Biography of Barry Hilton & Net Worth

David Barry Hilton (born 29 January 1956 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia) is a South African stand-up comedian. Referred to by his middle name, Barry (aka ‘The Cousin’), he is also an actor, television personality, and motivational speaker. After 6 years of initially working as an electrician, he tried his hand at comedy – turning Professional in 1983 at the age of 26. Inspired by comedians Richard Pryor and Billy Connolly, Hilton’s personal style can best be described as a combination of observational, satirical, and physical comedy.

Early life and education

Hilton was born in 1956 to Irene Natalie Lieveaux, a French Mauritian descendant and Lancashire-born father Jack Hilton. In 1961 Hilton’s family moved from Southern Rhodesia to North Wales where he attended St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Junior School from the age of 5 (1961) to the age of 10 (1966). Ages 11 to 12 were spent at Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School in Rhyl until the family relocated to Newlands in Cape Town, South Africa where his father worked as a bricklayer. From March 1969 to December 1971 Hilton was a pupil at Observatory Boys (now Rhodes High School) but left at age 15 to start an apprenticeship at Joffe Electrical, which he completed in 1974.