Citizendia

Barry Humphries AO CBE

Humphries, Toronto, December 2001. Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario December 2001: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August -
BornJohn Barry Humphries
17 February 1934 (1934-02-17) (age 74)
Kew, Melbourne, Australia
Years active1960–present
Spouse(s)Lizzie Spender (1990—present)
Diane Millstead (?–?) (div. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kew is a Suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. )
Rosalind Tong (?–?)

John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE (born 17 February 1934, Kew, Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian comedian, satirist and character actor perhaps best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife, and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to Britain. Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia on 14 February 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kew is a Suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the state of Victoria. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human A character actor is an Actor who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading ones Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic An alter ego ( Latin, "the other I" is a second self, a second Personality or Persona within a Person Dame Edna Everage is a character played by Australian Comedian Barry Humphries. Dr Sir Lesley Colin Patterson is a Fictional character portrayed by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries. A cultural attaché is a diplomat with special responsibility for promoting the culture of his or her homeland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located He is also a film producer and script writer, a star of London's West End musical theatre, an award-winning writer and an accomplished landscape painter.

His characters, especially Edna Everage, have brought him international renown, and he has appeared in numerous films, stage productions and television shows. Dame Edna Everage is a character played by Australian Comedian Barry Humphries. His Barry McKenzie comic strips about Australians in London appeared in Private Eye magazine with drawings by Nicholas Garland. Barry "Bazza" McKenzie (full name Barrington Bradman Bing McKenzie) is a Fictional character originally created by the Australian comedian A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. Nicholas Withycombe Garland (born 1935 is a political cartoonist for the Daily Telegraph. The stories about "Bazza" (also Humphries' nickname) gave wide circulation to Australian slang, particularly jokes about drinking and its consequences, much of it invented by Humphries. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language.

He has been married four times; his fourth wife Lizzie Spender is the daughter of British poet Sir Stephen Spender. Sir Stephen Harold Spender CBE, ( 28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English Poet, Novelist He has two daughters and two sons from his second and third marriages, to Rosalind Tong and Diane Millstead respectively.

Contents

Early life

Barry Humphries was born in the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell in Victoria, Australia. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Camberwell is a Suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the local municipality of the City of Boroondara. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. His grandfather was an immigrant to Australia from Manchester, England. His father was a well-to-do construction manager and Barry grew up in a "clean, tasteful and modern home" in Camberwell, then one of Melbourne’s new ‘garden suburbs’. Camberwell is a Suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in the local municipality of the City of Boroondara. The garden city movement is an approach to Urban planning that was founded in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom His early home life set the pattern for his eventual stage career -- Barry's parents bought him everything he wanted, but his father in particular spent little time with him so he spent hours playing dress-ups in the back garden.

"Disguising myself as different characters and I had a whole box of dressing up clothes . . . Red Indian, sailor suit, Chinese costume and I was very spoiled in that way . . . I also found that entertaining people gave me a great feeling of release, making people laugh was a very good way of befriending them. People couldn't hit you if they were laughing. "

His parents nicknamed him "Sunny Sam", and his early childhood was happy and uneventful, but in his teens Barry began to rebel against the strictures of conventional suburban life by becoming "artistic" – much to the dismay of his parents who, despite their affluence, distrusted "art". A key event took place when he was nine -- his mother gave all his books to the Salvation Army, cheerfully explaining: "But you've read them, Barry. The Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that is internally organised like a military service. "

Humphries responded by becoming a voracious reader, a collector of rare books, a painter, a theatre fan and a surrealist. Dressing up in a black cloak, black homburg and mascara'd eyes, he invented his first sustained character, "Dr Aaron Azimuth", dandy and Dadaist. A dandy (also known as a beau gallant or flamboyant person is a man who places particular importance upon Physical appearance, refined language and leisurely hobbies For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released

Educated at Camberwell Grammar School, he has been awarded his place in the Gallery of Achievement there. Camberwell Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, Day school for boys located in Canterbury, a suburb of Melbourne, His father’s building business prospered and Barry was sent to Melbourne Grammar School where he spurned sport, detested mathematics, shirked cadets "on the basis of conscientious objection" and matriculated with brilliant results in English and Art. Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and Boarding school predominantly for boys located in South Yarra

