By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 12, 2010

The FX network has a hit in "Justified," an action drama about a modern-day federal marshal who wears a big ol' cowboy hat and carries a gun on his hip.

Timothy Olyphant stars as Raylan Givens, a wisecracking lawman who is banished to the backwoods of Kentucky after a shootout with a mobster in Miami.

Even though it was "justified," the gunplay lands Marshal Givens back in his home state where his father Arlo (Raymond J. Barry) is a drug dealer, his sexy ex-wife Winona (Natalie Zea) is available and many of his childhood chums are up to no good.

Colorful, violent and peppered with dry humor, "Justified" is based on characters created by crime novelist Elmore Leonard.

On this week's episode (10 p.m. Tuesday) we learn more about Arlo, played by veteran character actor Barry who recently received a lifetime achievement award at Tampa's Gasparilla International Film Festival.

"I was very flattered to get that honor," he said in a telephone interview, noting that at age 71 his career isn't over. "There were about 1,500 people at the event and I didn't know if I could give an acceptance speech, but I surprised myself," he said.

Barry has a familiar face because he's been acting in films and television since the 1970s. He is best known now for playing fathers. He was Tom Cruise's father in "Born on the Fourth of July."

He was the father of the murder victim in "Dead Man Walking." He was Pa Cox to John C. Riley's character in the comedy "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," a role that left an impression. "People still come up to me and say, 'The wrong kid died!''' he says.

Last year, he played the father of Benjamin Bratt's character on "The Cleaner" and was Jack's (Matthew Fox) grandfather on "Lost."

He is currently playing two different kinds of fathers on TV series. He is Paul Cooper, long estranged father of "Cold Case" crime solver Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris) and he is redneck drug dealer Arlo Givens on "Justified."

"I've played everything from police and military officers to the vice president of the United States but my favorite roles have been as fathers who have kids with problems," said Barry.

Sometimes he is a nurturing father. Sometimes he is the father from hell.

"I am having a lot of fun with Arlo on 'Justified,''' he said. "It's great role. He is very charming and very violent … there are a lot of twists and turns in the character that appeal to me and the writing is really good."

Barry lists "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Dead Man Walking" among his favorite father roles.

He says he also enjoyed playing a grandfather in "Hamill," a 2009 independent autobiographical film about Matt Hamill, the first deaf wrestler to win a national collegiate championship. "His grandfather helped him get involved in wrestling and gain self-esteem," he said.

Barry also plays a father and gangster on the run in the independent action film "Charlie Valentine," which was screened during Gasparilla

More from Walt Belcher at the Tampa Tribune