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{{Short description|Australian comedian (1934–2023)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}

factoids

| image = Barry Humphries July 2001.jpg| caption = Humphries in 2001| birth_name = John Barry Humphries193417|df=yes}}Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)>Victoria, Australia20232202df=yes}}| death_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia| nationality = | education = Camberwell Grammar SchoolMelbourne Grammar SchoolActorartistsatirist}}| spouse = {hide}Ubl Tessa Humphries>Tessa and Oscar| module =

factoids

Dame Edna Everage Sir Les Patterson > Sandy Stone }}}}}}John Barry Humphries {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AC|CBE}} (17 February 1934 – 22 April 2023) was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. Humphries’s characters brought him international renown. He appeared in numerous stage productions, films and television shows. Originally conceived as a dowdy Moonee Ponds housewife who caricatured Australian suburban complacency and insularity, the Dame Edna Everage character developed into a satire of stardom – a gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally fêted “housewife gigastar”.Humphries’s other satirical characters included the “priapic and inebriated cultural attaché” Sir Les Patterson, who “continued to bring worldwide discredit upon Australian arts and culture, while contributing as much to the Australian vernacular as he has borrowed from it”; {{citation required|date=December 2023}} 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; failed tycoon Owen Steele; and archetypal Australian “bloke” Barry McKenzie.

Early life

Humphries was born on 17 February 1934 in the suburb of Kew in Melbourne, Victoria,“Return of a passionate pilgrim” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801061954www.theage.com.au/news/national/passionate-pilgrim/2005/10/06/1128562941049.html |date=1 August 2013 }} by Barry Humphries, The Age (7 October 2005) the son of Eric Humphries (né John Albert Eric Humphries) (1905–1972), a construction manager, and his wife Louisa Agnes (née Brown) (1907–1984).BOOK, One Man Show: The Stages of Barry Humphries, Anne, Pender, ABC Books (HarperCollins), 2011, 978-0-73-049606-9, His grandfather John George Humphries was an emigrant to Australia from Manchester, England, in the late 1800s. His father was well-to-do, and Barry grew up in a “clean, tasteful, and modern suburban home” on Christowel Street, Camberwell, then one of Melbourne’s new “garden suburbs”. His early home life set the pattern for his eventual stage career; his father in particular spent little time with him, and Humphries spent hours playing at dressing-up in the back garden.{{blockquote|text=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.{{citation |title=Dame Edna Everage: ‘The world needs my beauty secrets’ |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG3901478/Dame-Edna-Everage-The-world-needs-my-beauty-secrets.html |author=Celia Walden |date=30 December 2008 |access-date=22 April 2023 |archive-date=21 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421052855fashion.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/news-features/TMG3901478/Dame-Edna-Everage-The-world-needs-my-beauty-secrets.html |url-status=live }}}}His parents nicknamed him “Sunny Sam”, and his early childhood was happy and uneventful. However, in his teens, Humphries 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 of his books to the Salvation Army, cheerfully explaining: “But you’ve read them, Barry.“WEB,www.ft.com/content/fb4f8ae2-2003-11e1-8662-00144feabdc0, Financial Times, www.ft.com, 22 April 2023, 29 November 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221129124709/https://www.ft.com/content/fb4f8ae2-2003-11e1-8662-00144feabdc0, live, Humphries responded by becoming a voracious reader, a collector of rare books, a painter, a theatre fan and a surrealist. Dressing in a black cloak, black homburg hat and mascaraed eyes, he invented his first sustained character, “Dr Aaron Azimuth”, agent provocateur, dandy and Dadaist.WEB,news.sky.com/story/farewell-possum-barry-humphries-from-dame-edna-everage-to-the-man-behind-the-mask-12863167, ‘Farewell, possum!’: Barry Humphries - from Dame Edna Everage to the man behind the mask, Sky News, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422154844/https://news.sky.com/story/farewell-possum-barry-humphries-from-dame-edna-everage-to-the-man-behind-the-mask-12863167, live,

Education

Educated first at Camberwell Grammar School, Humphries was awarded a place in the school’s gallery of achievement. As his father’s building business prospered, Humphries was sent to Melbourne Grammar School, where he spurned sport, detested mathematics, shirked cadets “on the basis of conscientious objection” and matriculated with strong results in English and art. Humphries described this schooling, in a Who’s Who entry, as “self-educated, attended Melbourne Grammar School”.BOOK,www.the-rathouse.com/PC_TheRealBH.html, The Real Barry Humphries?, 26 February 2009, Coleman, Peter, Peter Coleman, 1990, Robson, 0-86051-678-4, 7 January 2009,www.the-rathouse.com/PC_TheRealBH.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090107225329www.the-rathouse.com/PC_TheRealBH.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090107225329www.the-rathouse.com/PC_TheRealBH.html, live, Humphries spent two years studying at the University of Melbourne, where he studied law, philosophy and fine arts. During this time, he was a private in the Melbourne University Regiment,WEB,www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j39/mccarthyrev, Dayton McCarthy, The once and future army: a history of the Citizen Military Forces, 1947–74, awm.gov.au, 21 October 2022, 20 October 2022, 20 October 2022,web.archive.org/web/20221020235114/https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j39/mccarthyrev, live, serving a period of national service in the Citizens Military Force of the Australian Army. He did not graduate from university (although he would receive an honorary doctorate almost 50 years later).WEB,www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2003/s907845.htm, live, Barry Humphries accepts honorary doctorate, abc.net.au,www.abc.net.au:80/pm/content/2003/s907845.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20030818145959www.abc.net.au:80/pm/content/2003/s907845.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20030818145959www.abc.net.au:80/pm/content/2003/s907845.htm, 18 August 2003, During this time he became a follower of the deconstructive and absurdist art movement, Dada.WEB,amp.theguardian.com/stage/2023/apr/22/barry-humphries-alter-egos-dame-edna-everage-sir-les-patterson, Barry Humphries was a master of provocation and glorious grotesquerie, The Guardian, 24 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423101243/https://amp.theguardian.com/stage/2023/apr/22/barry-humphries-alter-egos-dame-edna-everage-sir-les-patterson, live, The Dadaist pranks and performances that he mounted in Melbourne were experiments in anarchy and visual satire that have become part of Australian folklore. An exhibit entitled “Puss 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. He was part of a group that made a series of Dada-influenced recordings in Melbourne from 1952 to 1953. “Wubbo Music” (Humphries said that “wubbo” is a pseudo-Aboriginal word meaning “nothing“) is thought to be one of the earliest recordings of experimental music in Australia. Other exhibits the group mounted include “Creche Bang”, a pram covered in meat and “Eye and Spoon Race”, a spoon with a sheep’s eye.Brown, Craig: One on One, p. 292, 2011 {{ISBN|978-0-00-736062-8}}