He spent two years studying at Melbourne University (Queen's College), where he studied law, philosophy and fine arts. The University of Melbourne is a Public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Queen's College is a residential College affiliated with the University of Melbourne providing accommodation to 218 students who are attending the University Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Fine art is any Art form developed primarily for Aesthetics rather than Utility. During this time he became Australia’s leading exponent of the deconstructive and absurdist art movement, Dada. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released The Dadaist pranks and performances he mounted in Melbourne were experiments in anarchy and visual satire which have become part of Australian folklore. An exhibit entitled "Pus In Boots" consisted of a pair of Wellington boots filled with custard; a mock pesticide product called "Platytox" claimed on its box to be effective against the platypus, a beloved and protected species in Australia. The Wellington boot, also known as a wellie, a topboot, a gumboot, or a rubber boot, is a type of Boot based upon Hessian The Platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi- aquatic Mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania.

He was part of a group that made a series of recordings of Dada-influenced recordings in Melbourne from 1952-53. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released "Wubbo Music" (Barry has said that "wubbo" is a pseudo-Aboriginal word meaning "nothing") is thought to be one of the earliest recordings of experimental music in Australia. Experimental music is a term introduced by composer John Cage in 1955

He was also legendary for his provocative public pranks. One infamous example involved Humphries dressing as a Frenchman, with an accomplice dressed as a blind person; the accomplice would board a tram, followed soon after by Humphries. At the appropriate juncture Humphries would force his way past the "blind" man, yelling "Get out of my way, you disgusting blind person", kicking him viciously in the shins and then jumping off the tram and making his escape in a waiting car.

An even more extreme example was his notorious "sick bag" prank. This involved carrying a tin of condensed soup onto an aircraft, which he would then surreptitiously empty into an air-sickness bag. At the appropriate point in the flight, he would pretend to vomit loudly and violently into the bag. Then, to the horror of passengers and crew, he would proceed to eat the contents. One April Fool's Day Humphries placed a roast dinner and glass of champagne in an inner-city bin. This article is about the informal holiday For other uses see April Fool. Later in the morning, when there were many businesspeople queuing at a nearby building, Humphries approached the group as a dirty, dishevelled man. He walked to the bin, opened the lid and proceeded to lift the roast and drink from it. Much to the amazement of watchers-by, he found a suitable seating area and began to eat it.

Such stunts were the early manifestations of a lifelong interest in the bizarre, discomforting and subversive.

He had written and performed songs and sketches in university revues, so after leaving university he joined the newly formed Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC). The Melbourne Theatre Company, which is the oldest professional theatre in Australia, known popularly as MTC is based in the Ferrars Street complex in Southbank Victoria which It was at this point that he created the first incarnation of what became his best-known character, Edna Everage. Dame Edna Everage is a character played by Australian Comedian Barry Humphries. The first stage sketch featuring Mrs Norm Everage, called "Olympic Hostess", premiered at Melbourne University's Union Theatre on December 12, 1955. In his award-winning autobiography, More Please (1992), Humphries relates that he created a character similar to Edna in the back of a bus while touring country Victoria in Twelfth Night with the MTC at the age of twenty. Twelfth Night Or What You Will is a Comedy by William Shakespeare, based on the Short story "Of Apolonius and Silla" by The dowdy Moonee Ponds housewife, originally created as a caricature of Australian suburban complacency and insularity, has evolved over four decades to become a satire of stardom, the gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally feted Housewife Gigastar, Dame Edna Everage. Moonee Ponds is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley. Dame Edna Everage is a character played by Australian Comedian Barry Humphries.

Humphries' other satirical characters include the legendary comic strip hero, nephew of Dame Edna (and progenitor of Crocodile Dundee) Barry McKenzie; the "priapic and inebriated cultural attaché" Sir Les Patterson, who has "continued to bring worldwide discredit upon Australian arts and culture, while contributing as much to the Australian vernacular as he has borrowed from it"; gentle, grandfatherly "returned gentleman" Sandy Stone; iconoclastic '60s underground film-maker Martin Agrippa, Paddington socialist academic Neil Singleton, sleazy trade union official Lance Boyle, high-pressure art salesman Morrie O’Connor and failed tycoon Owen Steele. Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 Australian Comedy film set in the Australian Outback and in New York City Barry "Bazza" McKenzie (full name Barrington Bradman Bing McKenzie) is a Fictional character originally created by the Australian comedian Dr Sir Lesley Colin Patterson is a Fictional character portrayed by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries. Sandy Stone is a male character played by Australian comedian Barry Humphries. Paddington is an area of the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming

