Barry Foster Newman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Sarah and Carl Newman. He graduated from Boston Latin School, the oldest public school in the country, before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Brandeis University. During his time at Brandeis, he met Lee Strasberg, who taught a theater course that inspired Newman to pursue a career in acting.
After graduating from Brandeis, Newman was drafted into the Army and served his time in the army band, where he played the saxophone and clarinet. Upon his discharge, he moved to New York to study with Strasberg and further his acting career. He soon made his debut in Herman Wouk's comedy, Nature's Way, playing a jazz musician.
Newman then appeared in several Broadway shows, including the musical "What Makes Sammy Run," Mel Tolkin's "Maybe Tuesday," and the New York production of 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 the iconic role of Kowalski in Vanishing Point (1971).
In 1974, Newman was offered the title role in the hit television series Petrocelli (1974),for which he received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. After Petrocelli ended, Newman returned to starring in feature films and miniseries, including the critically acclaimed miniseries Fatal Vision (1984),alongside Karl Malden, Eva Marie Saint, and Gary Cole.
He went on to star in over 20 television movies of the week, such as "King Crab," for which he won the ABC Theater Award, and "Fantasies" with Suzanne Pleshette. He also co-starred in feature films like Sylvester Stallone's "Daylight," Steve Martin's "Bowfinger," and Stephen Soderbergh's "The Limey," alongside Peter Fonda.
Newman's career has spanned five decades, and he continues to delight in the profession he chose. Rolling Stone senior film editor, David Fear, recently tweeted about Barry: "Rewatching Barry Newman films (Vanishing Point, Fear Is the Key),it's like producers fused Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen into one actor."
