Tony Barber

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Tony Barber

Barber in 2011
Born
Anthony Ferraro Louis Barber

(1940-03-28) 28 March 1940 (age 84)
Occupations
  • Television presenter
  • radio announcer
  • singer
  • former advertising executive
Years active1961−present
Known forHost of local versions of Great Temptation, Sale of the Century and Wheel of Fortune'
Spouses
  • Helen Barber (deceased)[1]
  • Kristine Barber
ChildrenKelly, Jacqueline[1]

Anthony Ferraro Louis Barber OAM (born 28 March 1940) is a British Australian Gold Logie award-winning television game show host, radio announcer, singer and media personality, who has been active in the industry since the early 1960s.[2]

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Barber was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England in March 1940. He has said that he "owes much of his enthusiastic and driving personality to a loving Irish grandma and a whole street full of aunts who kept the spirits high during the dark years of World War II." He moved with his family to Australia in 1947 and was educated by the Sisters of Mercy and the Irish Christian Brothers.

He attended Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, graduating in 1960.

In his own words:

"The Sisters of so-called Mercy taught me to sing & dance, the brothers taught me to bob & weave. The navy taught me to play rugby."[3][4]

Radio[edit]

Barber started his media career in 1961, as a cadet announcer at radio station 6GE in Geraldton, Western Australia

By the end of 1962, Barber was a leading radio announcer Perth radio announcer, as well as the star of a weekly floor show at the Charles Hotel and another twice-weekly event at the Lido Coral Room where he performed impressions of Johnny Mathis and Paul Anka. Before leaving Western Australia for New South Wales he also appeared in a number of plays with the Scarborough players.

After moving to Sydney, Barber appeared at numerous hotel talent quests, a regular role as resident compere and vocalist at the Spellsons nitery in Pitt Street. This was in addition to holding down a regular job as an advertising executive, where at one point he cast himself as the "Cambridge Whistler", a central character in a 1960s cigarette commercial which brought him national recognition.


Television presenter[edit]

It was at this point that the then head of the Seven Network, Bruce Gyngell, spotted Barber and was understood to have liked what he saw and suggested that he host a Reg Grundy show.[5]

While Barber is more noted for his role as host of Sale of the Century, his origins in television date back to the early 1970s when he hosted the then popular Seven Network game show The $25,000 Great Temptation.[6] The show was successful enough for the network that both daytime and prime time editions of the show were screened.

The show only faltered when in 1974, Seven decided to move the show from its 7:00 pm timeslot to the later 8:30 pm timeslot in an effort to attract viewers away from the then popular series Number 96 screening on the 0-10 Networks. Number 96 won the ratings battle and The $25,000 Great Temptation aired its last show in 1975. Barber then hosted the Australian version of Family Feud on the Nine Network from 1977 until 1979.[citation needed]

In 1980, the Grundy Organization, on the advice of its founder and producer, Reg Grundy, decided to revive the $25,000 Great Temptation format using the original international title, Sale of the Century. Screened nationally on the Nine Network, Barber hosted the show from 1980–91, supported by a roster of co-hosts during his time including Victoria Nicolls (1980–82), Delvene Delaney (1982–85) and Alyce Platt (1986–91). Barber decided to leave the show in 1991 after being offered only a 12-month contract renewal period instead of his usual three-year deal; Platt left at the same time, he was replaced by Glenn Ridge as host, with co-host Jo Bailey.

Barber went on to host the short-lived Australian version of Jeopardy! Network Ten in 1993 It has been said that its failure was partly due to placing it in the 6:00 pm timeslot against high-rating news bulletins of the day. Barber later stated in an interview that Jeopardy! Was his favorite of all the game shows he hosted in his career. After Jeopardy, Barber succeeded John Burgess as host of Wheel of Fortune on the Seven Network in July 1996 following the show's relocation from Adelaide to Sydney as part of an attempted revamp, also as part of the shows revamp in an attempt to win viewers back, the theme music that had been introduced the previous year was reinstated, the new set underwent minor changes and the former prize shop was reincarnated to an extent - contestants upon solving a puzzle were offered three prizes and one had to be selected. By the end of 1996, these changes together with the loss of the familiar Burgess as host resulted in poor viewing figures, and Barber decided to leave the show. Barber appeared at the beginning of the 1997 series premiere to hand the show over to Rob Elliott. During his time on TV, Barber estimates that he has hosted over 8,500 individual episodes of successful Grundy games.[7]

He hosted a small competition on the Australian Cable TV network Foxtel seven nights a week called TV1's Cash Trivia Challenge. On 14 March 2007, he returned to his roots, making an appearance as guest host on Temptation, alongside his former co-host Alyce Platt, during the Battle of the Network Shows series where the original hosts, Ed Phillips and Livinia Nixon appeared as contestants.

