Justin Tarr

**Justin Tarr** (Born **John Howard Kenneth Barnes**; April 14, 1940 – July 26, 2012) was an American actor. He is known for his role as Private First Class Tully Pettigrew in the action and adventure television series 'The Rat Patrol,' which aired for two seasons on the American network ABC from 1966 to 1968.

## Bio 
Born on April 14, 1940 in Amarillo, Texas, USA as John Howard Kenneth Barnes to John Doyle Burns (1909-1963) and Alice Mary Klinke Burns (1912-1976), he and his family moved to Colorado when he was nine years old. He had three siblings with his older sister Niva Nolan and his younger sister Shelley Brewer. His family worked on a cattle ranch near the town of Black Forest. He attended St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs, where he excelled at shotput, javelin, discus, boxing, basketball, and weightlifting.https://ratpatrol.fandom.com/wiki/Justin_Tarr%7C

## Career 
After a year in college, a fling at flying school, and various other occupations, in the 1960s, he decided to become an actor. He sold his hot rod (against his family's objection) and got a scholarship to finance three years' study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (the same school where actor James Dean, who is Barnes's idol and was inspired to become an actor) in New York City, where he moved in 1963. He appeared in *The Torch Bearers, Orpheus Descending, On the Town*, and *The Rainmaker*. Private Tully Pettigrew on *The Rat Patrol* was his first professional TV role and accounted for the bulk of his work. 

At one point in his life, Tarr was a hairdresser in Colorado Springs. His co-players in *The Rat Patrol* -- George, Raymond, Hans Gudegast, and Larry Casey — each had their hair cut by Tarr. George said, "Don't get me wrong, Tarr is not bad. but there's a better barber here in Almeria [Spain, where the show was also filmed for the desert scene]. And this guy, I'm sure, has other ideas than to make everyone look like a Texan." Tarr's acting career after *The Rat Patrol* was sporadic. His most notable other appearance came in the Steve McQueen movie *Bullitt* (1968). Tarr played an informant named Eddy. He shares a scene with McQueen (sporting slicked-back hair, amber-lensed glasses, and a mustache connected to sideburns). He had a role in a 1977 episode of *Hawaii-Five-O* (billed as "Tar"). As far back as 1967, the *Honolulu Advertiser* had described him as a frequent visitor to the islands. Tarr had a good part in TV Western Shenandoah, episode titled  Run & Hide which aired in February 1968. He did very well in this role. His Rat Patrol co-star Larry Casey had a bit part at the beginning of the same episode. He retired from acting in 1990, with his last appearance (again billed as "Tar") in a 1990 episode of *Midnight Caller*.https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0850607/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm%7C

## Filming accident 
Tarr was at the wheel for the accident in January 1967 that caused a broken ankle for Gary Raymond and assorted injuries for Christopher George (including the heart contusion that contributed to George's death in 1983). It happened on a dry lake bed at Rosamond, California, near Edwards Air Force Base. The company was shooting a simple scene in which Tarr drove a jeep around a wrecked German half-track during a battle. George was seated beside Tarr, and Raymond stood on the rear with a mounted 50mm gun. The Jeep's tires broke through the crust of the lake bed. "The whole thing happened as if in slow motion," recalled George. "I could feel the right side of the jeep lifting, and I began to think we were going to roll over. I had a Thompson submachine gun in my hands and I figured it could hurt me if I didn't got rid of It. So I did. I thought Gary could probably leap clear, since he was on the back. I looked over at Justin and guessed he would get killed, and probably I would, too. The jeep flipped up and over and then started to come down on us. I said to myself, 'This Is it.' But the jeep didn't come all the way down. The gun mount on the back had acted as a roll bar." Tarr escaped with only an injured arm.https://ratpatrol.fandom.com/wiki/Justin_Tarr%7C

## Personal life 
From his first marriage with Colleen Sugerman, he had a son called Achilles (the name reflected his fascination with the ancient Greeks). He had three kids, John D.A. Barnes, Teira A. Barnes, and Hera J. Barnes. He had two daughters (except his son from his first marriage) from another relationship in the 1970’s, both given Greek names from history. Names not provided here to keep their privacy. Tarr died in Hawaii on on July 26, 2012. His obituary in the Honolulu Advertiser gave his name as "Jet Tar.https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133259032/justin-tarr%7C

## Filmography 
According to IMDb

* The Rat Patrol (1966-1968) as Pvt. Tully Pettigrew (54 episodes)
* Massacre Harbor (1968) as Pvt. Tully Pettigrew
* Bullitt (1968) as Eddy - Defense Lawyer
* Showdown (1973) as Slade (uncredited)
* Hawaii Five-O (1977) as Foley (S10.E1: Up The Rebels) (as Tar)
* Flying High (1978) as Husband (S1.E7: Beautiful People (as Justin Tarr)
* Attica (1980) (TV Movie) as Husband (as Justin Tarr)
* Midnight Caller (1990) as Emmet Tyler (S2.E17: Wrong Side of the Wall) (as Tar)

## External links 
* Justin Tarr at IMDb
* Justin Tarr as The Rat Patrol Wiki
* Justin Tarr (1940-2012) - Find A Grave Memorial