Barry Gordon
A child actor turned labor leader who voiced a Ninja Turtle and later became the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Born 1948 (age 78)·American actor, singer, political candidate, and presenter·Birthday: December 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Barry Gordon's career is a study in unexpected pivots. He started as a precocious child performer, earning a Tony nomination at just 15. His voice became familiar to a generation as the brainy Donatello in the original 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' cartoon. But Gordon had another passion: politics and labor. He leveraged his industry knowledge and sharp mind into a remarkable second act, moving from SAG board member to its president in 1988. For seven years, he steered the guild through a period of significant change in the entertainment industry, focusing on contract negotiations and members' rights with the focus of a seasoned strategist. This blend of performer and executive made him unique—a leader who understood the creative and business sides of acting intimately. His journey from a Broadway stage to the negotiating table reflects a deep, sustained commitment to the community of actors.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Barry was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Barry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as President of the Screen Actors Guild for seven years, the longest tenure in the union's history at the time.
- Nominated for a Tony Award at age 15 for Best Featured Actor in a Play for 'A Thousand Clowns'.
- Provided the original voice of Donatello in the 1987 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' animated series and related media.
- Hosted and produced political talk radio shows in Los Angeles for over two decades.
Did You Know?
He was a child star on the 1950s television series 'The New Phil Silvers Show'.
He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in California's 27th district in 1998.
He also voiced the character Bebop in the original 'TMNT' cartoon.
He earned a law degree from Southwestern Law School while serving as SAG president.
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