In August 2013, Barber was announced as a contestant on the upcoming series of Dancing with the Stars.[8] He then returned to Family Feud as a contestant on 21 November 2016 as part of All Star Family Feud hosted by Grant Denyer with Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Glenn Ridge, and John Burgess as team members. His team had won the game and he ended the episode with his signature sign-off catchphrase: "Keep smiling, and bye for now."[9]

Honours[edit]

In June 1991 Barber received the Medal of the Order of Australia award "In recognition of service to the entertainment industry."[10]

Awards[edit]

In 1973, Barber won the TV Week Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.[citation needed]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

List of albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
[11]
Temptation
  • Released: August 1973
  • Format: LP
  • Label: RCA Victor (SP-119)
54
If You Feel Like Singing
  • Released: 1974
  • Format: LP, Cassette
  • Label: RCA Victor (SP-134)
-
Country Barber
  • Released: July 1975
  • Format: LP, Cassette
  • Label: RCA Victor (SP-158)
72
Country Barber
  • Released: July 1975
  • Format: LP, Cassette
  • Label: RCA Victor (SP-158)
72
I Believe
  • Released: November 1986
  • Format: LP, Cassette
  • Label: J & B Records (JB 275)
31
You'll Never Walk Alone
  • Released: December 1987
  • Format: LP, Cassette
  • Label: J & B Records (JB 315)
96
Love Changes Everything
  • Released: November 1989
  • Format: LP, Cassette, CD
  • Label: Hammard (HAM 200)
49
You Light Up My Life
  • Released: May 1992
  • Format: Cassette, CD
  • Label: J & B Records (JB 315)
39

Compilation albums[edit]

List of compilations, with selected chart positions
Title Album details
The Best of Tony Barber
  • Released: 1979
  • Format: LP
  • Label: RCA Victor (SP-225)

Filmography[edit]

Title Year Role
Homicide 1967 Dick Boyd - Gavin Jones
Temptation (TV series) 1970 as Himself - Host
The Great Temptation (TV series) 1971 as Himself - Host
Buster Fiddess Memorial Concert (TV special) 1972 as Himself - Host
ALP: It's Time (video) 1972 as Himself
The 13th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (TV special) 1973 as Himself - Gold Logie Winner
Penthouse Club (TV series) 1972-1975 as Himself - Host - Himself
Name That Tune (TV series) 1975 as Himself
Family Feud (TV series) 1977-1980 as Himself - Host
Wheel of Fortune (TV series) 1981 as Himself - Host
The 24th Annual TV Week Logie Awards (TV Special) 1982 as Himself
The Don Lane Show (TV series) 1983 as Himself
Sale of the Century (TV series) 1980-1986 As Self - Host
Jeopardy! (TV series) 1992 as Self - Host
The Late Show (TV series) 1993 as Himself
Wedlocked (TV series) 1994 Tony Johnson
The Mick Molloy Show (TV series) 1999 as Himself
Fox Studio's Australia: The Grand Opening(TV special) 1999 as Himself
Pizza (TV series) 2001 Rupert Packer
Rove Live (TV series) 2001 as Himself
Breakaway (TV series) 2003 as Himself - Host
Graham Kennedy: Farewell to the King (TV movie) 2005 as Himself
Good Morning Australia (TV series) 2005 Self - Presenter -Self, Guest
Temptation (TV series) 2007 Self - Host
Dancing with the Stars (TV series) 2013 Self - as Contestant
All Star Family Feud (TV series) 2016 as Himself - Contestant
Today 2020 as Himself - Guest
The Fame Game: mWhat Happens When the Applause Happens (TV special) 2022 as Himself

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Tony Barber biography". Archived from the original on 1 April 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ "Tony Barber AM".
  3. ^ "Tony Barber profile". ICMI Speakers Bureau. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Tony Barber profile". Celebrity Speakers. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Lead us into Temptation". The Age. 26 May 2005. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
  6. ^ Televisionau.com (29 July 2006). "Aussie TV Game Shows". Retrieved 14 March 2007.
  7. ^ Celebrity SpeakersAustralia/Christine Maher Group. "Speaker Biography - Tony Barber". Retrieved 14 March 2007.
  8. ^ Dancing With The Stars new line-up revealed, News.com.au, 26 August 2013; accessed 29 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Family Feud All Star Fast Money: TV Hosts storm the stage!".
  10. ^ Australian Honours List 1991; retrieved 22 March 2013.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 26. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.

External links[edit]

  • Profile, mediaman.com.au; accessed 18 December 2016.
  • Profile, imdb.com; accessed 3 September 2017.

Further reading[edit]