Humphries then moved to Sydney and joined Sydney's Philip Street Revue Theatre, Australia's leading venue for revue and satirical comedy. After a long season in revue he appeared as Estragon in Waiting for Godot, Australia's first ever production of a Samuel Beckett play. Estragon (affectionately Gogo; he tells Pozzo his name is Adam) is one of the two main characters from Samuel Beckett 's Waiting for Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters wait for someone named Godot who never arrives Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989 was an Irish Writer, Dramatist and poet

London and the 1960s

In 1959 he settled in London where he lived and worked throughout the Sixties. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 He became friends with leading members of the British comedy scene including Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller, Spike Milligan, Willie Rushton and fellow Australian expatriate comedian-actors John Bluthal and Dick Bentley. Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE (19 April 1935 &ndash 27 March 2002 was an English Actor, Comedian and Musician. Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian. Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934 is an English Author and Tony Award -winning Playwright. Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller, CBE (born 21 July 1934) is a British Neurologist, Theatre and Opera director Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE ( 16 April, 1918 &ndash 27 February 2002) known as Spike Milligan, was an Anglo William George Rushton, commonly known as Willie Rushton ( 18 August, 1937 in Chelsea London – 11 December, 1996 Cromwell John Bluthal (born 1929 is a film and television actor mostly in comedy Charles Walter (Dick Bentley (14 May 1907 – 27 August 1995 born in Melbourne, Australia was a Comedian and Actor. Humphries performed at Cook's comedy venue The Establishment, where he also became friends with and was photographed by leading photographer Lewis Morley, whose studio was located above the club. The Establishment was a London Nightclub which opened in October 1961 at 18 Greek Street, Soho and was famous in retrospect for satire although Lewis Morley, born in Hong Kong, 1925 to English and Chinese parents is a Photographer. He contributed to the satirical magazine Private Eye, of which Cook was publisher, his best-known work being the cartoon strip The Wonderful World of Barry McKenzie. Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. The bawdy cartoon satire of the worst aspects of Australians abroad was written by Humphries and drawn by New Zealand born cartoonist Nicholas Garland. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Nicholas Withycombe Garland (born 1935 is a political cartoonist for the Daily Telegraph. The book version of the comic strip, published in the late' 60s, was for some time banned in Australia.

Humphries appeared in numerous West End stage productions including the musicals Oliver! and Maggie May, by Lionel Bart, and stage and radio productions by his friend Spike Milligan, in particular The Bed Sitting Room. Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. " Maggie May " is a song written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton and recorded by Stewart in 1971 for his album Every Lionel Bart ( August 1, 1930 &ndash April 3, 1999) was an English composer of songs and musicals, best known for The Bed-Sitting Room is a satirical play by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus.

In 1962 when Humphries was in Cornwall with his wife, he fell over a cliff near Zennor and landed on a ledge 150ft below, breaking bones. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Local Government For the purposes of local government classification Zennor elects a parish Council every 3 years The rescue by helicopter was filmed by a news crew from ITN. ITN ( Independent Television News) is a major news and content provider with headquarters in the United Kingdom. The footage of the rescue were shown to Humphries for the first time on a 2006 BBC show - Turn Back Time. Turn Back Time started on 9 August 2006, and is hosted by Dara Ó Briain.

Humphries' first major break on the British stage came when he was cast in the role of the undertaker Mr Sowerberry for the original 1960 London stage production of Oliver! He recorded Sowerberry's feature number "That's Your Funeral" for the original London cast soundtrack album (released on Deram) and reprised the role when the production moved to Broadway in 1963, where it became the first London stage musical to be transplanted to Broadway and receive the same critical and audience reception it had received in Britain. Deram Records was a Record label set up by Decca Records. It was active from 1966 until 1979 Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located In 1967 he starred as Fagin in the Piccadilly Theatre's revival of Oliver! which featured a young Phil Collins as The Artful Dodger. Fagin (ˈfeɪɡɪn is a Fictional character who appears in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regents Palace Hotel in the City Philip David Charles Collins, LVO (born 30 January 1951 Chiswick, London) is an English Singer-songwriter, Drummer The Artful Dodger is a character in the Charles Dickens Novel Oliver Twist. In 1997 Barry reprised the role of Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh's award winning revival at the London Palladium. Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born) is a British Theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals The London Palladium is a 2286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster.

