Barry Crocker OAM
Barry Hugh Crocker AM (born 4 November 1935 is an Australian Gold Logie-winning character actor, television personality, singer, and variety entertainer with a crooning vocal style.
Crocker is known for his iconic Australian films during the 1970s, including The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) and its sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974). Crocker was also the presenter and leading performer on the TV series The Sound of Music, taking over from entertainer Bobby Limb.
His singing talents eventually earned him over 30 Gold records. In 1971, Sound of Music was the 11th-most-popular show in the country. Crocker sang the theme tune to the Australian soap opera Neighbours between 1985 and 1992. Crocker published an autobiography called Bazza – The Adventures of Barry Crocker in 2003. In 2023, he published Last of the Entertainers: A Star-Studded Story Across Sixty-Five Years of Television, Stage, Screen and in Recording.
Crocker was born in Geelong, Victoria. After doing National Service with the RAAF in 1955, he toured with a theatre group and performed on the club circuit in Melbourne, followed by a partnership with David Clark (aka Dave Nelson), and performed in the UK and the United States.
Crocker returned to Australia to star in a TV musical comedy show called 66 And All That in 1966, hence the title, which became the eponymous The Barry Crocker Show (1966–67) on Channel 10 Sydney (now Network Ten). That was followed by the musical variety show Say It with Music (1967–1969), also broadcast on Ten.
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Crocker made his acting debut on a 1969 episode of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. He has also had a successful career as a stage, television and motion picture actor, most notably starring alongside Barry Humphries in the title role of Bruce Beresford’s 1972 movie, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie and its 1974 sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own. The “bogan” character of Barry McKenzie gave rise to Crocker recording such ribald songs as “My One Eyed Trouser Snake” and other “off-colour” songs.
Crocker was Beresford’s first choice as lead actor when it came to the filming of David Williamson’s popular play Don’s Party, but serious back problems curtailed Crocker’s screen career at that point, opening the way for John Hargreaves to achieve film success in the coveted title role.
Nevertheless, in 1976 Crocker was crowned King of Moomba, the annual entertainment festival in Melbourne.
He had the lead role as Governor Alan Smith in the short-lived prison drama Punishment (1981), and guest-starred in two episodes of the Australian satirical black comedy series Review with Myles Barlow. Later TV roles included parts in Pizza, Swift and Shift Couriers, and Housos for SBS, and The Strange Calls, an ABC2 comedy series.
In 1994, Crocker appeared as himself in the worldwide record-breaking film Muriel’s Wedding. he proved his acting and comedy credentials once again as the retro-disco host Donny Destry in the 2007 movie Razzle Dazzle.