Career

Early career in Australia

Humphries had written and performed songs and sketches in university revues, so after leaving university he joined the newly formed Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC). It was at this point that he created the first incarnation of what became his best-known character, Edna Everage. The first stage sketch to feature Mrs. Norm Everage, called “Olympic Hostess”, premiered at Melbourne University’s Union Theatre on 13 December 1955.NEWS, Coleman, Peter, Barry Humphries obituary,www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/apr/22/barry-humphries-obituary, The Guardian, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422123647/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/apr/22/barry-humphries-obituary, live, NEWS, Callanan, Tim, A look back at the colourful characters of Barry Humphries,www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-22/barry-humphries-dame-edna-les-patterson-sandy-stone/102239018, ABC News, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422112800/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-22/barry-humphries-dame-edna-les-patterson-sandy-stone/102239018, live, In his award-winning autobiography, More Please (1992), Humphries related that he had created a character similar to Edna in the back of a bus while touring country Victoria with Twelfth Night with the MTC at the age of 20. He credited his then mentor, Peter O’Shaughnessy, stating that, without his “nurturing and promotion, the character of Edna Everage would have been nipped in the bud after 1956 and never come to flower, while the character of Sandy Stone would never have taken shape as a presence on the stage”.BOOK, Barry, Humphries, More Please, 1992, Viking, 176–177, In 1957, Humphries moved to Sydney and joined Sydney’s Phillip Street Theatre, which became Australia’s leading venue for revue and satirical comedy over the next decade. His first appearance at Phillip Street was in the satirical revue Two to One, starring veteran Australian musical star Max Oldaker, with a cast including Humphries and future Number 96 star Wendy Blacklock. Although he had originally assumed Edna’s debut Melbourne appearance would be a one-off, Humphries decided to revive “Olympic Hostess” for Phillip Street and its success helped to launch what became a fifty-year career for the self-proclaimed “Housewife Superstar” (later Megastar, then Gigastar).BOOK, Johnson, Rob, Smiedt, David, 1999, 142, Boom-boom!, Rydalmere, Hodder Headline, 9780733609381, The next Phillip Street revue was Around the Loop, which again teamed Oldaker, Gordon Chater, Blacklock and Humphries, plus newcomer June Salter. Humphries revived the Edna character (for what he said would be the last time) and the revue proved to be a major hit, playing eight shows a week for 14 months. During this period Humphries was living near Bondi and while out walking one day he had a chance meeting with an elderly man who had a high, scratchy voice and a pedantic manner of speech; this encounter inspired the creation of another of Humphries’s most enduring characters, Sandy Stone.{{sfn|Johnson|Smiedt|1999|p=143}}In September 1957, Humphries appeared as Estragon in Waiting for Godot, in Australia’s first production of the Samuel Beckett play at the Arrow Theatre in Melbourne directed by Peter O’Shaughnessy who played Vladimir.“Samuel Beckett’s Reception in Australia and New Zealand” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317115748anu.academia.edu/russellsmith/Papers/1121177/Samuel_Becketts_Reception_in_Australia_and_New_Zealand_with_Chris_Ackerley_._Matthew_Feldman_and_Mark_Nixon_eds._The_International_Reception_of_Samuel_Beckett._London_Continuum_2009._108-128 |date=17 March 2012 }}, by Russell Smith and Chris Ackerley, in The International Reception of Samuel Beckett, Matthew Feldman and Mark Dixon eds. London, Continuum 2009 pp. 108–128.In 1958, Humphries and O’Shaughnessy collaborated on and appeared in the Rock’n’Reel Revue at the New Theatre in Melbourne, where Humphries brought the characters of Mrs Everage and Sandy Stone into the psyche of Melbourne audiences.WEB,peteroshaughnessy.info/,peteroshaughnessy.info/," title="web.archive.org/web/20140102064742peteroshaughnessy.info/,">web.archive.org/web/20140102064742peteroshaughnessy.info/, dead, Peter O’Shaughnessy, 2 January 2014, peteroshaughnessy.info, In the same year, Humphries made his first commercial recording, the EP Wild Life in Suburbia, which featured liner notes by his friend, the Modernist architect and writer Robin Boyd.WEB,recollection.com.au/archives/wildlife-in-suburbia, Wildlife in Suburbia: Barry Humphries, recollection.com.au, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423082122/https://recollection.com.au/archives/wildlife-in-suburbia, live,

London and the 1960s

In 1959, Humphries moved to London, where he lived and worked throughout the 1960s. He became a friend of 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. Humphries performed at Cook’s comedy venue The Establishment, where he became a friend of and was photographed by leading photographer Lewis Morley, whose studio was located above the club.NEWS,www.smh.com.au/national/lewis-morley-eye-on-the-iconic-heart-for-the-home-20130906-2tagf.html, Lewis Morley: Eye on the iconic, heart for the home, Thompson, Tom, The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 September 2013, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423075714/https://www.smh.com.au/national/lewis-morley-eye-on-the-iconic-heart-for-the-home-20130906-2tagf.html, live, Humphries 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. The bawdy cartoon satire of the worst aspects of Australians abroad was written by Humphries and drawn by New Zealand-born cartoonist Nicholas Garland. The book version of the comic strip, published in the late 1960s, was for some time banned by the Australian government because it “relied on indecency for its humour”.WEB, Barry Humphries, renowned actor behind Dame Edna Everage, dead at 89,www.cbc.ca/news/world/dame-edna-obituary-barry-humphries-1.6819360, 23 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422235918/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/dame-edna-obituary-barry-humphries-1.6819360, live, Humphries appeared in numerous West End stage productions including the musicals Oliver! and Maggie May, by Lionel Bart, and in stage and radio productions by his friend Spike Milligan. At one time, he was invited to play the leading role of Captain Martin Bules in The Bedsitting Room, which had already opened successfully at the Mermaid Theatre and was transferring to the West End. Humphries performed with Milligan in the 1968 production of Treasure Island in the role of Long John Silver.BOOK, Spike Milligan: His Part in Our Lives, Ventham, Maxine, Barry Humphries, 2002, Robson, London, 1-86105-530-7, 92–97, He described working with Milligan as “one of the strangest and most exhilarating experiences of my career”.Ventham (2002) p. 693In 1961, when Humphries was in Cornwall with his wife, he fell over a cliff near Zennor and landed on a ledge 50 m (150 ft) below, breaking bones. The rescue by helicopter was filmed by a news crew from ITN. The footage of the rescue was shown to Humphries for the first time on a 2006 BBC show, Turn Back Time.{{cn|date=May 2023}}Humphries’s 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 album (released on Decca Records) and reprised the role when the production moved to Broadway in 1963. However, the song “That’s Your Funeral” was omitted from the RCA Victor original Broadway cast album, so Humphries is not heard at all on it. In 1967, he starred as Fagin in the Piccadilly Theatre’s revival of Oliver!, which featured a young Phil Collins as the Artful Dodger. In 1997, Humphries reprised the role of Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh’s award-winning revival at the London Palladium.WEB, Smurthwaite, Nick, Obituary: Barry Humphries,www.thestage.co.uk/obituaries--archive/obituaries/barry-humphries-obituary-dame-edna-everage, The Stage, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422144704/https://www.thestage.co.uk/obituaries--archive/obituaries/barry-humphries-obituary-dame-edna-everage, live, In 1967, his friendship with Cook and Moore led to his first film role, a cameo as “Envy” in the film Bedazzled, starring Cook and Moore, with Eleanor Bron and directed by Stanley Donen. The following year, he appeared in The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom, with Shirley MacLaine.WEB, Guide, British Comedy, The Bliss Of Mrs. Blossom Cast and Crew Credits, British Comedy Guide, 22 April 2023,www.comedy.co.uk/film/the_bliss_of_mrs_blossom/cast_crew/, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422154844/https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/the_bliss_of_mrs_blossom/cast_crew/, live, Humphries contributed to BBC Television’s The Late Show (1966–67), 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 Sandy Stone. 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. Humphries gained considerable notoriety with Just a Show. It polarised British critics but was successful enough to lead to a short-lived BBC television series, The Barry Humphries Scandals.WEB, Barry Humphries’ Scandals,www.comedy.co.uk/tv/barry_humphries_scandals/, British Comedy Guide, 22 April 2023, 27 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230427192547/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/barry_humphries_scandals/, live,

1970s

In 1970, Humphries returned to Australia, where Edna Everage made her movie debut in John B. Murray’s The Naked Bunyip.WEB, Dame Edna Everage Comic Barry Humphries Dies at 89,extratv.com/2023/04/22/dame-edna-everage-comic-barry-humphries-dies-at-89/, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423085732/https://extratv.com/2023/04/22/dame-edna-everage-comic-barry-humphries-dies-at-89/, live, In 1971–72 he teamed up with producer Phillip Adams and writer-director Bruce Beresford to create a film version of the Barry McKenzie cartoons. The Adventures of Barry McKenzie starred singer Barry Crocker in the title role and featured Humphries—who co-wrote the script with Beresford—playing three different parts. 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. It was almost unanimously panned by Australian film critics,WEB, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie,aso.gov.au/titles/features/adventures-barry-mckenzie/clip1/, Australian Screen, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422204551/https://aso.gov.au/titles/features/adventures-barry-mckenzie/clip1/, live, but became a huge hit with audiences. The film became the first Australian feature film to make more than $1 million at the box office,WEB, Groves, Don, Beresford reflects on his ‘colossal mistake’,www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2010/03/23/beresford-reflects-his-colossal-mistake, SBS, 23 March 2010, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423141654/https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/article/2010/03/23/beresford-reflects-his-colossal-mistake, live, paving the way for the success of subsequent locally made feature films such as Alvin Purple and Picnic at Hanging Rock.WEB,amp.theguardian.com/film/2003/jan/08/artsfeatures.australia, A Fistful of Fosters, The Guardian, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424110716/https://amp.theguardian.com/film/2003/jan/08/artsfeatures.australia, live, It has been argued that Humphries was the first “proper” movie star of the Australian movie revival and was under-used as a star of local films.MAGAZINE, Filmink,www.filmink.com.au/barry-humphries-the-first-proper-film-star-of-the-australian-revival/, Stephen, Vagg, 23 April 2023, Barry Humphries – The First Proper Film Star of the Australian Revival, 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.O’Sullivan, Mark: The Biggest Mind Bending Event So Far, Music Performance in Sydney 1932–1994, Sydney University Honours Thesis, 1994. p. 44 It included poems with titles such as “Histoire du Lamington” and “Morceau en forme de ‘meat pie’”.St. Pierre, Paul Matthew: A Portrait of the Artist as an Australian, MQUP, 2004. p. 79

