actor from
Liverpool . In a career spanning more than 30 years, he is best known for playing Denzil in "Only Fools and Horses " and Horse in "The Full Monty ".Early life
Born in Ireland, his family moved to
England when he was an infant. But at the age of seven, following the death of mother fromtuberculosis , he entered the care system on Merseyside. His father, originally fromSierra Leone , died when Paul (or Paddy as he was then known) was very young.Acting career
Barber began on the stage in the musical "Hair". His first major TV role was as Sam 'Lucky' Ubootu in the 1974
ITV Playhouse production "Lucky" set inLiverpool and made byGranada TV . He then played the flamboyant but vicious gang boss Malleson in the off-beatBBC Birmingham-based series "Gangsters" in 1975.Barber has worked extensively in British TV, such as in "
Minder " (1980), "Only Fools and Horses " (1981 onwards), "Boys from the Blackstuff " (1982), Malcolm in "The Front Line", "Casualty" and "Cracker". He made a guest appearance in the first episode of "The Green Green Grass " - a spin-off from "Only Fools And Horses".In 2008 he joined the long-running British
soap opera "Coronation Street " playing a club owner called Nelson.Film Work
Notable early, but small, film roles were in the big-screen version of "Porridge" (1979) and "
The Long Good Friday " (1980).However Barber's most famous role was playing one of the stripping steelworkers in the popular 1997 film "
The Full Monty " set in Sheffield. In 2001 he played alongside "Full Monty" co-starRobert Carlyle andSamuel L Jackson in the Liverpool-based crime movie "The 51st State " (2001).In the 2006 feature film "
Dead Man's Cards ", Barber again returned to Merseyside playing the part of Paul, head doorman, at a Liverpool club.Personal life
In 2007 he published "Foster Kid", an autobiographical book concerning his troubled upbringing in
Foster homes .In February 2008 his brother Ben appeared on Channel 4's "
Deal or No Deal ".External links
*
* [http://raretv.blogspot.com/2006/03/front-line-bbc1-1985.html Rare British Television Reviews - The Front Line]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6274906.stm BBC article]
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