Desmond Barrit was born Desmond Brown on 19 October 1944 in Morriston, near Swansea, Glamorgan. He worked as an accountant and performed in amateur theatre before turning professional in the mid-1970s, at which point he had to adopt a stage name, since 'Desmond Brown' was already registered with Equity.
Barrit became a mainstay of British classical and comic theatre, appearing regularly in repertory at the Grand Theatre, Swansea, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Chichester Festival Theatre and the Royal National Theatre. He won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1992 for his roles in The Comedy of Errors, and later won an Outer Critics' Circle Award on Broadway for playing Bottom in the RSC's 1996 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He also played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice at Chichester (2003) and the schoolteacher Hector in The History Boys at Wyndham's Theatre (2007).
On screen, Barrit played Humpty Dumpty in Alice Through the Looking Glass (1998) and appeared in ITV's Midsomer Murders (2007). From 2008 he took on the role of the Wizard in the West End production of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, returning to the part several times over the following years. Barrit died on 21 March 2026, aged 81.
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Olivier Award-winning stage actor, celebrated for his RSC, National Theatre and West End work, including Wicked and The History Boys.
Desmond Barrit
Actor from Morriston
Born in Morriston, Swansea, Glamorgan.
Before turning to acting professionally, Barrit trained and worked as an accountant, only qualifying for his Equity card in his thirties — a late start that belied a stage career spanning five decades.
Career Highlights
Won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1992 for The Comedy of Errors.
Won an Outer Critics' Circle Award on Broadway for playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1996).
Played the Wizard in the West End production of Wicked from 2008.
ℹ️ Born Desmond Brown, 19 October 1944, Morriston, near Swansea, Wales.
ℹ️ Desmond died on the 21st of March, 2026.
Born in Morriston, Swansea, Glamorgan.
From: KmTheatre
Also director of and 'Dame' in pantomimes.
From: RSCfan
Des was an accountant before becoming an actor. He has also directed pantomimes.
From: poloman
I knew Desmond Barrit when he was a school boy named Desmond Brown. He was then living with his parents in a village called North Cornelly, Nr Bridgend, South Wales. If I remember rightly he attended Garw Grammar school. Desmond was a tidy fella.