Film roles

From the late 1960s, Humphries appeared in numerous films, mostly in supporting or cameo roles. His credits included Bedazzled (1967), the UK sex comedy Percy’s Progress (1974), David Baker’s The Great Macarthy (1975), and Bruce Beresford’s Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974), in which Edna was made a dame by then Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam.NEWS, Cain, Sian, Barry Humphries, Australian comedian and creator of Dame Edna Everage, dies aged 89,www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/apr/22/barry-humphries-dies-australian-comedian-death-dead-dame-edna-everage-sir-les-patterson, The Guardian, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422112134/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/apr/22/barry-humphries-dies-australian-comedian-death-dead-dame-edna-everage-sir-les-patterson, live, His other film credits included 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, 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.Humphries was more successful with his featured role as Richard Deane in Dr. Fischer of Geneva (1985); this was followed by 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 (1995), the role of Count Metternich in Immortal Beloved (1994), as well as roles in The Leading Man (1996), the Spice Girls’ film Spice World, the Australian feature Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), and Nicholas Nickleby (2002), in which he donned female garb to play Nathan Lane’s wife.WEB,www.darkhorizons.com/barry-humphries-for-nicholas-nickleby/, Barry Humphries for “Nicholas Nickleby”, 23 December 2002, Darkhorizons.com, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423181703/https://www.darkhorizons.com/barry-humphries-for-nicholas-nickleby/, live, Humphries featured in various roles in comedy performance films including The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball (1982) and A Night of Comic Relief 2 (1989). In 1987, he starred as Les Patterson in one of his own rare flops, 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.WEB, Les Patterson Saves the World,www.allaboutmovies.com.au/poster-formats/day-bill-posters/les-patterson-saves-the-world-poster-original-daybill-1987-dame-edna, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423152748/https://www.allaboutmovies.com.au/poster-formats/day-bill-posters/les-patterson-saves-the-world-poster-original-daybill-1987-dame-edna, live, In 2003, Humphries voiced the shark Bruce in the Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, using an exaggerated baritone Australian accent.WEB, Barry Humphries dead: Dame Edna star passes away aged 89,www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/barry-humphries-dead-dame-edna-australia-showbiz-b1075989.html, Evening Standard, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422111321/https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/barry-humphries-dead-dame-edna-australia-showbiz-b1075989.html, live, During 2011, Humphries travelled to New Zealand to perform the role of the Great Goblin in the first instalment of Peter Jackson’s three-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.NEWS, Peter Jackson retitles The Hobbit part three The Battle of the Five Armies, Ben, Child, The Guardian, 24 April 2014, 24 April 2014,www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/24/peter-jackson-hobbit-battle-of-the-five-armies, 25 April 2014,www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/24/peter-jackson-hobbit-battle-of-the-five-armies," title="web.archive.org/web/20140425003835www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/24/peter-jackson-hobbit-battle-of-the-five-armies,">web.archive.org/web/20140425003835www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/24/peter-jackson-hobbit-battle-of-the-five-armies, live, “Barry Humphries joins cast of The Hobbit” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622035207www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/barry-humphries-joins-cast-of-the-hobbit-20110620-1gaql.html |date=22 June 2011 }}, The Age (20 June 2011) At the press conference in Wellington, New Zealand, just before the film’s world premiere, Humphries commented:{{blockquote|text=It was thrilling to work on this film and when you see my extraordinary interpretation you realise why I immediately fell into the arms of Jenny Craig, and minor cosmetic surgery. I always thought motion capture was something you did when you were taking a specimen at the doctor.WEB,entertainment.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=8571664, Celebrity News, celebrity Gossip, TV shows, Movies, MSN New Zealand, entertainment.msn.co.nz, 22 April 2018, 4 June 2013,entertainment.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=8571664," title="web.archive.org/web/20130604181109entertainment.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=8571664,">web.archive.org/web/20130604181109entertainment.msn.co.nz/article.aspx?id=8571664, live, }}In 2015, Humphries voiced the role of Wombo the Wombat in Blinky Bill the Movie.WEB, BLINKY BILL THE MOVIE, Wombo (voice: Barry Humphries), 2015. Shout! Factory Kids courtesy Everett Co,www.imago-images.com/st/0098681183, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423152745/https://www.imago-images.com/st/0098681183, live, In 2016, he appeared in a dual role in (Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie) as Charlie, a rich former lover of Patsy Stone, and in a nonspeaking cameo as Dame Edna.WEB, Barry Humphries, Comedian Behind Iconic Character Dame Edna, Dies At 89,screenrant.com/barry-humphries-death-obituary/, Screen Rant, 22 April 2023, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423035344/https://screenrant.com/barry-humphries-death-obituary/, live,

One-man shows

Humphries’s forte was always his one-man satirical stage revues, in which he appeared as Edna Everage and other character creations, most commonly Les Patterson and Sandy Stone. The longevity of Dame Edna endured for more than sixty years, but, in 2012, he announced his retirement from live performance.Humphries’s one-man shows, which were typically two and a half hours long, alternated satirical monologues and musical numbers and consisted of entirely original material, laced with ad-libbing, improvisation and audience participation segments. Humphries mostly performed solo, but he was occasionally joined on stage by supporting dancers and an accompanist during the musical numbers. Only one actor ever regularly shared the stage with Humphries, and this was during the Edna segments: English actress Emily Perry played Edna’s long-suffering bridesmaid from New Zealand, Madge Allsop, whose character never spoke.Humphries presented many successful shows in London, most of which he subsequently toured internationally. Although he eventually gained worldwide 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. He gained considerable notoriety with his next one-man revue, Just a Show, staged at London’s Fortune Theatre in 1969. It polarised the critics but was a hit with audiences and became the basis of a growing cult following in the UK. He further developed the character of Edna Everage in his early-1970s’ 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 City in 1977 at the off-Broadway Theatre Four (now called the Julia Miles Theatre), 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), and, like many of his shows, the title derives from the sarcastic remarks his mother often made when she took Humphries to the theatre to see superannuated overseas actors touring in Australia during his youth.WEB,speakola.com/arts/barry-humphries-asparagus-roll-1978, Barry Humphries: ‘Through the thin end of an asparagus roll’, National Press Club - 1978, 3 September 2015, Speakola, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424105346/https://speakola.com/arts/barry-humphries-asparagus-roll-1978, live, His subsequent one-man shows included:

