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Barry Humphries

Barry Humphries

John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE (17 February 1934 - 22 April 2023) was an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, perhaps best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the Court of St. James's. He was a film producer and script writer, a star of London's West End musical theatre, an award-winning writer and an accomplished landscape painter. For his delivery of dadaist and absurdist humour to millions, biographer Anne Pender described Humphries in 2010 as not only the most significant theatrical figure of our time … [but] the most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin. Humphries' characters, especially Dame Edna Everage, have brought him international renown, and he had appeared in numerous films, stage productions and television shows. Originally conceived as a dowdy Moonee Ponds housewife who caricatured Australian suburban complacency and insularity, Edna had evolved over four decades to become a satire of stardom, the gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally feted Housewife Gigastar, Dame Edna Everage. Humphries' other major satirical character creation was the archetypal Australian bloke Barry McKenzie, who originated as the hero of a comic strip about Australians in London (with drawings by Nicholas Garland) which was first published in Private Eye magazine. The stories about "Bazza" (Humphries' nickname, as well as an Australian term of endearment for the name Barry) gave wide circulation to Australian slang, particularly jokes about drinking and its consequences (much of which was invented by Humphries), and the character went on to feature in two Australian films, in which he was portrayed by Barry Crocker. Humphries' other satirical characters include 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 1960s 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. Humphries died following complications from hip surgery at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney on 22 April 2023. Description above from the Wikipedia article Barry Humphries, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Personal information

Birthday

1934-02-17

Birth Place

Camberwell, Melbourne, Australia

Movies and TV shows :

A (BBC Arena) Birthday Tribute to Dame Edna Everage

A (BBC Arena) Birthday Tribute to Dame Edna Everage

1984

0.0

Movie
poster

A Comedy Roast

2010

6.0

TV
poster

A Granny's Guide to the Modern World

2016

0.0

TV
A Toast to Melbourne

A Toast to Melbourne

1981

0.0

Movie
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

2016

5.3

Movie
poster

Ally McBeal

1997

6.6

TV
An Audience with Dame Edna Everage

An Audience with Dame Edna Everage

1980

1.0

Movie
An Audience with Jackie Mason

An Audience with Jackie Mason

1990

0.0

Movie
poster

An Audience with...

