Barry Newman

Barry Foster Newman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Sarah and Carl Newman. After graduating from Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the country, he graduated from Brandeis University with a B. A. in Anthropology. While at Brandeis he met Lee Strasberg, who was teaching a course in theater, which inspired Barry to become an actor. After graduating from Brandeis he was drafted into the Army and served his time in the army band, playing saxophone and clarinet. Once discharged from the army, he went to New York to study with Strasberg to pursue his acting career. Shortly after he made his debut in Herman Wouk's first comedy, Nature's Way, in which he played a jazz musician. He then appeared in several Broadway shows, including "What Makes Sammy Run" (a musical), Mel Tolkin's "Maybe Tuesday", and starred in the New York production of the world's longest running play, Agatha Christie's "The Mouse Trap". His career flourished and he began starring in feature films, such as Sidney J. Furie's "The Lawyer", and as the iconic Kowalski in Vanishing Point (1971).

In 1974, he was offered the title role of what became the hit television series Petrocelli (1974), for which he received an Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

After Petrocelli (1974) ended, Newman went back to star in feature films and miniseries, including the critically acclaimed miniseries Fatal Vision (1984), with Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint and Gary Cole.