Barry Humphries
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 17, 1934
- Died
- April 22, 2023 (aged 89)
- Birthplace
- Camberwell, Melbourne, Australia
Biography
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.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Barry Humphries at the BBC
Movie · as Self (archive material) / Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson
Barry Humphries: The Last Laugh
Movie · as Self
Barry Humphries - A Life of Laughs
Movie · as Self (Archive)
Parkinson at 50
Movie · as Dame Edna Everage (archive footage)
Show of Titles
Movie · as "Anyone Can Whistle" Performer
Dame Edna Rules The Waves
Movie · as Dame Edna Everidge
Standing Up for Sunny
Movie · as Barry Humphries
Magical Land of Oz
TV · as Narrator (voice) · 3 eps
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches
Movie · as Self
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Movie · as Charlie / Dame Edna
A Granny's Guide to the Modern World
TV · 3 eps
Blinky Bill the Movie
Movie · as Wombo (voice)
Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show
Movie · as Self
Jack Irish: Dead Point
Movie · as Justice Logan
The Last Impresario
Movie · as Self
Brilliant Creatures
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Justin and the Knights of Valour
Movie · as Braulio (voice)
The Great Comic Relief Bake Off
TV · as Contestant (Dame Edna Everage) · 1 ep
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Movie · as The Great Goblin
Kath & Kimderella
Movie · as Dame Edna Everage
Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford
TV · 1 ep
A Comedy Roast
TV · 1 ep
Mary and Max
Movie · as Narrator (voice)
Salvation
Movie · as Client
Making Mary and Max
Movie · as Self
We Are Most Amused
Movie · as Self
Not Quite Hollywood
Movie · as Self
The Man Inside Dame Edna
Movie · as Self/Dame Edna/Les Patterson
Gaybo Laughs Back
Movie · as Dame Edna
I'd Do Anything
TV · as Himself - Judge · 22 eps
Who Do You Think You Are?
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Q&A
TV · as Self - Panellist · 1 ep
Little Britain Down Under
Movie · as Dame Edna Everage
The Dame Edna Treatment
TV · 6 eps
The Graham Norton Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Telling Schoolgirl Tales: The Making of 'The Getting of Wisdom’
Movie · as Self
It Started with Swap Shop
Movie · as Self
The One Show
TV · as Self, Dame Edna Everage · 1 ep
Betjeman and Me
TV · 1 ep
Da Kath & Kim Code
Movie · as John Monk
The Unseen Spike Milligan
Movie · as Self
Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?
Movie · as Self - Edna Everage
The Tony Danza Show
TV · as Dame Edna · 1 ep
Parkinson
TV · as Dame Edna Everage · 3 eps
Finding Nemo
Movie · as Bruce (voice)
Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckers
Movie · as Sir Les Patterson/Owen Steele/Sandy Stone/Dame Edna Everage
QI
TV · as Self, Self - Panellist (archive footage) · 1 ep
Micallef Tonight
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Nicholas Nickleby
Movie · as Mrs. Crummles/Mr. Leadville
The Osbournes
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Welcome to Woop Woop
Movie · as Blind Wally
Hollywood Squares
TV · as Self - Panelist · 5 eps
Parkinson
TV · as Dame Edna Everage · 3 eps
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills
Movie · as Bert / Lady Shopper / Manager
Spice World
Movie · as Kevin McMaxford
Sir Les And The Great Chinese Takeaway
Movie · as Les Patterson/Dame Edna
Ally McBeal
TV · as Claire Otoms · 12 eps
The View
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Leading Man
Movie · as Humphrey Beal
Les Patterson 'Has A Stand Up' - Live & Rampant
Movie · as Les Patterson
Some Interesting Facts About Peter Cook
Movie · as Self
Napoleon
Movie · as Kangaroo (voice)
Immortal Beloved
Movie · as Clemens Metternich
Selling Hitler
Movie · as Rupert Murdoch
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV · as Dame Edna · 1 ep
RTL Samstag Nacht
TV · 1 ep
The Team: A Season With McLaren
TV · as Dame Edna Everage · 1 ep
Joan Rivers: Abroad in London
Movie · as Dame Edna Everage
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV · as Dame Edna Everage · 2 eps
Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch
TV · as Dame Edna · 12 eps
A Late Lunch With Sir Les
Movie · as Les Patterson
Pebble Mill
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Dame Edna's Hollywood
TV · as Dame Edna Everage · 3 eps
Boulevard Bio
TV · as Dame Edna · 1 ep
An Audience with Jackie Mason
Movie
A Night on Mount Edna
Movie · as Dame Edna Everage
Single Voices
TV · as Sandy Stone · 1 ep
One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Movie · as Dame Edna Everage
Barry Humphries: This is Your Lunch
Movie · as Self/Dame Edna
Les Patterson Saves the World
Movie · as Sir Les Patterson / Dame Edna Everage
The Marsupials: The Howling III
Movie · as Academy Award Presenter
The Dame Edna Experience
TV · 13 eps
An Aussie Audience with Dame Edna
Movie · as Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson / Self
Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Movie · as Dame Edna/Les Patterson
A Birthday Tribute to Dame Edna Everage
Movie · as Dame Edna/Sir Les Patterson
Dr. Fischer of Geneva
Movie · as Richard Deane
Royal Variety Performance 1984
Movie
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
Movie · as Self - Various Roles
Wogan
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Shock Treatment
Movie · as Bert Schnick
A Toast to Melbourne
Movie
The Rocky Horror Treatment
Movie · as (archive footage)
An Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Movie · as Dame Edna
Russell Harty
TV · 1 ep
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
TV · 1 ep
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Movie · as Our Guests at Heartland
The South Bank Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
An Audience with...
TV · as Dame Edna Everage, Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson · 2 eps
The Getting of Wisdom
Movie · as Rev. Strachey
Pleasure at Her Majesty's
Movie · as Edna Everage
Side by Side
Movie · as Rodney
The Great MacArthy
Movie · as Col Ball-Miller
Saturday Night Live
TV · as Dame Edna Everage · 1 ep
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Movie · as Aunt Edna Everage / Dr. Meyer Delamphrey / Offensive Buck-toothed Englishman / Senator Douglas Manton
Percy's Progress
Movie · as Dr. Anderson / Australian TV Lady
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
Movie · as Aunt Edna Everage / Hoot / Dr. DeLamphrey
The Naked Bunyip
Movie · as Edna Everage
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom
Movie · as Mr. Wainwright
Bedazzled
Movie · as Envy
Omnibus
TV · as Sir Les Patterson, Self · 1 ep
The Wednesday Play
TV · 1 ep
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
TV · as Dame Edna Everage, Self · 1 ep
Le Bain Vorace (Dial P for Plughole)
Movie