1978

5.3

TV
An Aussie Audience with Dame Edna

An Aussie Audience with Dame Edna

1986

0.0

Movie
Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage

Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage

1984

0.0

Movie
Barry Humphries at the BBC

Barry Humphries at the BBC

2023

7.6

Movie
Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckers

Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckers

2003

0.0

Movie
Barry Humphries: The Last Laugh

Barry Humphries: The Last Laugh

2023

0.0

Movie
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own

Barry McKenzie Holds His Own

1974

5.4

Movie
Bedazzled

Bedazzled

1967

6.2

Movie
poster

Betjeman and Me

2006

0.0

TV
Blinky Bill the Movie

Blinky Bill the Movie

2015

5.4

Movie
poster

Boulevard Bio

1991

6.0

TV
poster

Brilliant Creatures

2014

0.0

TV
poster

Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford

2010

0.0

TV
Da Kath & Kim Code

Da Kath & Kim Code

2005

6.9

Movie
Dame Edna Rules The Waves

Dame Edna Rules The Waves

2019

0.0

Movie
poster

Dame Edna's Hollywood

1991

1.0

TV
Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch

Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch

0.0

Movie
poster

Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch

1992

5.3

TV
Dr. Fischer of Geneva

Dr. Fischer of Geneva

1984

5.6

Movie
Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo

2003

7.8

Movie
poster

Hollywood Squares

1998

6.5

TV
Howling III: The Marsupials

Howling III: The Marsupials

1987

4.5

Movie
poster

I'd Do Anything

2008

0.0

TV
Immortal Beloved

Immortal Beloved

1994

7.1

Movie
It Started with Swap Shop

It Started with Swap Shop

2006

0.0

Movie
Jack Irish: Dead Point

Jack Irish: Dead Point

2014

6.9

Movie
Joan Rivers: Abroad in London

Joan Rivers: Abroad in London

1992

0.0

Movie
Justin and the Knights of Valour

Justin and the Knights of Valour

2013

5.9

Movie
Kath & Kimderella

Kath & Kimderella

2012

5.3

Movie
poster

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

1993

7.1

TV
Les Patterson Saves the World

Les Patterson Saves the World

1987

4.8

Movie
poster

Little Britain

2003

7.1

TV
poster

Magical Land of Oz

2019

8.5

TV
Making Mary and Max

Making Mary and Max

2009

0.0

Movie
Mary and Max

Mary and Max

2009

7.9

Movie
poster

Micallef Tonight

2003

9.0

TV
Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show

Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show

2015

8.0

Movie
Napoleon

Napoleon

1995

6.1

Movie
Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby

2002

6.9

Movie
Not Quite Hollywood

Not Quite Hollywood

2008

6.8

Movie
One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage

One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage

1988

0.0

Movie
poster

Parkinson

1998

0.0

TV
Parkinson at 50

Parkinson at 50

2021

10.0

Movie
poster

Pebble Mill

1991

3.1

TV
Percy's Progress

Percy's Progress

1974

3.9

Movie
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches

2016

0.0

Movie
Pleasure at Her Majesty's

Pleasure at Her Majesty's

1976

6.5

Movie
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills

Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills

1997

3.7

Movie
poster

Q&A

2008

3.8

TV
poster

QI

2003

8.0

TV
Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?

Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?

2004

4.8

Movie
poster

RTL Samstag Nacht

1993

8.2

TV
poster

Russell Harty

1980

0.0

TV
Salvation

Salvation

2009

5.0

Movie
poster

Saturday Night Live

1975

6.9

TV
Selling Hitler

Selling Hitler

1991

7.0

Movie
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

1978

4.4

Movie
Shock Treatment

Shock Treatment

1981

5.8

Movie
Side by Side

Side by Side

1975

6.5

Movie
Some Interesting Facts About Peter Cook

Some Interesting Facts About Peter Cook

1995

0.0

Movie
Spice World

Spice World

1997

4.8

Movie
Standing Up for Sunny

Standing Up for Sunny

2019

5.5

Movie
Telling Schoolgirl Tales: The Making of 'The Getting of Wisdom’

Telling Schoolgirl Tales: The Making of 'The Getting of Wisdom’

2006

0.0

Movie
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie

1972

5.2

Movie
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom

The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom

1968

6.7

Movie
poster

The Dame Edna Experience

1987

5.0

TV
poster

The Dame Edna Treatment

2007

7.0

TV
The Getting of Wisdom

The Getting of Wisdom

1977

5.5

Movie
poster

The Graham Norton Show

2007

7.2

TV
poster

The Great Comic Relief Bake Off

2013

0.0

TV
The Great MacArthy

The Great MacArthy

1975

5.0

Movie
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012

7.4

Movie
The Leading Man

The Leading Man

1996

5.2

Movie
The Naked Bunyip

The Naked Bunyip

1970

5.7

Movie
poster

The One Show

2006

4.6

TV
The Rocky Horror Treatment

The Rocky Horror Treatment

1981

0.0

Movie
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

1982

6.0

Movie
poster

The South Bank Show

1978

5.3

TV
poster

The Team: A Season With McLaren

1993

8.0

TV
poster

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

7.4

TV
poster

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

1992

5.4

TV
poster

The Tony Danza Show

2004

6.1

TV
poster

The View

1997

4.4

TV
poster

The Wednesday Play

1964

4.5

TV
We Are Most Amused

We Are Most Amused

2008

7.2

Movie
Welcome to Woop Woop

Welcome to Woop Woop

1998

5.9

Movie
poster

Who Do You Think You Are?

2008

2.8

TV
poster

Wogan

1982

4.5

TV