He began acting as a child appearing on BBC children's television and in films such as Bang! You're Dead, War and Peace, The Genie and Four Sided Triangle.
Years later he made many appearances in television and films including ITV Television Playhouse, Z-Cars, The Wednesday Play, Cast a Giant Shadow, Emergency-Ward 10, Chronicle, Armchair Theatre, Hell Boats, Moonstrike, Attack on the Iron Coast, Softly, Softly, The Terrorists, Robin Hood Junior, BBC Play of the Month, The Zoo Robbery, Paul of Tarsus, Tales of the Unexpected, Father Ted, Holby City, Brush Strokes, Minder, Poldark, Noah's Ark and Theatre 625.
Voice actor and narrator
In the early 1980s, Barrett went on to voice acting. He has performed the voices of Asterix and Caius Tiddlius in the English version of The Twelve Tasks of Asterix, Tik-Tok in Return to Oz, a Goblin in Labyrinth, Big Mac and other characters in TUGS, Thadius Vent's soothsayer Goodtooth in Oscar's Orchestra, Melchoir in the English dubbed version of the Lapitch the Little Shoemaker TV series, Roly the Pineapple in the English version of The Fruities and UrSu the Dying Master and UrZah the Ritual-Guardian in The Dark Crystal as well as additional characters in two video games The Feeble Files and Viking: Battle for Asgard. He also provided the voice for Captain Orion in Star Fleet, the English version of the 1980s Japanese puppet series X-Bomber.
He also narrated Fair Ground!, Timewatch and Dark Towers for BBC, dubbed voices in many anime films such as Roujin Z, Cyber City Oedo 808 and Dominion: Tank Police and has done voices for several audiobooks and radio stations.
In 1996, he was the narrator for the Channel 4 documentary series, Black Box. The series primarily concentrated on commercial aviation accidents, and the investigations related to them.
Barrett also worked as part of an ADR Loop Group on Aardman's first computer-animated film Flushed Away, a voice director on Lapitch the Little Shoemaker and a dialogue director on The Fruities. He has also narrated episodes of the BBC TV series People's Century and Dancing in the Street, as well as a number of BBC nature documentaries in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2011, he voiced Andre of Astora, Petrus of Thorolund and Ingward in Dark Souls.
Record sleeve
In 1985 the rock band the Smiths used a still of Barrett as a teenager in the 1958 film Dunkirk for the sleeve of their hit single How Soon Is Now?
Audiobooks
His Dark Materials – Lord Asriel/ Iorek Byrnison
Bleak House by Charles Dickens – One of two narrators with Teresa Gallagher
Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings – Narrator
The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø – Narrator
The Snowman by Jo Nesbø – Narrator
The Leopard by Jo Nesbø – Narrator
The Bat by Jo Nesbø – Narrator
Perfume by Patrick Suskind – Narrator
The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman – Narrator
Of Human Bondage (novel) by W. Somerset Maugham -Narrator
A Passion for Killing (novel) by Barbara Nadel - Narrator
Molloy by Samuel Beckett - Narrator
Malone Dies by Samuel Beckett - Narrator
The Unnamable by Samuel Beckett - Narrator
Lennox by Craig Russell - Narrator
The Long Glasgow Kiss by Craig Russell - Narrator
The Deep Dark Sleep by Craig Russell - Narrator
Dead Men and Broken Hearts by Craig Russell - Narrator
Berlin: The Downfall 1945 by Antony Beevor - Narrator
The Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor - Narrator
Secret Warriors by Taylor Downing - Narrator
Toward the Flame by Dominic Lieven - Narrator
Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore - Narrator
Watching you by Michael Robotham- Narrator
The Age of Iron Trilogy by Angus Watson - Narrator
Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell - Narrator
Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble by Antony Beevor - Narrator
Close your eyes by Michael Robotham - Narrator
Sean Barrett has well over 200 audiobook narrations credited on the Audible website
Filmography
Actor
2015
Rosso dal vetro: dovunque tu vada (completed)(voice)
2022
Diablo Immortal (Video Game) as
Hemlir (voice)
2022
Total War: Warhammer III (Video Game)(voice)
2021
Spectacular Sparky (Video Game) as
Sgt. Blownaparte (voice)
2020
Demon's Souls (Video Game) as
Old King Doran / Sage Freke the Visionary / Disciple of God 2 (voice)
