Don Barclay (actor)

Don Barclay (born Donn Van Tassel Barclay, December 26, 1892 – October 16, 1975) was an American actor, artist and caricaturist whose many roles stretched the period from the Keystone Cops in 1915 to Mary Poppins in 1964 and whose many paintings and caricatures of celebrities filled establishments worldwide and are archived in the Library of Congress. The more experienced comedian, Don Barclay helped and later became roommates with a rookie actor in Bristol, England named Archie Leach. Barclay and Leach developed a two-man comedy show together in New York. Leach later became better known as Cary Grant and Grant rejoined Barclay beginning in 1920 in New York and Hollywood where they were often roommates. They remained lifelong best friends. He started his career with the Ziegfeld Follies. Barclay portrayed hundreds of roles on films and voices for Walt Disney who considered Barclay a good luck charm. He is perhaps most recognized now for his portrayal of Admiral Boom's first mate, Mr. Binnacle in the Disney family film Mary Poppins. His character was a former Royal Navy bosun and next-door neighbor to the Banks family. Barclay's paintings and caricatures are unique in that they often were painted on the movie lots themselves when he was working with the other actors. Barclay eventually became such a successful artist caricature painter of celebrities on his movie sets that he eventually was making more money as an artist than as an actor and he left acting to become a full-time artist. He was prolific, turning out hundreds of caricatures of celebrities for saloons all over the nation as well as for servicemen in barracks. Many of his paintings were on display at the Masquers Club in Losa Angeles. Two famous and noted examples of his painted caricatures featuring Bob Hope, "Old Four Eyes" and "Bob Hope and Elf", are featured on the official Library of Congress website devoted to Bob Hope (Old Four Eyes is mislabeled in attribution as "Dan Barclay" – "Bob Hope and Elf" is correctly attributed at the bottom of the LOC page).