• A Night with Dame Edna (1979),NEWS, Barry Humphries obituary: Actor of Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, The Irish Times,www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2023/04/22/barry-humphries-obituary-entertainers-outrageous-caricatures-dame-edna-everage-and-sir-les-patterson-took-the-one-man-show-to-new-heights/, 25 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424193808/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2023/04/22/barry-humphries-obituary-entertainers-outrageous-caricatures-dame-edna-everage-and-sir-les-patterson-took-the-one-man-show-to-new-heights/, live, for which he won an Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance
• An Evening’s Intercourse with Dame Edna (1982)WEB, From the Archives, 1981: Dame Edna prepares,www.smh.com.au/culture/theatre/from-the-archives-1981-dame-edna-prepares-20210319-p57ca8.html, Sydney Morning Herald, 31 March 2021, 25 April 2023, 25 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230425160800/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/theatre/from-the-archives-1981-dame-edna-prepares-20210319-p57ca8.html, live,
• Back with a Vengeance (1987–1989, 2005–2007)
• Look at Me When I’m Talking to You (1996)WEB, Look At Me (When I’m Talking to You),www.shazam.com/gb/track/133854229/look-at-me-when-im-talking-to-you, 25 April 2023, 25 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230425160800/https://www.shazam.com/gb/track/133854229/look-at-me-when-im-talking-to-you, live,
• Edna, The Spectacle (1998) at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, where he held the record as the only solo act to fill the theatre (since it opened in 1720)WEB, Barry Humphries: Outrageous comedian and creator of Dame Edna, Independent.co.uk, 23 April 2023,www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/barry-humphries-dame-edna-obituary-b2324271.html, 25 April 2023, 25 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230425193138/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/barry-humphries-dame-edna-obituary-b2324271.html, live,
• Remember You’re Out which toured Australia in 1999WEB, Dame Edna: Remember you’re out!,www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0vmMPQhImE, YouTube, 25 April 2023, 25 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230425160800/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0vmMPQhImE, live,
• Dame Edna Live: The First Last Tour toured the US in 2009WEB, Gans, Andrew, Dame Edna’s First Last Tour to Play Texas, Florida, California and More,playbill.com/article/dame-ednas-first-last-tour-to-play-texas-florida-california-and-more-com-112381, PlayBill, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423174126/https://playbill.com/article/dame-ednas-first-last-tour-to-play-texas-florida-california-and-more-com-112381, live,

He made numerous theatrical tours in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and the Far and Middle East. In 2003, he toured Australia with his show Getting Back to My Roots (and Other Suckers).WEB, Clark, Andrew, ‘The greatest comedian since Charlie Chaplin’, 22 April 2023,www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/vale-barry-humphries-the-greatest-comedian-since-charlie-chaplin-20230419-p5d1qx#:~:text=In%202003%2C%20Humphries%20toured%20Australia,titled%20Eat%2C%20Pray%2C%20Laugh!, 23 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422105518/https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/vale-barry-humphries-the-greatest-comedian-since-charlie-chaplin-20230419-p5d1qx#:~:text=In%202003%2C%20Humphries%20toured%20Australia,titled%20Eat%2C%20Pray%2C%20Laugh!, live, For his delivery of Dadaist and absurdist humour to millions, his 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”.“Absurd moments: in the frocks of the dame” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126143336www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/books/absurd-moments-in-the-frocks-of-the-dame-20100914-15ar3.html |date=26 November 2011 }} by Steve Meacham, Brisbane Times (15 September 2010)

Television roles

Humphries’s numerous television appearances in Australia, the UK and the U.S. included The Bunyip, a children’s comedy for the Seven Network 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 series featured a variety of famous guests, including Liza Minnelli, Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Dusty Springfield, Charlton Heston, Lauren Bacall, and Jane Seymour.WEB, The Dame Edna Experience” Arrives on DVD in June,playbill.com/article/the-dame-edna-experience-arrives-on-dvd-in-june-com-119865, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423161508/https://playbill.com/article/the-dame-edna-experience-arrives-on-dvd-in-june-com-119865, live, These highly popular programmes 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 (1998).WEB,www.acmi.net.au/works/94908--barry-humphries-flashbacks-dvd/, Barry Humphries’ Flashbacks, ACMI, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424100828/https://www.acmi.net.au/works/94908--barry-humphries-flashbacks-dvd/, live, 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 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. Edna’s most recent television special was Dame Edna Live at the Palace in 2003. He starred in the Kath & Kim telemovie Da Kath & Kim Code in late 2005.WEB,australiantelevision.net/kk/telemovie.html, Da Kath and Kim Code, Australian Television Information Archive, 24 April 2023, 16 July 2012,australiantelevision.net/kk/telemovie.html," title="archive.today/20120716180036australiantelevision.net/kk/telemovie.html,">archive.today/20120716180036australiantelevision.net/kk/telemovie.html, live, In 1977, Dame Edna guest-starred on the U.S. sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live.WEB, Saturday Night Live 1977 (Dame Edna Everage),www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/ca98c4d3fcc406839dcfdeb27804496e.php, RockyMusic, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/ca98c4d3fcc406839dcfdeb27804496e.php," title="web.archive.org/web/20230423161509www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/ca98c4d3fcc406839dcfdeb27804496e.php,">web.archive.org/web/20230423161509www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/ca98c4d3fcc406839dcfdeb27804496e.php, live, 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. The series once again had a collection of high-profile celebrity guests, such as Tim Allen, Mischa Barton, Sigourney Weaver, Debbie Harry, and Shirley Bassey.WEB, THE DAME EDNA TREATMENT,www.sroaudiences.com/scrapbook.asp?s=63&p=2&move=get&priority=125, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423161517/https://www.sroaudiences.com/scrapbook.asp?s=63&p=2&move=get&priority=125, live, 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!.NEWS, Barry Humphries to join panel of I’d Do Anything, BBC, 28 February 2007,www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/02_february/28/humphries.shtml, 23 April 2023, NEWS, Meet the judges!, BBC, 28 February 2008,www.bbc.co.uk/oliver/news/2008/02/28/53212.shtml, 23 April 2023, 5 March 2008,www.bbc.co.uk/oliver/news/2008/02/28/53212.shtml," title="web.archive.org/web/20080305045941www.bbc.co.uk/oliver/news/2008/02/28/53212.shtml,">web.archive.org/web/20080305045941www.bbc.co.uk/oliver/news/2008/02/28/53212.shtml, live, In May 2013, Australia’s ABC Network announced that Humphries would be joining the cast of the Australian telemovie series, Jack Irish, playing a high-profile judge in the third movie in the series.WEB,www.tvtonight.com.au/2013/05/barry-humphries-joins-third-jack-irish-telemovie.html, Barry Humphries joins third Jack Irish telemovie, 20 May 2013, 22 April 2018, 23 April 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180423033600/https://tvtonight.com.au/2013/05/barry-humphries-joins-third-jack-irish-telemovie.html, live, He appeared as Justice Loder in the 2014 “Dead Point” episode.WEB, Knox, David, Airdate: Jack Irish: Dead Point {{!, TV Tonight |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2014/03/airdate-jack-irish-dead-point.html |website=tvtonight.com.au |date=29 March 2014 |access-date=17 September 2020 |language=en-AU |archive-date=7 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207155141tvtonight.com.au/2014/03/airdate-jack-irish-dead-point.html |url-status=live }}

Success in the United States

(File:Barry Humphries December 2000.jpg|thumb|upright|Humphries in Toronto, Canada, during Dame Edna: The Royal Tour North American tour, December 2000)In 2000 Humphries took his Dame Edna: The Royal Tour show to North America winning the inaugural Special Tony Award for a Live Theatrical Event in 2000 and won two National Broadway Theatre Awards for “Best Play” and for “Best Actor” in 2001. Asked by an Australian journalist what it was like to win a Tony Award, he said “it was like winning a thousand Gold Logies at the same time”.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Dame Edna’s new-found success in the United States led to many media opportunities, including a semi-regular role in the hit TV series Ally McBeal. Vanity Fair magazine invited Dame Edna to write a satirical advice column in 2003, although, after an outcry following a remark about learning Spanish, the column was discontinued.NEWS,articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/16/opinion/op-rrodriguez16, Dear Edna: Why Can’t We Laugh Anymore?, Los Angeles Times, 16 February 2003, 23 April 2023, 12 March 2014,articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/16/opinion/op-rrodriguez16," title="web.archive.org/web/20140312213643articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/16/opinion/op-rrodriguez16,">web.archive.org/web/20140312213643articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/16/opinion/op-rrodriguez16, live, As of September 2021, Humphries was honorary vice-president of the American Guild of Variety Artists trade union.“EXTRA, EXTRA...Variety News! – AGVA officer Election results are in! – September 25, 2021” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701204323agvausa.com/ |date=1 July 2022 }}, AGVA website

