Ivor Barnard

Ivor Barnard (13 June 1887 – 30 June 1953) was an English actor whose career spanned stage, radio, and film across more than three decades. Born in 1887, he became an original member of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where he built a reputation in classical roles including Shylock and Caliban.

Among Barnard's early stage achievements was his portrayal of the Water Rat in the first London production of A. A. Milne's Toad of Toad Hall. He also appeared in Bird in Hand, a play written by John Drinkwater, in which Barnard played the role of Blanquet — a part Drinkwater had written specifically for him. Following a successful West End run, the production transferred to New York, where Barnard reprised the role at the Morosco Theatre in 1929, with Laurence Olivier appearing in the juvenile role.

Barnard accumulated more than 80 film appearances between 1921 and 1953. In 1935 he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. His work with director David Lean included the role of Wemmick in Great Expectations (1946) and the Chairman of the Workhouse in Oliver Twist (1948). During the same period he appeared in the 1943 Ealing war film Undercover, playing the stationmaster. One of his final screen appearances came in John Huston's Beat the Devil (1953), in which he played the murderer Major Jack Ross alongside Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. Barnard died on 30 June 1953.