He was born in
Skinner's Row,
Dublin, the son of
silversmith William Barry, to whose business he was brought up. He took over the business but was not successful. His first appearance on the stage was at the
Theatre Royal, Smock Alley, Dublin, on 5 February 1744, and his engagement at once increased its prosperity. His first
London appearance was made in 1746 as
Othello at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Here his talents were speedily recognized, and in
Hamlet and
Macbeth he alternated with
David Garrick, arousing the latter's jealousy by his success as
Romeo. This resulted in his leaving Drury Lane for the
Covent Garden Theatre in 1750, accompanied by
Mrs Cibber, his Juliet. Both houses now at once put on
Romeo and Juliet for a series of rival performances, and Barry's Romeo was preferred by the critics to Garrick's. In 1758, Barry opened and managed the
Crow Street Theatre in Dublin (1758-66), and later a new
Theatre Royal in
Cork (1761). He staged many successful productions but seems to have lived beyond his means. In 1767 he returned to London to play at the
Haymarket Theatre, then under the management of Foote. As his second wife, he married in 1768 the actress
Mrs Dancer (1734–1801), and he and Mrs Barry played under Garrick's management, Barry appearing in 1767, after ten years absence from the London stage, in
Othello, his greatest part. In 1774 they both moved to Covent Garden, where Barry remained until his death. His son
Thomas Barry became an actor at the Theatre in Cork in 1761. In 1766, he left Thomas in charge of the Theatre, but his management was heavily attacked in the press. The following year, Thomas appeared alongside his father at the Haymarket in London, before his sudden death brought an end to career. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. ==Notes==