In 1967 his friendship with Cook and Moore led to his first film role, a cameo as "Envy" in the hit film Bedazzled starring Cook and Moore with Eleanor Bron, and directed by Stanley Donen. Bedazzled is a 1967 Film written by and starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, retelling the Faust legend in the Swinging Eleanor Bron (born 14 March, 1938) is a British stage film and television actress and authoress Stanley Donen (born April 13, 1924) is an American film director and Choreographer hailed by David Quinlan as "the King of the Hollywood The following year he appeared in The Bliss Of Mrs Blossom with Shirley MacLaine. Shirley MacLaine (born April 24, 1934) is an American Academy Award -winning Film and Theater Actress, well-known

In the late '60s Humphries contributed to BBC-TV's popular The Late Show (which also featured Oz magazine editor Richard Neville) but Humphries found his true calling with his one-man satirical stage revues, in which he performed as Edna Everage and other character creations including Les Patterson and Sandy Stone. Oz was first published as a satirical humour magazine between 1963&ndash69 in Sydney, Australia and in its second and more famous incarnation became Richard Neville (born 1941 is an Australian author and futurist, originally known for publishing and editing the Counterculture magazine Dr Sir Lesley Colin Patterson is a Fictional character portrayed by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries. "A Nice Night's Entertainment" (1962) was the first such revue. It and "Excuse I: Another Nice Night's Entertainment" (1965) were only performed in Australia. In 1968 Humphries returned to Australia to tour his one-man revue Just A Show; this production transferred to London's Fortune Theatre in 1969. Fortune Theatre is the name of a 432 seat West End theatre in Russell Street near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, built in 1922-4 by Ernest Humphries' gained considerable notoriety with "Just A Show". It polarized British critics but was successful enough to lead to a short-lived BBC television series The Barry Humphries Scandals, one of the precursors to the Monty Python series. Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is the collective name of the six creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British Television

1970s

In 1970 Humphries returned to Australia, where Edna Everage made her movie debut in John B. Murray's The Naked Bunyip. In 1971-72 he teamed up with producer Philip Adams and writer-director Bruce Beresford to create a film version of the Barry McKenzie cartoons. Phillip Andrew Hedley Adams AO (born 12 July 1939 is an Australian broadcaster, Film producer, Writer, humanist, Bruce Beresford (born 16 August 1940 is an Academy Award -nominated Australian film director writer and producer The Adventures of Barry MacKenzie starred singer Barry Crocker in the title role and featured Humphries — who co-wrote the script with Beresford — playing three different parts. Barry Hugh Crocker OAM (born 4 November 1935, in Geelong Victoria, Australia) is a popular Australian singer with a crooning

It was filmed in England and Australia with an all-star cast including Spike Milligan, Peter Cook, Dennis Price, Dick Bentley, Willie Rushton, Julie Covington, Clive James and broadcaster Joan Bakewell. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Dennis Price ( 23 June 1915 - 6 October 1973) was an English Actor who is mainly remembered for his suave screen roles Charles Walter (Dick Bentley (14 May 1907 – 27 August 1995 born in Melbourne, Australia was a Comedian and Actor. Clive James AM (born Vivian James, on October 7, 1939 in Kogarah New South Wales) is an Expatriate Australian Dame Joan Dawson Bakewell DBE (born 16 April 1933 in Stockport) is an English Journalist and Television presenter Like several other films of the time which have since been categorised as belonging to the Ocker genre of Australian film, it was almost unanimously panned by Australian film critics, but became a huge hit with audiences. The term Ocker is used both as a noun and adjective for an Australian who talks and acts in an uncultured manner In fact, the film became the most successful locally-made feature ever released in Australia up to that time, paving the way for the success of subsequent locally made feature films like Alvin Purple and Picnic at Hanging Rock. Alvin Purple was a 1973 Australian comedy film starring Graeme Blundell, written by Alan Hopgood and directed by Tim Burstall Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 1975 Australian Mystery Film directed by Peter Weir, adapted from the novel of the same name.

Another artistic production undertaken at this time was a 1972 collaboration between Humphries and the Australian composer Nigel Butterley. Together they produced First Day Covers, a collection of poems about suburbia - read in performance by Edna Everage - with accompanying music by Butterley[1]. It included poems with titles such as "Histoire du Lamington" and "Morceau en forme de 'meat pie'"[2].

