Barry Primus

Biography

Barry Primus is an American actor, director and writer who spent the first decade of his career on the stage before moving into television and film. Born in New York City, he gained early television experience on series such as The Defenders, East Side/West Side and The Virginian, and made his film debut in The Brotherhood (1968). His screen credits include Boxcar Bertha (1972), Heartland (1979), The Rose (1979), Night Games (1980), Absence of Malice (1981) and Guilty by Suspicion (1991), and he had a recurring role on Cagney and Lacey as Sergeant Dory McKenna. After serving as second unit director on The Rose, he directed his first feature, the Hollywood comedy-drama Mistress, in 1992. A member of the Actors Studio, he has taught acting and directing at the American Film Institute, the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, UCLA and Columbia University, and his later film work includes cameos in Righteous Kill (2008) and Grudge Match (2013).

88years old

Turns 89 on February 16in 127 days

Born February 16, 1938New York City
Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18

Movie Career

Films: 24
Career span: 57 years1968 to 2025

Genres

Drama71%, 17 films
Comedy29%, 7 films
Crime21%, 5 films
Action17%, 4 films
Romance17%, 4 films

First and latest

Did you know?!

Early training
Primus was a member of the Actors Studio and went on to teach acting and directing at the American Film Institute, the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, UCLA, and The Maine Media Workshops.

Barry Primus movies on Netflix

Eternity2025IMDb rating 6.9as Older Larry
Faye2024IMDb rating 7.1as Himself
Arkansas2020IMDb rating 6.1as Old Greek
The Longest Week2014IMDb rating 5.4as Bernard the Chauffer
Grudge Match2013IMDb rating 6.4as Joey the Bartender
Righteous Kill2008IMDb rating 6.0as Prosky
James Dean2001IMDb rating 7.1as Nicholas Ray
Life as a House2001IMDb rating 7.4as Tom
Night and the City1992IMDb rating 5.8as Tommy Tessler
Guilty by Suspicion1991IMDb rating 6.6as Bert Alan
Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death1989IMDb rating 4.8as Ford Maddox
Big Business1988IMDb rating 6.4as Michael
Down and Out in Beverly Hills1986IMDb rating 6.3as Lou Waltzberg
Jake Speed1986IMDb rating 4.9as Lawrence
SpaceCamp1986IMDb rating 5.8as Brennan
Absence of Malice1981IMDb rating 6.9as Waddell
Night Games1980IMDb rating 4.8as Jason St. John
Heartland1979IMDb rating 7.2as Jack
The Rose1979IMDb rating 7.0as Dennis
New York, New York1977IMDb rating 6.6as Paul Wilson
Boxcar Bertha1972IMDb rating 6.0as Rake Brown
Von Richthofen and Brown1971IMDb rating 6.0as Hermann Goering
Puzzle of a Downfall Child1970IMDb rating 6.6as Aaron Reinhardt
The Brotherhood1968IMDb rating 6.0as Vido

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Top

Eternity2025 Comedy, Drama, Romanceas Older Larry
IMDb rating 6.968K votes
New York, New York1977 Drama, Music, Musicalas Paul Wilson
IMDb rating 6.624K votes
Boxcar Bertha1972as Rake Brown
IMDb rating 6.013K votes
Righteous Kill2008as Prosky
IMDb rating 6.097K votes
Absence of Malice1981as Waddell
IMDb rating 6.917K votes
The Longest Week2014as Bernard the Chauffer
IMDb rating 5.414K votes
The Rose1979as Dennis
IMDb rating 7.09.9K votes
Big Business1988as Michael
IMDb rating 6.417K votes

Most often with

Irwin Winkler directed three of these films, Martin Scorsese two and Mark Rydell two. Robert De Niro appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top

Robert De Niro

Margo Winkler

Bette Midler

Edward Herrmann

Faye Dunaway

Martin Scorsese

Irwin WinklerDirector, 3 films

Martin ScorseseDirector, 2 films

Mark RydellDirector, 2 films

Films together

Robert De Niro5 films together, 1977 to 2013
Robert De Niro's page
- Grudge Match2013IMDb rating 6.4Primus as Joey the BartenderNiro as Billy 'The Kid' McDonnen
- Righteous Kill2008IMDb rating 6.0Primus as ProskyNiro as Turk
- Night and the City1992IMDb rating 5.8Primus as Tommy TesslerNiro as Harry Fabian
- Guilty by Suspicion1991IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Bert AlanNiro as David Merrill
- New York, New York1977IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Paul WilsonNiro as Jimmy Doyle
Margo Winkler4 films together, 1977 to 2001
Margo Winkler's page
- Life as a House2001IMDb rating 7.4Primus as TomWinkler as Barbara
- Night and the City1992IMDb rating 5.8Primus as Tommy TesslerWinkler as Judge Parker
- Guilty by Suspicion1991IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Bert AlanWinkler as Leta Rosen
- New York, New York1977IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Paul WilsonWinkler as Argumentative Woman
Bette Midler3 films together, 1979 to 1988
Bette Midler's page
- Big Business1988IMDb rating 6.4Primus as MichaelMidler as Sadie Shelton / Sadie Ratliff
- Down and Out in Beverly Hills1986IMDb rating 6.3Primus as Lou WaltzbergMidler as Barbara Whiteman
- The Rose1979IMDb rating 7.0Primus as DennisMidler as Mary Rose Foster
Edward Herrmann2 films together, 1988 to 2001
Edward Herrmann's page
- James Dean2001IMDb rating 7.1Primus as Nicholas RayHerrmann as Raymond Massey
- Big Business1988IMDb rating 6.4Primus as MichaelHerrmann as Graham Sherbourne
Faye Dunaway2 films together, 1970 to 2024
Faye Dunaway's page
- Faye2024IMDb rating 7.1Primus as HimselfDunaway as Himself
- Puzzle of a Downfall Child1970IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Aaron ReinhardtDunaway as Lou Andreas Sand
Martin Scorsese2 films together, 1972 to 1991
Martin Scorsese's page
- Guilty by Suspicion1991IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Bert AlanScorsese as Joe Lesser
- Boxcar Bertha1972IMDb rating 6.0Primus as Rake BrownScorsese as Brothel Client
Irwin WinklerDirector, 3 films, 1991 to 2001
All films by Irwin Winkler
- Life as a House2001IMDb rating 7.4Primus as Tom
- Night and the City1992IMDb rating 5.8Primus as Tommy Tessler
- Guilty by Suspicion1991IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Bert Alan
Martin ScorseseDirector, 2 films, 1972 to 1977
All films by Martin Scorsese
- New York, New York1977IMDb rating 6.6Primus as Paul Wilson
- Boxcar Bertha1972IMDb rating 6.0Primus as Rake Brown
Mark RydellDirector, 2 films, 1979 to 2001
All films by Mark Rydell
- James Dean2001IMDb rating 7.1Primus as Nicholas Ray
- The Rose1979IMDb rating 7.0Primus as Dennis
Also two films together3 more actors
- Don CalfaThe Rose (1979) and New York, New York (1977)
- Luther AdlerAbsence of Malice (1981) and The Brotherhood (1968)
- Gene KirkwoodNight and the City (1992) and Guilty by Suspicion (1991)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.