JACK BARNES

EARLY LIFE

Barnes was born in Los Angeles, California to English actor Charles Barnes (December 5, 1931 - January 18, 1997) and former Ukranian supermodel Nastja Belova (October 1, 1944 - September 29, 1976). He had two older siblings; a brother, Samuel, and a sister, Katherine. Samuel committed suicide by overdose in 1982, while Katherine is an actress. Barnes began his acting career when he was just five years old, voicing a kitten for Disney's animated film, The Aristocats. When he was ten, his parents divorced. His mother was later found dead from an apparent suicide in her Palm Springs home in 1976. His father remarried set designer Cheryl Singer in 1977.

In 1981, Barnes was expelled from his high school for being in possession of prescription medication on school grounds. He left home to live with friends shortly afterwards. Following his younger brother's suicide, however, Barnes returned home and obtained his GED. He enrolled into California State University, Sacramento shortly thereafter, but quit after just one semester.

EARLY CAREER SUCCESSES AND MOVE TO ENGLAND

After performing Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona as Proteus at a community theatre, Barnes was approached by John Madison of the J. Madison Agency. He was cast as Mozart in Milos Forman's Amadeus, a move that surprised critics. Although he later lost to his co-star for the subsequent Academy Award for Best Actor, Barnes was tapped for success early on.

He followed his success with Amadeus by starring in Three O'Clock High in 1987, playing a high school bully. The film received lukewarm reviews, with most critics lamenting Barnes' choice but agreeing his portrayal of Buddy Revell was "interesting." In 1988 it was announced that he was set to star in the film adaptation of Tom Wolfe's best selling novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities. This announcement was met with controversy almost immediately, with most feeling Barnes was not suitable for the role. The film itself was a commercial and critical flop upon its release.

Following this failure, Barnes moved to Bristol, England to focus on stage acting. Over a two year period, he appeared in productions of The Investigation, A Christmas Carol, and Macbeth. He returned to the United States in 1992 and made a small appearance in A League of Their Own as Bob Hinson.

RETURN TO FILM

In 1993, Barnes enjoyed some success with his portrayal as Will Scarlet O'Hara in the critically acclaimed comedy, The Princess Bride. He co-starred in the 1994 romantic comedy, I.Q., which was met with mixed reviews. His performance was the enigmatic Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects was met with enthusiasm by critics and moviegoers alike, though he would continue to act in a variety of low-brow films for some years before appearing as Jean Valjean in the film adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic, Les Miserables, in which his sister Katherine also made an appearance.

It was rumored that Barnes had been cast in the highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. But not long before filming began, Charles Barnes suffered a massive stroke and died in his home in Malibu. Barnes reportedly dropped from the project to focus on his family.

Barnes returned in 2001 with Moulin Rouge! as the lovesick poet Christian, who falls in love with a terminally ill courtesan named Satine. The musical film was met with generally favorable reviews, and was named the best film of 2001 by the National Board of Review. Although Barnes earned several nominations for his role, he was not awarded.