Although his career was blossoming, throughout his sojourn in London Humphries had become increasingly dependent on alcohol and by the late Sixties his friends and family began to fear that his addiction might cost him his career and possibly even his life. It was undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the failure of his marriage, and his drinking was also a contributing factor to the collapse of his second.

His drinking reached crisis point during a visit home in the early Seventies — his parents finally had him admitted to a private hospital to 'dry out' when, after a particularly heavy binge, he was found unconscious in a gutter. Since then he has abstained from alcohol completely and was one of the many friends who tried vainly to help Peter Cook, who eventually died from alcohol-related illnesses. Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 &ndash 9 January 1995 was an English Satirist, Writer and Comedian. It has been speculated that the excesses of the perpetually drunk Sir Les Patterson are to some extent informed by Humphries' own battles with the bottle. Dr Sir Lesley Colin Patterson is a Fictional character portrayed by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries. This brush with mortality may account for his enduring fascination with Cryonics, the practice of human cryopreservation. Cryonics is the low-temperature Preservation of Humans and other Animals that can no longer be sustained by contemporary Medicine until Humphries only makes occasional self-reflexive references to this interest: "why would I want to go on living in the future after dressing up as a woman for fifty-two years?" However, members of the immortalist community have credited the momentum behind a planned Australian facility to his strong private support.

Film roles

Since the late '60s Humphries has appeared in numerous films, mostly in supporting or cameo roles. His credits include the UK sex comedy Percy's Progress (1974), David Baker's The Great McCarthy and Bruce Beresford's Barry MacKenzie Holds his Own (1974) -- in which Edna was made a Dame by then Australian PM Gough Whitlam. Percy's Progress is a 1974 British Comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas. Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916 known as Gough Whitlam (ˈɡɒf goff is an Australian former politician and 21st

Other film credits include Side By Side (1975) and The Getting Of Wisdom (1977). The same year, he had a cameo as Edna in the Robert Stigwood musical film Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (which became infamous as one of the biggest film flops of the decade), followed in 1981 by his part as the fake-blind TV-show host Bert Schnick in Shock Treatment, the sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Robert Stigwood (born April 16, 1934 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian -born Impresario and entertainment entrepreneur Shock Treatment is a 1981 comedy - musical and a follow up to the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical Comedy film that parodies Science fiction and Horror films.

He was more successful with his featured role as Richard Deane in Dr Fischer of Geneva (1985); this was followed by The Howling III (1987), a cameo as Rupert Murdoch in the miniseries Selling Hitler (1991) with Alexei Sayle, a three-role cameo in Philippe Mora's horror satire Pterodactyl Woman From Beverly Hills (1994), the role of Count Metternich in Immortal Beloved (1994), as well as roles in The Leading Man (1996), the Spice Girls' film Spiceworld, the Australian feature Welcome To Woop Woop (1997), and Nicholas Nickleby (2002), in which he donned female garb to play Nathan Lane's wife. Howling III (also known as Howling III The Marsupials and Marsupials The Howling III) is a 1987 Australian is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952 is an English Comedian, Actor and Author. Philippe Mora (born 1949 is a French -born Australian Film director. Immortal Beloved is a 1994 Film about the life of Composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The Leading Man is drama film directed by John Duigan. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1996. The Spice Girls are a BRIT Award -winning English pop Girl group formed in 1994 Spice World is a debut feature film of the four-time BRIT Award -winning English pop Girl group The Spice Girls directed Nicholas Nickleby is a 2002 British / American Drama film with comedic undertones written and directed by Douglas Joseph “Nathan” Lane (born February 3, 1956) is a two-time Tony and Emmy Award-winning American actor of the stage and screen

Barry has also featured in various roles in comedy performance films including The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982) and A Night of Comic Relief 2 (1989). * This article is about the 1981 Amnesty International benefit show (and resulting movies and albums &mdash the sequel to the original 1979 show In 1987 he starred as Les Patterson in one of his own rare flops, the disastrous Les Patterson Saves the World, directed by George T. Miller of Man From Snowy River fame and co-written by Humphries with his third wife, Diane Millstead. Les Patterson Saves the World is a 1987 Australian comedy film George Trumbull Miller (born 1943 is a Scottish -born Australian Film and Television director and producer.

