Tina Barnes
- Actress
- Stunts
- Director
Tina was born in Wolverhampton to parents Deryn and Roland Barnes. Her Mom was a PA, and her Dad was a carpenter & joiner. As a child, she loved dancing and said that she wanted to be an actress, a dancer, a singer, and a writer from a very young age. Something that she was teased and bullied at school for aspiring to be.
Fortunately, at secondary school, she received support from her drama teacher, Chris Clarke, who encouraged her to pursue her ambition. After college, she gained a place at The Birmingham School of Acting. Thanks to lottery funding and a scholarship, she could afford the fees for the 3-year acting course. Whilst there, she was selected to represent the school at the William Pole Festival and performed at the Globe Theatre in London. It was attending drama school that ignited her love of stage combat.
Tina secured an agent at her showcase and was cast in several Doctors (2000) episodes shortly after. A few months later, she was cast in the UK/Australia tour of Bob the Builder: The Live Show! (2002). Upon return, she moved to London to focus on more opportunities in TV. Tina auditioned for numerous projects to gain experience and develop her screen acting skills. She began to self-represent and was successful, attending many castings with independent companies; this led to her first role in a feature film, playing alongside Dominique Pinon (Aliens, Amelie) in a surreal horror film.
Tina found life in London more challenging than expected. To keep afloat financially, she worked multiple jobs. Tina worked hard and trained extensively in stage combat and took screenwriting classes to broaden her skillset. She worked for renowned company RC Annie and as a freelance fight coordinator, and slowly drifted towards stunt register training. Finally, she went to Seattle to train with the International Stuntmen's Association.
After several years in London, personal circumstances took her back to the Midlands. In 2015, when Tina was temping as a desk assistant on a trading floor, she realised her life was not going according to plan, so she quit her job and travelled around Southeast Asia. This trip fuelled her with the energy needed to follow her passions once more. Upon return, she updated her headshots, cut a new showreel together and began promoting herself for a second time.
In July 2016, Tina was approached by Emily Maguire at Reflections Talent Agency and has been represented by them ever since. Over this time, Tina is finally gaining work in the areas she has always pushed for, TV and film. She has appeared on Doctors, Emmerdale Farm (1972) and Sky One drama, Intergalactic (2021). Independent films, including 400 Bullets (2021) with Andrew Lee Potts and Jean-Paul Ly, and a TV comedy pilot with Cheers star, George Wendt. She is also putting her physical skills to work in motion-capture on high profile AAA computer games.
She believes she might not have pushed so hard towards her lifelong goal without the setbacks and challenges she has faced. She feels very grateful for all the opportunities in her life so far and is looking forward to what lies ahead.
Fortunately, at secondary school, she received support from her drama teacher, Chris Clarke, who encouraged her to pursue her ambition. After college, she gained a place at The Birmingham School of Acting. Thanks to lottery funding and a scholarship, she could afford the fees for the 3-year acting course. Whilst there, she was selected to represent the school at the William Pole Festival and performed at the Globe Theatre in London. It was attending drama school that ignited her love of stage combat.
Tina secured an agent at her showcase and was cast in several Doctors (2000) episodes shortly after. A few months later, she was cast in the UK/Australia tour of Bob the Builder: The Live Show! (2002). Upon return, she moved to London to focus on more opportunities in TV. Tina auditioned for numerous projects to gain experience and develop her screen acting skills. She began to self-represent and was successful, attending many castings with independent companies; this led to her first role in a feature film, playing alongside Dominique Pinon (Aliens, Amelie) in a surreal horror film.
Tina found life in London more challenging than expected. To keep afloat financially, she worked multiple jobs. Tina worked hard and trained extensively in stage combat and took screenwriting classes to broaden her skillset. She worked for renowned company RC Annie and as a freelance fight coordinator, and slowly drifted towards stunt register training. Finally, she went to Seattle to train with the International Stuntmen's Association.
After several years in London, personal circumstances took her back to the Midlands. In 2015, when Tina was temping as a desk assistant on a trading floor, she realised her life was not going according to plan, so she quit her job and travelled around Southeast Asia. This trip fuelled her with the energy needed to follow her passions once more. Upon return, she updated her headshots, cut a new showreel together and began promoting herself for a second time.
In July 2016, Tina was approached by Emily Maguire at Reflections Talent Agency and has been represented by them ever since. Over this time, Tina is finally gaining work in the areas she has always pushed for, TV and film. She has appeared on Doctors, Emmerdale Farm (1972) and Sky One drama, Intergalactic (2021). Independent films, including 400 Bullets (2021) with Andrew Lee Potts and Jean-Paul Ly, and a TV comedy pilot with Cheers star, George Wendt. She is also putting her physical skills to work in motion-capture on high profile AAA computer games.
She believes she might not have pushed so hard towards her lifelong goal without the setbacks and challenges she has faced. She feels very grateful for all the opportunities in her life so far and is looking forward to what lies ahead.