Farewell tour

(File:Barry Humphries (7060377957).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Humphries in 2012)In March 2012, Humphries announced his retirement from live entertainment,WEB,www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/barry-humphries-retires-as-dame-edna-and-sir-les/story-e6freuy9-1226302658914, Barry Humphries retires as Dame Edna and Sir Les, The Daily Telegraph, London, 18 March 2012, 11 July 2012, 7 September 2012,www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/barry-humphries-retires-as-dame-edna-and-sir-les/story-e6freuy9-1226302658914," title="web.archive.org/web/20120907173615www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/barry-humphries-retires-as-dame-edna-and-sir-les/story-e6freuy9-1226302658914,">web.archive.org/web/20120907173615www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/barry-humphries-retires-as-dame-edna-and-sir-les/story-e6freuy9-1226302658914, live, stating that he was “beginning to feel a bit senior” and was planning to retire from show business. Humphries announced his Australian “Farewell Tour”, titled “Eat, Pray, Laugh!”, to begin in Canberra on 22 July 2012 and to conclude in Perth on 3 February 2013, although it was extended until 10 February.WEB,www.theaureview.com/news/barry-humphries-eat-pray-laugh-farewell-tour-dates-released, Barry Humphries “Eat, Pray, Laugh!” Farewell Tour Dates Released, The AU Review, 20 March 2012, 11 July 2012, 3 December 2013,www.theaureview.com/news/barry-humphries-eat-pray-laugh-farewell-tour-dates-released," title="web.archive.org/web/20131203015139www.theaureview.com/news/barry-humphries-eat-pray-laugh-farewell-tour-dates-released,">web.archive.org/web/20131203015139www.theaureview.com/news/barry-humphries-eat-pray-laugh-farewell-tour-dates-released, live, WEB,www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/stage/dame-edna-insists-shes-out-of-here-and-thats-final/story-fn9d344c-1226418323666, Dame Edna insists she’s out of here, and that’s final, The Australian, 6 July 2012, 11 July 2012, 9 July 2012,www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/stage/dame-edna-insists-shes-out-of-here-and-thats-final/story-fn9d344c-1226418323666," title="web.archive.org/web/20120709113532www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/stage/dame-edna-insists-shes-out-of-here-and-thats-final/story-fn9d344c-1226418323666,">web.archive.org/web/20120709113532www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/stage/dame-edna-insists-shes-out-of-here-and-thats-final/story-fn9d344c-1226418323666, live, The show included appearances by Dame Edna, Sir Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, and introduced a new character called Gerard Patterson, Sir Les’s brother and a paedophilic Catholic priest.WEB,www.theage.com.au/entertainment/theatre/humphries-announces-farewell-tour-20120318-1vd7z.html, Humphries announces farewell tour, The Age, 19 March 2012, 11 July 2012, 25 June 2012,www.theage.com.au/entertainment/theatre/humphries-announces-farewell-tour-20120318-1vd7z.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120625061411www.theage.com.au/entertainment/theatre/humphries-announces-farewell-tour-20120318-1vd7z.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120625061411www.theage.com.au/entertainment/theatre/humphries-announces-farewell-tour-20120318-1vd7z.html, live, The tour was widely praised. Dan Ilic of Time Out Sydney stated that Humphries delivered “a show that almost feels like a blueprint for the foundations for the last fifty years of Australian comedy”.WEB,www.au.timeout.com/sydney/theatre/features/10987/eat-pray-laugh-barry-humphries-farewell-tour, Eat, Pray, Laugh! Barry Humphries’ Farewell Tour, Timeout Sydney, 6 July 2012, 11 July 2012, dead,www.au.timeout.com/sydney/theatre/features/10987/eat-pray-laugh-barry-humphries-farewell-tour," title="web.archive.org/web/20120711081529www.au.timeout.com/sydney/theatre/features/10987/eat-pray-laugh-barry-humphries-farewell-tour,">web.archive.org/web/20120711081529www.au.timeout.com/sydney/theatre/features/10987/eat-pray-laugh-barry-humphries-farewell-tour, 11 July 2012, Helen Musa of CityNews gave a similarly positive review, referring to Humphries being “as virile, as vulgar and as magnificent as ever” thanks to a “well researched” script.WEB,citynews.com.au/2012/news/review-dame-edna-takes-a-bow-for-now/, Review: Dame Edna takes a bow, for now, CityNews, 25 June 2012, 11 July 2012, 3 July 2012,citynews.com.au/2012/news/review-dame-edna-takes-a-bow-for-now/," title="web.archive.org/web/20120703045056citynews.com.au/2012/news/review-dame-edna-takes-a-bow-for-now/,">web.archive.org/web/20120703045056citynews.com.au/2012/news/review-dame-edna-takes-a-bow-for-now/, live, Arts blog Critter Away referred to Humphries’ characters as being “still fresh” and “a testament to laugh-out-loud satire”.WEB,critteraway.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/barry-humphries-farewell-tour-review.html, Barry Humphries’ Farewell Tour – Review, Critter Away, 6 July 2012, 11 July 2012, 3 March 2016,critteraway.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/barry-humphries-farewell-tour-review.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160303225354critteraway.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/barry-humphries-farewell-tour-review.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160303225354critteraway.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/barry-humphries-farewell-tour-review.html, live, The same show opened in the United Kingdom at the Milton Keynes Theatre in October 2013 prior to a season of shows at the London Palladium and a national tour.WEB,playbill.com/article/barry-humphries-to-return-to-uk-for-farewell-tour-in-fall-2013-com-200517, Barry Humphries to Return to U.K. for Farewell Tour in Fall 2013, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424100135/https://playbill.com/article/barry-humphries-to-return-to-uk-for-farewell-tour-in-fall-2013-com-200517, live,

Weimar Cabaret

Humphries emceed a program of Weimar Republic cabaret songs performed by chanteuse Meow Meow and accompanied by the Australian Chamber Orchestra in July–August 2016WEB,www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/31/barry-humphries-weimar-cabaret-review-meow-meow-australian-chamber-orchestra, Barry Humphries’ Weimar Cabaret review – sardonic, sexual, wonderfully done, The Guardian, 31 July 2016, 23 July 2018, 24 July 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180724032243/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/31/barry-humphries-weimar-cabaret-review-meow-meow-australian-chamber-orchestra, live, and then by the Aurora Orchestra in July 2018.WEB,www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jul/11/barry-humphries-interview-offence-dame-edna-everage-sir-les-patterson, Barry Humphries: ‘I defend to the ultimate my right to give deep and profound offence’, The Guardian, 11 July 2018, 23 July 2018, 24 July 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180724033638/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jul/11/barry-humphries-interview-offence-dame-edna-everage-sir-les-patterson, live,