In 2003 Humphries had a small role in the animated film Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo is a 2003 computer-animated American Family film. In it he plays a shark who attempts to curb his addiction to fish eating. He eventually falls off the wagon. Playing this role, given his own struggles with alcoholism, is perhaps a good example of Humphries' penchant for self-deprecation. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions

One-man shows

Humphries' forte has always been his one-man satirical stage revues, in which he appears as Edna Everage and a host of other character creations, including Les Patterson and Sandy Stone. There can be few (if any) comedians who can boast the career longevity he has enjoyed with Dame Edna, whose popularity shows no signs of flagging after fifty years. Humphries' success is also a tribute to the tremendous skill, style and insight — and the sheer hard work — that he invests in performing two-and-a-half hour shows of entirely original material, laced with ad-libbing, improvisation and audience participation segments.

Humphries has had many successful stage productions in London, most of which he subsequently toured internationally. Despite his later popularity, he encountered stiff resistance in the early years of his career — his first London one-man show A Nice Night's Entertainment (1962) received scathing reviews and it was several years before he made a second attempt. He gained considerable notoriety with his next one-man revue Just A Show, staged at London's Fortune Theatre in 1969. Fortune Theatre is the name of a 432 seat West End theatre in Russell Street near Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, built in 1922-4 by Ernest It polarized the critics but was a hit with audiences and became the basis of a growing cult following in the UK. He continued to gain popularity with his early '70s shows including A Load Of Olde Stuffe (1971) and At Least You Can Say You've Seen It (1974-75).

He finally broke through to widespread critical and audience acclaim in Britain with his 1976 London production Housewife, Superstar! at the Apollo Theatre. Its success in Britain and Australia led Humphries to try his luck with the show in New York in 1977, but it proved to be a disastrous repeat of his experience with Just A Show. Humphries later summed up his negative reception by saying: "When the New York Times tells you to close, you close. "

His next show was Isn't It Pathetic At His Age (1978). Like many of his shows, the title quotes one of the remarks his mother often made when she took Barry to the theatre to see superannuated overseas actors touring in Australia during his youth.

His subsequent one-man shows include:

He has made numerous theatrical tours in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and in the Far and Middle East. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands In 2003 he toured Australia with his latest show, Getting Back To My Roots (And Other Suckers).

Dame Edna

Main article: Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage on a billboard.
Dame Edna Everage on a billboard. Dame Edna Everage is a character played by Australian Comedian Barry Humphries.

Edna Everage is undoubtedly one of the most enduring Australian comic characters of all time, and one of the longest-lived comedic characterisations ever devised. Originally conceived in the late 1950s, Edna has long since transcended her modest origins as a satire of Australian suburbia to become one of the most successful, best-known and best loved comedy characters of all time. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. She has grown over the years to become, in the words of journalist Caroline Overington:

". . . a perfect parody of a modern, vainglorious celebrity with a rampant ego and a strong aversion to the audience (whom celebrities pretend to love but actually, as Edna so boldly makes transparent, they actually loathe for their cheap shoes and suburban values).
(The Sydney Morning Herald)

Like her ever-present bunches of gladioli, one of the most popular and distinctive features of Edna's stage and TV appearances has been her extravagant wardrobe, with gaudy, custom-made gowns that satirically outdo the most outrageous creations of Hollywood showbiz designers such as Bob Mackie. The Sydney Morning Herald ( SMH) is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia Gladiolus (from Latin, the Diminutive of gladius, a Sword) is a Genus of Flowering plants in the iris family Robert Gordon Mackie (b March 24, 1940 in Monterey Park California) is an American Fashion designer, best known for his costumes for Cher Her costumes, most of which were created for her by Australian designer Bill Goodwin, routinely incorporate Aussie kitsch icons such as the flag, Australian native animals and flowers, the Sydney Opera House and the boxing kangaroo. For the drummer with jazz saxophonist Phil Woods see Bill Goodwin (jazz drummer. Kitsch /kɪtʃ/ is a term of German or Yiddish origin that has been used to categorize art that is considered an inferior tasteless copy of an existing The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney New South Wales, Australia A kangaroo is a Marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods meaning 'large foot'

As the character evolved, Edna's always unseen family became an integral part of the satire, particularly the travails of her invalid husband Norm, who suffered from an almost lifelong onslaught of an unspecified prostate ailment. The prostate (from Greek προστάτης - prostates, literally "one who stands before" "protector" "guardian" is a Her daughter Valmai and her gay, hairdresser son Kenny also became intrinsic elements of the act, as did her long-suffering best friend and New Zealand bridesmaid, Madge Allsop.

