Barry Humphries

Barry Humphries

Personal Info

  • Name:

    Barry Humphries

  • Birthday:

    1934-02-17

  • Place of Birth: Camberwell, Melbourne, Australia
  • Gender:

    Male

  • Know For:

    Acting

  • Popularity: 4.415
  • Also Known As

    Dame Edna Everage

    John Barry Humphries

    Edna Everage

    Les Patterson

    Barry McKenzie

    Sandy Stone

    Bazza McKenzie

Barry Humphries

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.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Barry Humphries, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Top Movie Cast

Finding Nemo
Finding Nemotrue- Bruce (voice)

2003-05-30

7.8
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
The Adventures of Barry McKenzietrue- Aunt Edna Everage / Hoot / Dr. DeLamphrey

1972-10-12

5.2
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Barry McKenzie Holds His Owntrue- Aunt Edna Everage / Dr. Meyer Delamphrey / Offensive Buck-toothed Englishman / Senator Douglas Manton

1974-12-12

5.4
Welcome to Woop Woop
Welcome to Woop Wooptrue- Blind Wally

1998-08-13

5.9
Mary and Max
Mary and Maxtrue- Narrator (voice)

2009-04-09

7.9
Shock Treatment
Shock Treatmenttrue- Bert Schnick

1981-08-21

5.8
Immortal Beloved
Immortal Belovedtrue- Clemens Metternich

1994-12-16

7.1
Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?
Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?true- Self - Edna Everage

2004-12-09

4.8
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bandtrue- Our Guests at Heartland

1978-07-24

4.4
The Leading Man
The Leading Mantrue- Humphrey Beal

1996-12-12

5.2
Da Kath & Kim Code
Da Kath & Kim Codetrue- John Monk

2005-11-27

6.9
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journeytrue- The Great Goblin

2012-12-12

7.4
Bedazzled
Bedazzledtrue- Envy

1967-10-30

6.2
Barry Humphries at the BBC
Barry Humphries at the BBCtrue- Self (archive material) / Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson

2023-05-28

7.6
The Naked Bunyip
The Naked Bunyiptrue- Edna Everage

1970-02-02

5.7
Pleasure at Her Majesty's
Pleasure at Her Majesty'strue- Edna Everage

1976-12-29

6.5
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
The Secret Policeman's Other Balltrue- Self - Various Roles

1982-03-01

6.0
Percy's Progress
Percy's Progresstrue- Dr. Anderson / Australian TV Lady

1974-08-01

3.9
Some Interesting Facts About Peter Cook
Some Interesting Facts About Peter Cooktrue- Self

1995-12-19

0.0
Justin and the Knights of Valour
Justin and the Knights of Valourtrue- Braulio (voice)

2013-08-09

5.9
Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckers
Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckerstrue- Sir Les Patterson/Owen Steele/Sandy Stone/Dame Edna Everage

2003-12-08

0.0
Parkinson at 50
Parkinson at 50true- Dame Edna Everage (archive footage)

2021-08-28

10.0
Side by Side
Side by Sidetrue

1975-04-30

6.5
The Great MacArthy
The Great MacArthytrue- Col Ball-Miller

1975-08-04

5.0
Salvation
Salvationtrue- Client

2009-03-19

5.0
Jack Irish: Dead Point
Jack Irish: Dead Pointtrue- Justice Logan

2014-04-13

6.8
An Audience with Dame Edna Everage
An Audience with Dame Edna Everagetrue

1980-12-26

1.0
Selling Hitler
Selling Hitlertrue- Rupert Murdoch

1991-06-11

7.0
One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage
One More Audience with Dame Edna Everagetrue- Dame Edna Everage

1988-12-25

0.0
Les Patterson Saves the World
Les Patterson Saves the Worldtrue- Sir Les Patterson / Dame Edna Everage

1987-04-09

4.8
Barry Humphries: The Last Laugh
Barry Humphries: The Last Laughtrue- Self

2023-12-23

0.0
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hillstrue- Bert / Lady Shopper / Manager

1997-10-07

3.7
We Are Most Amused
We Are Most Amusedtrue- Self

2008-11-15

7.2
An Audience with Jackie Mason
An Audience with Jackie Masontrue

1990-12-27

0.0
Blinky Bill the Movie
Blinky Bill the Movietrue- Wombo (voice)

2015-08-21

5.4
The Getting of Wisdom
The Getting of Wisdomtrue- Rev. Strachey

1977-08-25

5.5
Nicholas Nickleby
Nicholas Nicklebytrue- Mrs. Crummies/Mr. Leadville

2002-12-27

6.9
Spice World
Spice Worldtrue- Kevin McMaxford

1997-12-18

4.8
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movietrue- Charlie / Dame Edna

2016-07-01

5.3
Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show
Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Showtrue- Self

2015-12-25

8.0
A Toast to Melbourne
A Toast to Melbournetrue

1981-01-01

0.0
Joan Rivers: Abroad in London
Joan Rivers: Abroad in Londontrue- Dame Edna Everage

1992-10-08

0.0
Standing Up for Sunny
Standing Up for Sunnytrue- Barry Humphries

2019-06-12

5.6
Not Quite Hollywood
Not Quite Hollywoodtrue- Self

2008-08-28

6.8
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossomtrue- Mr. Wainwright

1968-09-11

6.7
Dr. Fischer of Geneva
Dr. Fischer of Genevatrue- Richard Deane

1984-10-08

5.6
Kath & Kimderella
Kath & Kimderellatrue- Dame Edna Everage

2012-09-06

5.3
Napoleon
Napoleontrue- Kangaroo (voice)

1995-06-30

6.1
Howling III: The Marsupials
Howling III: The Marsupialstrue- Academy Award Presenter

1987-05-15

4.5
Making Mary and Max
Making Mary and Maxtrue- Self

2009-10-21

0.0
It Started with Swap Shop
It Started with Swap Shoptrue- Self

2006-12-28

0.0
Show of Titles
Show of Titlestrue- "Anyone Can Whistle" Performer

2021-06-13

0.0
Little Britain Down Under
Little Britain Down Undertrue- Dame Edna Everage

2007-05-27

5.0

Top Movie Crew

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
The Adventures of Barry McKenzietrue

Writing

1972-10-12

5.2
Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckers
Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckerstrue

Writing

2003-12-08

0.0
Les Patterson Saves the World
Les Patterson Saves the Worldtrue

Writing

1987-04-09

4.8
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Barry McKenzie Holds His Owntrue

Writing

1974-12-12

5.4

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