Characters

Dame Edna Everage

(File:Dame Edna (7105779617).jpg|thumb|Humphries as Dame Edna, 2012)Humphries was probably best known for his persona Dame Edna Everage.WEB, Dagan, Carmel, Frater, Patrick, 22 April 2023, Barry Humphries, Comedian Who Played Dame Edna Everage, Dies at 89,variety.com/2023/tv/news/barry-humphries-dead-dame-edna-everage-1235591477/, 23 April 2023, Variety, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423114410/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/barry-humphries-dead-dame-edna-everage-1235591477/, live, WEB, Comedian and Dame Edna star Barry Humphries dies aged 89,news.sky.com/story/comedian-and-dame-edna-star-barry-humphries-dies-aged-89-12860715, 23 April 2023, Sky News, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423060513/https://news.sky.com/story/comedian-and-dame-edna-star-barry-humphries-dies-aged-89-12860715, live, WEB, Barry Humphries, Known for His Drag Persona Dame Edna Everage, Dead at 89,www.advocate.com/obituaries/drag-dame-edna-everage-dead, 23 April 2023, www.advocate.com, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423114408/https://www.advocate.com/obituaries/drag-dame-edna-everage-dead, live, Originally conceived in 1956, Edna evolved from a satire of Australian suburbia to become, in the words of journalist Caroline OveringtonNEWS,www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/secret-life-of-a-frock-star-20021109-gdfsyn.html, Secret life of a frock star, 9 November 2002, The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423083325/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/secret-life-of-a-frock-star-20021109-gdfsyn.html, live, :{{blockquote|text=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)|title=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 was her extravagant wardrobe, with gaudy, custom-made gowns. Her costumes, most of which were created for her by Australian designer Bill Goodwin, routinely incorporated Aussie kitsch icons such as the flag, Australian native animals and flowers, the Sydney Opera House and the boxing kangaroo. Her outlandish spectacles were inspired by the glasses worn by the Melbourne eccentric, actor and dancer Stephanie Deste, as were many other aspects of Dame Edna’s personality.WEB,www.mivision.com.au/2012/06/our-unofficial-optical-ambassador-retires/, Our Unofficial Optical Ambassador Retires, 26 June 2012, 7 July 2019, 7 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190707003705/https://www.mivision.com.au/2012/06/our-unofficial-optical-ambassador-retires/, live, WEB,www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/the-evolution-of-edna-20060121-ge1lyt.html, The evolution of Edna, 21 January 2006, The Age, 7 July 2019, 25 September 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180925025833/https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/the-evolution-of-edna-20060121-ge1lyt.html, live, WEB,www.smh.com.au/national/the-many-faces-of-barry-humphries-20120322-1vmla.html, The many faces of Barry Humphries, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 March 2012, 7 July 2019, 7 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190707003703/https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-many-faces-of-barry-humphries-20120322-1vmla.html, live, WEB,museum.aco.org.au/archive/444-replica-of-dame-edna-everage-barry-humphries-spectacles-with-plano-sunglass-lenses, Replica of Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) spectacles with plano sunglass lenses, 17 December 2012, museum.aco.org.au, 7 July 2019, 7 July 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190707003707/https://museum.aco.org.au/archive/444-replica-of-dame-edna-everage-barry-humphries-spectacles-with-plano-sunglass-lenses, live, As the character evolved, Edna’s unseen family became an integral part of the satire, particularly the travails of her disabled husband Norm, who had an almost lifelong onslaught of an unspecified prostate ailment. Her daughter Valmai and her gay hairdresser son Kenny became intrinsic elements of the act, as did her long-suffering best friend and New Zealand bridesmaid, Madge Allsop.WEB,www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2023/04/22/barry-humphries-obituary-entertainers-outrageous-caricatures-dame-edna-everage-and-sir-les-patterson-took-the-one-man-show-to-new-heights/, Barry Humphries obituary: Entertainer’s outrageous caricatures Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson took the one-man show to new heights, The Irish Times, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424193808/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio/2023/04/22/barry-humphries-obituary-entertainers-outrageous-caricatures-dame-edna-everage-and-sir-les-patterson-took-the-one-man-show-to-new-heights/, live, Throughout Edna’s career, Madge was played by English actress Emily Perry, until Perry’s death in 2008. Perry was 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 programmes.WEB, Downes, Siobhan, The ‘Kiwi’ who was Dame Edna Everage’s famous sidekick, 23 April 2023,www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stage-and-theatre/131846811/the-kiwi-who-was-dame-edna-everages-famous-sidekick, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423010155/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stage-and-theatre/131846811/the-kiwi-who-was-dame-edna-everages-famous-sidekick, live, Dame Edna made a successful transition from stage to TV. The talk-show format provided an outlet for Humphries’ ability to ad-lib in character, and it enabled Edna to reach a wider range audience. As other Australian actors have begun to make a wider impression internationally, Edna did not hesitate to reveal that it was her mentorship that helped “kiddies” like “little Nicole Kidman” to achieve their early success.WEB,broadwaystars.com/ellis-nassour/2010/03/dame-ednas-back-and-michael-fe.shtml, Dame Edna’s Back and Michael Feinstein’s Got Her, BroadwayStars, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424114815/https://broadwaystars.com/ellis-nassour/2010/03/dame-ednas-back-and-michael-fe.shtml, live,

Sir Les Patterson

Humphries’s character, Sir Les Patterson, was a boozy Australian cultural attaché: dishevelled, uncouth, lecherous and coarse. He alternated with Edna and Sandy Stone in Humphries’s stage shows and typically featured in pre-recorded segments in Dame Edna’s TV shows. Sir Les was the polar opposite of Dame Edna; she was a culturally aspirational Protestant from Melbourne and he was a culture-free Roman Catholic from Sydney. In December 1987, Humphries appeared on the BBC Radio 4 program Today in a recorded interview in which he simultaneously played the characters of both Dame Edna and Sir Les.Interview {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428203131soundcloud.com/geykyn/dame-edna-and-sir-les-patterson-r4-today-dec-1987 |date=28 April 2022 }}, Today December 1987, John Humphrys – via SoundCloud

Sandy Stone

Humphries’s character, Sandy Stone, was an elderly Australian man, either single or married with a daughter who died as a child. Humphries said in 2016 that “slowly the character has deepened, so I begin to understand and appreciate him, and finally feel myself turning into him”. As Humphries aged, he no longer required makeup for the part and played Sandy in his own dressing gown.“The consummate amateur” by William Cook, The Oldie [London], September 2016, p. 18.

