[4] Barnabe made his first stage appearance on 4 April 1927 playing a wedding guest in The Dybbuk at the Royalty Theatre.

In October 1928, Barnabe travelled to Egypt as a member of a Shakespearean company led by Robert Atkins.

The following year he travelled to the United States with Ben Greet; during this trip he portrayed Everyman at Columbia University, which marked his first stage appearance in New York City.

He appeared on numerous television shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including Maigret, Danger Island, The Troubleshooters and Jesus of Nazareth.

Films in which Barnabe acted include Man in the Shadow (1957), Pit of Darkness (1961), The Mummy's Shroud (1967), and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977).