Appearances

Title	Role	Year	Approx. Age
Secret Garden 1987	Dickon Sowerby	1987	14
Spot Marks the X	Ken Miller	1986	13
D.A.R.Y.L.	Daryl	1985	12
Frankenweenie and other Abnormal Shorts	Victor Frankenstein	1984	11
The Neverending Story	Bastian Bux	1984	11
Invitation to Hell	Robbie Winslow	1984	11

Barret Spencer Oliver is an American photographer and former child actor. He is best known for his role as Bastian Balthazar Bux in the film adaptation of Michael Ende's novel The Neverending Story (1984), followed by roles in D.A.R.Y.L. (1985 - as the android "Daryl", a part for which he won a Saturn Award), Cocoon (1985), and Cocoon: The Return (1986).

Oliver had minor roles in television and film until starring as Bastian in the The NeverEnding Story. Subsequently, he was cast as the lead in Tim Burton's short film Frankenweenie (1984).

His mother, Kathy, worked as his manager. His father, Kent, worked as an interior designer. Barret developed an interest in acting after his elder brother, Kyle, became involved in acting as a child.

Currently, Barret teaches photography in Los Angeles, California. After learning the 19th Century Wet-Plate process from artist Stephen Berkman and studying with master photographers Cole Weston and George Tice, Barret's print work has been part of numerous gallery and museum exhibitions. He has also done the Wet-Plate process in Ireland for a recent Guinness commercial and in Romania for the motion picture Cold Mountain. In addition, he has written articles on photography and contributed to demonstrations and workshops. He has authored the book "A History of the Woodburytype." Woodburytypes are made from a 19th century photo-mechanical process.

His last role in a feature film was Willie Saravian in Paul Bartel's 1989 ensemble comedy Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.

Oliver was a member of Scientology, but his current affiliation is unclear.