Personal life

Humphries was married four times. His first marriage, to Brenda Wright, took place when he was 21 and lasted less than two years. He had two daughters, Tessa and Emily, and two sons, Oscar and Rupert, from his second and third marriages to Rosalind Tong and Diane Millstead respectively. His elder son, Oscar, was editor of the art magazine ApolloNEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/the-feral-beast-changing-faces-of-apollo-1898740.html, The feral beast: Changing faces of Apollo, The Independent, 14 February 2010, 28 February 2011, London, 14 November 2017,web.archive.org/web/20171114145056/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/the-feral-beast-changing-faces-of-apollo-1898740.html, live, NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/7636026/Market-News.html, The Daily Telegraph, Colin, Gleadell, Market News: the controversial new editor of distinguished art magazine Apollo, 26 April 2010, London, 2 April 2018, 14 November 2017,www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/7636026/Market-News.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20171114204359www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/7636026/Market-News.html,">web.archive.org/web/20171114204359www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/7636026/Market-News.html, live, and a contributing editor at The Spectator.WEB, The Guardian,www.theguardian.com/media/2007/sep/17/pressandpublishing2, James rocks up at Spectator, Stephen, Brook, 17 September 2007, London, 11 December 2016, 27 September 2016,web.archive.org/web/20160927193703/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/sep/17/pressandpublishing2, live, He is now an art curator. His fourth wife (from 1990 until his death in 2023), Elizabeth Spender, previously an actor, is the daughter of British poet Sir Stephen Spender and the concert pianist Natasha Spender. They lived in a terraced townhouse in South Hampstead, his home for forty years.WEB,www.theoldie.co.uk/article/the-consummate-amateur, RIP Barry Humphries at 89, The Oldie, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424102716/https://www.theoldie.co.uk/article/the-consummate-amateur, live, In the 1960s, throughout his sojourn in London, Humphries became increasingly dependent on alcohol; by the last years of the decade, his friends and family began to fear that his addiction might cost him his career – or even his life. His status as ‘a dissolute, guilt-ridden, self-pitying boozer’ was undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the failure of his first marriage and was a contributing factor to the collapse of the second.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/barry-humphries-dame-for-a-laugh-556873.html, The Independent, London, Andrew, Barrow, Barry Humphries: Dame for a laugh, 15 August 2004, 26 March 2010, 4 March 2016,www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/barry-humphries-dame-for-a-laugh-556873.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304061302www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/barry-humphries-dame-for-a-laugh-556873.html,">web.archive.org/web/20160304061302www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/barry-humphries-dame-for-a-laugh-556873.html, live, Humphries’s alcoholism reached a crisis point during a visit home to Australia in the early 1970s. His parents finally had him admitted to a private hospital to ‘dry out’, when, after a particularly heavy binge, he was found battered and unconscious in a gutter.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=OKRLjvu0u4oC&pg=PA155, A Portrait of the Artist as Australian: L’Oeuvre bizarre de Barry Humphries, Paul Matthew St, Pierre, 30 September 2004, McGill–Queen’s University Press, 978-0-7735-7162-4, 155, 21 September 2016, 26 July 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200726154151/https://books.google.com/books?id=OKRLjvu0u4oC&pg=PA155, live, After that incident, he abstained from alcohol completely and occasionally attended Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. He was one of the many friends who tried in vain to help Peter Cook, who himself eventually died from alcohol-related illnesses.Humphries was a friend of the English poet John Betjeman until Betjeman’s death in 1984. Their friendship began in 1960, after Betjeman, while visiting Australia, heard some of Humphries’s early recordings and wrote very favourably of them in an Australian newspaper. Their friendship was, in part, based on numerous shared interests, including Victorian architecture, Cornwall and the music hall.NEWS,www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3653387/Roast-beef-and-bubbly-with-Betjeman.html,ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3653387/Roast-beef-and-bubbly-with-Betjeman.html, 12 January 2022, subscription, live, The Daily Telegraph, London, Roast beef and bubbly with Betjeman, Barry, Humphries, 25 June 2006, 26 April 2010, {{cbignore}}Humphries appeared in the 2013 documentary Chalky about his longtime friend and colleague Michael White, who produced many of Humphries’ first Dame Edna shows in the UK.WEB,chalkythefilm.com/trailer.html, Chalky The Film Trailer, 18 November 2012, dead,chalkythefilm.com/trailer.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130322060158chalkythefilm.com/trailer.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130322060158chalkythefilm.com/trailer.html, 22 March 2013, Other notable friends of Humphries included the painter Arthur Boyd,NEWS,www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/art.australia, The Guardian, London, In praise of ... Barry Humphries, 8 August 2008, 26 April 2010, 2 September 2013,www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/art.australia," title="web.archive.org/web/20130902145433www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/art.australia,">web.archive.org/web/20130902145433www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/art.australia, live, the author and former politician Jeffrey Archer, whom Humphries visited during Archer’s stay in prison,NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/regulars/how-we-met-barry-humprhies--jeffrey-archer-804282.html, The Independent, London, How We Met: Barry Humprhies & Jeffrey Archer, 6 April 2008, 26 April 2010, {{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and the comedian Spike Milligan.NEWS,www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barry-humphries-with-friends-like-these-1269433.html,www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barry-humphries-with-friends-like-these-1269433.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20121103205305www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barry-humphries-with-friends-like-these-1269433.html,">web.archive.org/web/20121103205305www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barry-humphries-with-friends-like-these-1269433.html, dead, 3 November 2012, The Independent, London, Barry Humphries: With friends like these, John, Hind, 26 April 1997, 26 April 2010, Humphries spent much of his life immersed in music, literature and the arts. A self-proclaimed ‘bibliomaniac’, his house in West Hampstead, London, supposedly contains some 25,000 books, many of them first editions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.WEB,entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article6726424.ece, The Times, London, Dame Edna Everage returns to Britain, 27 July 2009, 26 April 2010, Dominic, Maxwell, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422154845/https://www.the-tls.co.uk/, live, JOURNAL, Edmonds, Ross, Barry Humphries: Book Collector Extraordinaire, Biblionews and Australian Notes and Queries, March 2022, 413, 20–23, Some of the more arcane and rare items in this collection include the telephone book of Oscar Wilde, Memoirs of a Public Baby by Philip O’Connor, an autographed copy of Humdrum by Harold Acton, the complete works of Wilfred Childe and several volumes of the pre-war surrealist poetry of Herbert Read. He was elected a member of the Roxburghe Club, an elite bibliophilic society, in 2011.Humphries was a prominent art collector who, as a result of his three divorces, bought many of his favourite paintings four times. He at one time had the largest private collection of the paintings of Charles Conder in the world“Approximately in the Vicinity of Barry Humphries” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313005330www.clivejames.com/pieces/snakecharmers/barry-humphries |date=13 March 2010 }} by Clive James, in London Review of Books, 6–9 October 1983 and he was a great admirer of the Flemish symbolist painter Jan Frans De Boever, relishing his role as ‘President for Life’ of the De Boever Society.The Spectator, 30 September 2000, Diary by Barry Humphries He himself was a landscape painter and his pictures are in private and public collections both in his homeland and abroad. Humphries was also the subject of numerous portraits by artist friends, including Clifton Pugh (1958, National Portrait GalleryClifton Pugh – Barry Humphries, 1958 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230201203www.portrait.gov.au/portraits/1998.1/barry-humphries |date=30 December 2014 }}, portrait.gov.au. Retrieved on 22 October 2011.) and John Brack (in the character of Edna Everage, 1969, Art Gallery of New South WalesBarry Humphries in the character of Mrs Everage (1969) by John Brack {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816070637www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/work/209.1975/ |date=16 August 2011 }}, artgallery.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved on 22 October 2011.).Humphries enjoyed avant-garde music and was a patron of, among others, the French composer Jean-Michel Damase and the Melba Foundation in Australia.{{YouTube|id=JVI6RB_TCmU|title=Melba Foundation UK Launch with Barry Humphries}} Humphries was a patron and active supporter of the Tait Memorial Trust in London, a charity to support young Australian performing artists in the UK.WEB,taitmemorialtrust.org/,www.taitmemorialtrust.org/Home," title="web.archive.org/web/20160724035412www.taitmemorialtrust.org/Home,">web.archive.org/web/20160724035412www.taitmemorialtrust.org/Home, dead, Tait Memorial Trust, 24 July 2016, When Humphries was a guest on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs radio programme in 2009, he made the following choices: “” from Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier; Gershwin’s “Things are Looking Up” sung by Fred Astaire; “Love Song” composed by Josef Suk; “On Mother Kelly’s Doorstep” sung by Randolph Sutton; “” from Schubert’s Winterreise song cycle; the 2nd movement of Poulenc’s Flute Sonata; Mischa Spoliansky’s “”; and “They are not long the weeping and the laughter” from Delius’ Songs of Sunset.Programme {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528184728www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00khkxy |date=28 May 2009 }}: Desert Island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 29 May 2009Cultural historian Tony Moore, author of The Barry McKenzie Movies, writes of Humphries’ personal politics thus: “A conservative contrarian while many in his generation were moving left, Humphries nevertheless retained a bohemian delight in transgression that makes him a radical.“WEB,www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/the-clown-prince-of-suburbia/story-e6frg8n6-1111118780314,www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/the-clown-prince-of-suburbia/story-e6frg8n6-1111118780314," title="archive.today/20120630192230www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/the-clown-prince-of-suburbia/story-e6frg8n6-1111118780314,">archive.today/20120630192230www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/the-clown-prince-of-suburbia/story-e6frg8n6-1111118780314, dead, 30 June 2012, Graeme, Blundell, Graeme Blundell, Barry Humphries, the clown prince of suburbia, 7 February 2009, The Australian, News, 16 December 2012, In 2018, Humphries was criticised on social media for making comments considered by some to be transphobic.NEWS, Barry Humphries lands in hot water over anti-trans comments,www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/barry-humphries-lands-in-hot-water-over-antitrans-comments/news-story/66bdc59722c159c6cb6e8a38f07ad689, news.com.au, 10 May 2021, 22 July 2018, 27 February 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210227125520/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/barry-humphries-lands-in-hot-water-over-antitrans-comments/news-story/66bdc59722c159c6cb6e8a38f07ad689, live, The comments included referring to gender-affirmation surgery as “self-mutilation” and transgender identity as a whole as a “fashion—how many different kinds of lavatory can you have?” The comments prompted the Barry Award, a comedy festival award in Melbourne named after the comedian, to be renamed the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award the next year.NEWS, Barry Humphries’s name stripped from Melbourne comedy festival award after transgender controversy,www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-16/barry-humphries-name-dropped-from-prestigious-micf-award/11018726, ABC News (Australia), 10 May 2021, 16 April 2019, Murray-Atfield, Yara, 6 May 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210506132605/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-16/barry-humphries-name-dropped-from-prestigious-micf-award/11018726, live, Humphries had two brothers and a sister in Melbourne. His brother Christopher worked as an architect, his brother Michael (1946–2020) was a teacher and historian, and his sister Barbara is also a former schoolteacher.NEWS, Barry Humphries: My family values by Annalisa Barbieri,www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/31/barry-humphries-my-family-valuse, The Guardian, 16 March 2023, 16 March 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230316021010/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/31/barry-humphries-my-family-valuse, live,