Throughout Edna's career, Madge has been played by English actress Emily Perry (born in 1907), who has the distinction of being the only other actor ever to appear on stage with Humphries in his stage shows, as well as making regular appearances in Dame Edna's TV programs. Emily Perry ( 28 June 1907 &ndash 19 February 2008) was an English Actress and Dancer.

Dame Edna is also notable as one of the few satirical characters to make a successful transition from stage to TV without losing popularity in either genre, and her decades-long popularity shows no signs of waning. The talk show format provided a perfect outlet for Humphries' rapier wit and his legendary ability to ad-lib, and it enabled Edna to draw on a wide and appreciative pool of fans among fellow actors and comedians, with scores of top-rank stars lining up to be lampooned on her shows. As other Australian actors have begun to make a wider impression in international film and television, Edna has not hesitated to reveal that it was her mentorship which helped "kiddies" like "little Nicole Kidman" to achieve their early success.

Sir Les Patterson

Main article: Sir Les Patterson

Sir Les Patterson is the other Humphries character still current, though mainly as pre-recorded segments in Dame Edna's show. Dr Sir Lesley Colin Patterson is a Fictional character portrayed by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries. He is the opposite of Dame Edna, uncouth and coarse.

Television roles

Humphries' numerous television appearances in Australia, the UK and the USA include The Bunyip, a children's comedy for Channel 7 in Melbourne. In the UK he made two highly successful series of his comedy talk show The Dame Edna Experience for London Weekend Television. The Dame Edna Experience was a British television comedy talk-show hosted by Dame Edna Everage (a character played by Australian satirist The series boasted a phalanx of superstar guests including Liza Minnelli, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Charlton Heston and Jane Seymour. Liza May Minnelli (born March 12, 1946) is a legendary American actress and singer Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25 1930) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and BAFTA Award -winning Scottish Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English Actor. Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4 1923 &ndash April 5 2008) was an American Actor of Jane Seymour (1508– 24 October 1537) was Queen Consort of England and the third wife of Henry VIII.

These enormously popular programs have since been repeated worldwide and the special A Night On Mount Edna won Humphries the Golden Rose of Montreux in 1991. He wrote and starred in ABC-TV's The Life And Death Of Sandy Stone (1991), and presented the ABC social history series Barry Humphries' Flashbacks (1999). The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster.

His other television shows and one-off specials include Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch (1992), Dame Edna's Work Experience (1996), Dame Edna Kisses It Better (1997) and also Dame Edna's Hollywood (1991-92), a series of three chat-show specials filmed in the U. S. for the NBC and the Fox network. Like The Dame Edna Experience, these included an array of top celebrity guests such as Burt Reynolds, Cher, Bea Arthur, Kim Basinger and Barry Manilow. The Dame Edna Experience was a British television comedy talk-show hosted by Dame Edna Everage (a character played by Australian satirist Burton Leon Reynolds Jr (born February 11 1936 is an American Actor. Cher ( IPA: /ʃɛr/ born Cherilyn Sarkisian, May 20 1946 Kimila Ann "Kim" Basinger (ˈbeɪsɪŋɚ bay-sing-er often mispronounced /ˈbæsɪndʒɚ/ bass-in-jer) (born December 8, 1953) Barry Manilow (born June 17, 1943) is an American Singer-songwriter, Musician, arranger, producer and conductor Edna's most recent television special was Dame Edna Live At The Palace in 2003. He also starred in the Kath and Kim telemovie Da Kath and Kim Code in late 2005. Kath & Kim is a Logie Award -winning character-driven Australian Television Comedy series created by Jane Turner and