2018
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country (Video Game) as
Azurda (English version, voice)
2017
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game) as
Gramps (English version, voice)
2017
Total War: Warhammer II (Video Game)(voice)
2017
Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures (Podcast Series) as
Perrault
- Zaltys (2017) - Perrault (voice)
2016
Dark Souls III (Video Game) as
Holy Knight Hodrick / Blacksmith Andre (voice)
2014
Risen 3: Titan Lords (Video Game)(voice)
2014
Dark Souls II (Video Game) as
Darkdiver Grandahl (voice)
2013
All Stars as
Additional Voice (voice)
2011
Dark Souls (Video Game) as
Andre of Astora / Petrus of Thorolund / Ingward (voice)
2010
The Third One This Week (Short) as
Mr. Edwards
2009
Mr Baby (TV Series) as
Mr. Baby
- Daddy Cool (2009) - Mr. Baby (voice)
2009
Pinocchio (TV Mini Series) as
Collodi
- Part 2 (2009) - Collodi (voice)
- Part 1 (2009) - Collodi (voice)
2008
A Fox's Tale as
Doc (voice)
2008
Viking: Battle for Asgard (Video Game)(voice)
2006
Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest as
Wise Man Yadoa (English version, voice)
2006
Renaissance as
Naghib (voice)
2006
In Search of Mozart (Documentary) as
Leopold Mozart
2003
Ancient Discoveries (TV Series documentary) as
Narrator
- Galen, Doctor to the Gladiators (2003) - Narrator (voice)
- Ancient Computer? (2003) - Narrator (voice)
2002
Hlapiceve nove zgode (TV Series)
- The Secret Village (2002) - (English version, voice)
2002
Spheriks (TV Series) as
Additional Talent (2002) (voice)
2001
Timewatch (TV Series documentary) as
Narrator
- Hitler, Churchill and the Paratroopers (2001) - Narrator
2000
Holby City (TV Series) as
News Reader
- The Real Thing (2000) - News Reader
2000
Best as
Football commentator
1998
The Feeble Files (Video Game)(voice)
1998
Secret History (TV Series documentary) as
Narrator
- Kinsey's Paedophiles (1998) - Narrator (voice)
1998
Nova (TV Series documentary) as
Narrator
- The Beast of Loch Ness (1998) - Narrator
1997
Noah's Ark (TV Series) as
DJ
- Healing Touch (1997) - DJ
1996
Father Ted (TV Series) as
Father Fitzgerald
- A Christmassy Ted (1996) - Father Fitzgerald
1996
Poldark (TV Movie) as
Henry Harvey
1993
The Heroic Legend of Arislan (TV Mini Series) as
Silvermask (Manga UK dub)
- Heroic Legend of Arslan VI (The Solitary Horseman, Part II) (1995) - Silvermask (Manga UK dub) (English version, voice)
- Heroic Legend of Arslan V (The Solitary Horseman, Part I) (1995) - Silvermask (Manga UK dub) (English version, voice)
- Heroic Legend of Arslan IV (Road of Blood and Sweat) (1993) - Silvermask (Manga UK dub) (English version, voice)
- Heroic Legend of Arslan III (The Castle in the East and, the Castle in the West) (1993) - Silvermask (Manga UK dub) (English version, voice)
1995
Crusades (TV Mini Series documentary) as
Reader
- Jihad (1995) - Reader (voice)
- Jerusalem (1995) - Reader (voice)
1993
New Dominion Tank Police (TV Series short) as
Britain (1995) (English version, voice)
1992
Arslân Senki II as
Silvermask (Manga UK dub) (English version, voice)
1990
Cyber City Oedo 808 (TV Mini Series) as
Rikiya 'Gogul' Gabimaru
- Data 3: Crimson Media (1991) - Rikiya 'Gogul' Gabimaru (English version, voice)
- Data 2: The Decoy Program (1990) - Rikiya 'Gogul' Gabimaru (English version, voice)
- Data 1: Memories of the Past (1990) - Rikiya 'Gogul' Gabimaru (English version, voice)
1991
30 Door Key
1991
Doomed Megalopolis (TV Mini Series) as
Hirai (UK 1993) (English version, voice)
1991
Roujin Z as
Ache (English version, voice)
1991
Arslân Senki as
Silvermask (Manga UK dub) (English version, voice)
1990
Brush Strokes (TV Series) as
Mr Morella / Mr. Morella
- Episode #5.1 (1991) - Mr. Morella
- Episode #4.6 (1990) - Mr Morella
- Episode #4.5 (1990) - Mr Morella
- Episode #4.4 (1990) - Mr Morella
- Episode #4.3 (1990) - Mr Morella
1990
Violence Jack (TV Mini Series) as
Dante
- Violence Jack, Part 3: Hell's Wind (1990) - Dante (English version, voice, as Charles Maddox)
1990
Los Fruittis (TV Series) as
Roly (1990-1991) (English version, voice)
1989
Through the Dragon's Eye (TV Series) as
Gorwen
- Chapter 9: Danger on High (1989) - Gorwen (voice)
- Chapter 8: The Great Battle (1989) - Gorwen (voice)
- Chapter 7: The Waterfall of Words (1989) - Gorwen (voice)