Barry Primus
About
Biography
Filmography
Notes
"Barry's understanding of acting is as good as anybody's in town," [director Mark] Rydell says. "Actors respect him, because they know that he knows what he's talking about when he talks about acting--and if he can't explain it, he can show it to them. He's a sensitive, poetic fellow with an enormous soul." "There's a certain precision that he's absolutely right about, in terms of something being funny--timing, delivering a line, a nuance," [Robert] DeNiro concurs. "He was as much of a stickler for things that were important as a lot of directors I've worked with, if not more so." (From PREMIERE, 9/92)
Biography
Veteran character actor turned director who has worked extensively on stage, TV, and in over 25 feature films. Among Primus' many film acting credits are Martin Ritt's "The Brotherhood" (1968), Jerry Schatzberg's "Puzzle of a Downfall Child" (1970), Sydney Pollack's "Absence of Malice" (1981) and Martin Scorsese's "Boxcar Bertha" (1979) and "New York, New York" (1977). He also acted opposite Bette Midler in three films: "The Rose" (1979), "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" (1986), and "Big Business" (1988). On TV, Primus appeared in "Washington Behind Closed Doors," "Paper Dolls," "The Equalizer," "Murder, She Wrote," and in a recurring role on "Cagney and Lacey."
An associate of director Mark Rydell, Primus assisted him on three films and directed the second unit on "The Rose." He made his feature screenwriting and directing debut with "Mistress" (1992), a black comedy about Hollywood filmmaking that was one of the first productions of Robert De Niro's TriBeCa Films.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Casting (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (Short)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1968
Feature film acting debut in Martin Ritt's gangster film "The Brotherhood"
1979
Directed the second unit on Mark Rydell's "The Rose"
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Bibliography
Notes
"Barry's understanding of acting is as good as anybody's in town," [director Mark] Rydell says. "Actors respect him, because they know that he knows what he's talking about when he talks about acting--and if he can't explain it, he can show it to them. He's a sensitive, poetic fellow with an enormous soul." "There's a certain precision that he's absolutely right about, in terms of something being funny--timing, delivering a line, a nuance," [Robert] DeNiro concurs. "He was as much of a stickler for things that were important as a lot of directors I've worked with, if not more so." (From PREMIERE, 9/92)
