[3][4] He was born and brought up in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire and attended West Bridgford Comprehensive School.
In 1997 he was part of a hand-selected cast for the Japan-Thai Contemporary Theatre Joint Production of Red Demon in a joint production of the Japan Foundation and the Setagaya Public Theatre.
[5] Barnett has appeared in many television and film productions over the years, most usually in 'character roles' rather than starring ones.
This has led to his being cast by many high-profile directors, including Gore Verbinski, Martin Scorsese, Bryan Singer, George Miller and Marc Forster.
The director Nigel Cole, cast Barnett in three separate films, Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham and The Wedding Video.