Charlie Barnett (comedian)

Charles Barnett (September 23, 1954 – March 16, 1996) was an American comedian and actor.[1]

Life and career

Barnett was born in Bluefield, West Virginia. He first made a name for himself in the late 1970s and early 1980s, performing several shows of raunchy comedy a day at outdoor parks in New York City, most notably in Washington Square Park. In September 1980, Barnett auditioned for Saturday Night Live. Producer Jean Doumanian was ready to hire him; however, Barnett was self-conscious about his poor reading skills and he skipped a follow-up reading. His spot in the cast was ultimately given to Eddie Murphy.[2][3]

Barnett was reportedly envious and resentful of Murphy for several years, although in 1983 he told Jet magazine, "Now that I'm making it, I watch Saturday Night Live every Saturday."[4]

Barnett went on to appear in film and on television. In the 1983 comedy film D.C. Cab, he played the role of Tyrone, one of the main characters who begins and ends (after the credits) the movie. He had a recurring role on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice as Neville 'Noogie' Lamont. He appeared on Def Comedy Jam in 1993. Although the episode was not aired on TV, the DVD release of Def Comedy Jam contains an extra DVD with "2 Raw 4 TV", which has a Barnett performance. His last film role was in 1996 in the film They Bite. He died that year at age 41.

Death

Having contracted HIV through heroin abuse, Barnett died from complications of AIDS on March 16, 1996, aged 41.

Select filmography

References
  1. McKeon, Conor (March 21, 2012). "Timing Is… Everything: The Story Of Charlie Barnett". Splitsider. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  2. "Rubber-Faced and Razor-Tongued, Street Comedian Charlie Barnett Steps Up to the Silver Screen". People. November 14, 1983. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  3. Rabin, Nathan. "John Witherspoon".
  4. "'D.C. Cab' Rolls with MR. T and High-Speed Cast". Jet. December 19, 1983. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
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