In 2007, Humphries returned to the UK's ITV to host another comedy chat-show called The Dame Edna Treatment, a similar format to The Dame Edna Experience from 20 years earlier. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent The Dame Edna Treatment is a British talk show starring Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. The Dame Edna Experience was a British television comedy talk-show hosted by Dame Edna Everage (a character played by Australian satirist The series once again boasted a collection of top celebrity guests such as Tim Allen, Mischa Barton, Sigourney Weaver, Debbie Harry, and Little Britain stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas. Tim Allen (born Timothy Allen Dick; June 13, 1953) is an American Comedian, Actor, Voice-over artist and Mischa Anne Marsden Barton (born January 24 1986) is an English American film television and stage Actress, perhaps best known for her Sigourney Weaver (born October 8, 1949) is an Academy Award -nominated American actress, best known for her roles as Lt Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry (born July 1 1945 is an American Singer-songwriter and Actress, most famous for being the lead singer for the Punk Little Britain is a character-based comedy Sketch show first appearing on BBC radio and then television David Walliams (born David Williams, August 20, 1971) is an English Comedian and Actor, best known for his partnership Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English Comedian and Actor.

In March 2008, Humphries joined the judging panel on the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything to find an unknown lead to play the part of Nancy in a West End revival of the musical Oliver!. International holidays March 2 - Mothering Sunday (Britain March 7 - Nyepi (Indonesia I'd Do Anything was a 2008 Talent show -themed Television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and broadcast Nancy is the sympathetic lover of Bill Sikes in the novel Oliver Twist, in its film versions and in the stage and film version of the musical Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart.

Success in the United States

Barry Humphries finally realised his long-delayed dream of success in the United States when he took Dame Edna - The Royal Tour to Broadway in 2000, scoring a smash hit and winning rave reviews. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the As a result Humphries won the inaugural 'Special Tony Award for a Live Theatrical Event' in 2000 and two National Broadway Theatre Awards for "Best Play" and for "Best Actor" in 2001. Asked what it was like to win a Tony award by an Australian journalist he said "it was like winning 1000 Gold Logies at the same time". The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American Theatre and are presented The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards which have been presented annually since 1959

Edna's new-found success in America led to many media opportunities, including a semi-regular role in the hit TV series Ally McBeal. Ally McBeal is an American Television series which ran on the FOX network from 1997 to 2002 Vanity Fair magazine then invited Dame Edna to write a satirical advice column but she unwittingly created a storm of controversy with a piece published in the February 2003 issue. Vanity Fair is an American magazine of Culture, Fashion, and Politics published by Condé Nast Publications. Replying to a reader who asked if she should learn Spanish, she replied:

"Forget Spanish. There's nothing in that language worth reading except Don Quixote, and a quick listen to the CD of Man of La Mancha will take care of that . es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. . . Who speaks it that you are really desperate to talk to? The help? Your leaf blower?"

Edna's satirical intent -- poking fun at the haughty attitudes of wealthy Americans who hire low-waged Hispanic domestic workers -- evidently went over the heads of some readers. Hispanic (hispano hispánico hispânico Hispānus adjective from ''Hispānia'', the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically Many who subsequently complained appeared not to realise that Dame Edna was merely a character and that 'she' was not really a woman. Members of the Hispanic community took the joke out of context, reading it as a deliberately racist remark, and complaints flooded in to the magazine. Hollywood actress Salma Hayek responded angrily, penning a furious letter in which she denounced Dame Edna. Salma Hayek Jiménez (born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American Death threats were even received and Vanity Fair was eventually forced to publish a full-page apology to the Hispanic community.

Humphries commented later. "If you have to explain satire to someone, you might as well give up. " When questioned about the controversy (as Dame Edna) on the eve of her 2003 Australian tour, she retorted that Hayek's denunciation was due to "professional jealousy", and that Hayek was envious because the role of painter Frida Kahlo (for which Hayek received an Oscar nomination) had originally been offered to Edna:

"When I was offered the part of Frida I turned it down, and she was the second choice. Frida Kahlo (July 6 1907 – July 13 1954 was a Mexican painter, who has achieved great international popularity I said 'I'm not playing the role of a woman with a moustache and a monobrow, and I'm not having same-sex relations on the screen' . . . I'm not racist. I love all races, particularly white people. You know, I even like Roman Catholics. "

Other work

Humphries, on jacket of his autobiography My Life As Me: A Memoir
Humphries, on jacket of his autobiography My Life As Me: A Memoir

Humphries is the author of many books including two autobiographies, two novels and a treatise on Chinese drama in the goldfields. He has also written several plays and has made dozens of recordings. His first autobiography More Please won the J. R. Ackerley prize for biography in 1993.

He has been the subject of three critical and biographical studies:

Awards


External links

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