Death

Humphries died following complications from hip surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney, on 22 April 2023. He was 89 years old. After his funeral, he was sent to Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium for cremation. His cremains were scattered in an undisclosed place.NEWS, 22 April 2023, Barry Humphries, entertainment icon behind Dame Edna, dies aged 89, en,7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/dame-edna-creator-barry-humphries-dies-aged-89-c-8708002, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422154921/https://7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/dame-edna-creator-barry-humphries-dies-aged-89-c-8708002, live, WEB, Runciman, Caleb, Barry Humphries: Australian comedic legend dies aged 89,thewest.com.au/entertainment/barry-humphries-australian-comedic-legend-star-dies-aged-89-c-10425339, The West Australian, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023, 22 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230422154846/https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/barry-humphries-australian-comedic-legend-star-dies-aged-89-c-10425339, live, He had suffered a fall in February.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Tributes to Humphries were given by members of the British royal family including Charles III and Sarah, Duchess of York, and by Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan. Tributes were also given by members of the entertainment industry including Michael Parkinson, Eric Idle and Ricky Gervais.WEB,thewest.com.au/entertainment/barry-humphries-death-king-charles-to-write-to-comedians-family-as-tributes-pour-in-for-aussie-legend-c-10430335, Barry Humphries: King Charles called Australian comedy legend days before death, 23 April 2023, 26 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423102222/https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/barry-humphries-death-king-charles-to-write-to-comedians-family-as-tributes-pour-in-for-aussie-legend-c-10430335, live,

Other work

Bibliography

Humphries was the author of many books, including two autobiographies, two novels and a treatise on Chinese drama in the goldfields. He wrote several plays and made dozens of recordings. His first autobiography, More Please, won the J. R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography in 1993.WEB, PEN Ackerley Prize,www.englishpen.org/prizes/pen-ackerley-prize/, English Pen, 23 April 2023, 5 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230405104918/https://www.englishpen.org/prizes/pen-ackerley-prize/, live,

• Bizarre. Compilation. London: Elek Books, 1965.{{ISBN|9780517138809}}
• The Barry Humphries Book of Innocent Austral Verse. Anthology. Melbourne: Sun Books, 1968.{{ISBN|0702222216}}
• Bazza Pulls It Off!: More Adventures of Barry McKenzie. Melbourne: Sun Books, 1971.{{ISBN|0233964126}}
• The Wonderful World of Barry MacKenzie. With Nicholas Garland; a comic strip. London: Private Eye/Andre Deutsch, 1971. {{ISBN|9780233964140}}
• Barry McKenzie Holds His Own. Photoplay, with Bruce Beresford. Melbourne: Sun Books, 1974.{{ISBN|9780725101978}}
• Dame Edna’s Coffee Table Book: A guide to gracious living and the finer things of life by one of the first ladies of world theatre. Compendium. Sydney: Sphere Books, 1976.{{ISBN|9780245530463}}
• Les Patterson’s Australia. Melbourne: Sun Books, 1978. {{ISBN|9780725103033}}
• Bazza Comes into His Own: The Final Fescennine Farago of Barry McKenzie, Australia’s first working-class hero—with learned and scholarly appendices and a new enlarged glossary. With Nicholas Garland. Melbourne, Sun Books, 1979.{{ISBN| 0-7333-2591-2}}
• The Sound of Edna: Dame Edna’s Family Songbook. With Nick Rowley. London: Chappell, 1979.{{ISBN|0903443341}}
• A Treasury of Australian Kitsch. Melbourne: Macmillan, 1980.{{ISBN| 0333299558}}
• A Nice Night’s Entertainment: Sketches and Monologues 1956–1981. A Retrospective. Sydney: Currency Press, 1981.{{ISBN|0246117273}}
• Dame Edna’s Bedside Companion. Compendium. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1982.{{ISBN|0552122726}}
• Punch Down Under. London: Robson Books, 1984.{{ISBN|0860512967}}
• The Traveller’s Tool. London: Michael O’Mara Books, 1985.{{ISBN|9780333401354}}
• The Complete Barry McKenzie. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1988. {{ISBN|9780413193100}}
• Shades of Sandy Stone. Edinburgh, Tragara Press, 1989. Limited edition.{{ISBN|0948189274}}
• My Gorgeous Life. As Edna Everage. London: Macmillan, 1989.{{ISBN|0671709763}}
• More Please. Autobiography. London, New York, Ringwood, Toronto, and Auckland: Viking, 1992. {{ISBN|9780140231939}}
• The Life and Death of Sandy Stone. Sydney: Macmillan, 1990. {{ISBN|9780732903305}}
• Neglected Poems. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1991.{{ISBN|0207172129}}
• Women in the Background. Novel. Port Melbourne: William Heinemann Australia, 1995. {{ISBN|9780141020938}}
• Barry Humphries’ Flashbacks: The book of the acclaimed TV series. Sydney and London: HarperCollins, 1999.{{ISBN|0002558963}}
• My Life As Me: A Memoir: Autobiography. London: Michael Joseph, 2002. {{ISBN|9780670888344}}
• Handling Edna: the Unauthorised Biography. Sydney, Hachette Australia, 2009. {{ISBN|9780297860853}}

Filmography{| class“wikitable”

! Name !! Character !! Year !! Notes !! RefBedazzled (1967 film)>Bedazzled|Envy|1967|ACCESS-DATE=22 APRIL 2023 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20230422210725/HTTPS://COMICBOOK.COM/IRL/NEWS/BARRY-HUMPHRIES-EDNA-EVERAGE-FINDING-NEMO-THE-HOBBIT-VOICE-ACTOR-DEAD-AT-89/, live, |The Adventures of Barry McKenzieDame Edna Everage>Aunt Edna Everage / Hoot / Dr DeLamphrey|1972|multiple roles||Barry McKenzie Holds His Own|Aunt Edna Everage / Dr DeLamphrey1974dual role||Percy’s Progress|Dr Anderson / Australian TV LadyPUBLISHER=BFIARCHIVE-DATE=23 APRIL 2023URL-STATUS=DEAD, Side by Side (1975 film)>Side by Side|Rodney1975|||The Great Macarthy|Colonel Ball-Miller||The Getting of Wisdom (film)>The Getting of Wisdom|Reverend Strachey|1977|||Shock Treatment|Bert Schnick|1981||Doctor Fischer of Geneva#Film, TV or theatrical adaptations>Dr. Fischer of Geneva||1985|TV film||Les Patterson Saves the World|Sir Les Patterson / Dame Edna Everage|1986|dual role|Immortal Beloved (1994 film)>Immortal Beloved|Klemens von Metternich|1994||Napoleon (1995 film)>Napoleon|Kangaroo1995|voice||Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills|Bert / Lady shopper / Manager|multiple roles|Spice World (film)>Spice World|Kevin McMaxford1997|||Welcome to Woop Woop|Blind Wally| TITLE = THE LITERARY FILMOGRAPHY: PREFACE, A-L PAGES = URL = HTTPS://BOOKS.GOOGLE.COM/BOOKS?ID=ZGMWAQAAIAAJ ARCHIVE-DATE = 27 APRIL 2023 URL-STATUS = LIVE, |Finding Nemo|Bruce the Shark|2003|voice||Da Kath & Kim Code|John Monk|2005|TV film||Salvation|Brothel customer|2007|||Mary and MaxNarrator|2009|voice||The Kangaroo Gang|2011|TV documentary, voiceACCESS-DATE=25 APRIL 2023 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20230425212133/HTTPS://WWW.RADIOTIMES.COM/MOVIE-GUIDE/B-OKSUE3/THE-KANGAROO-GANG-THIEVES-BY-APPOINTMENT/, live, |(The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)|Great Goblin2012|motion capture||Kath & Kimderella|Dame Edna Everage|URL=HTTPS://SCIFI.RADIO/2023/04/23/AU-REVOIR-DAME-EDNA-AND-BARRY-HUMPHRIES/ ARCHIVE-DATE=25 APRIL 2023 URL-STATUS=LIVE, |The Last Impresario|2013|documentary, self||Justin and the Knights of Valour|Brauliovoice||Blinky Bill the Movie|Wombo|2015||(Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie)|Charlie / Dame Edna Everage|2016|dual role||The Magical Land of Oz|Narrator|2019|wildlife documentary, voicePUBLISHER=NORTHERN PICTURESARCHIVE-DATE=24 APRIL 2023URL-STATUS=LIVE,

Discography

• Wild Life in Suburbia (1958)WEB,www.popsike.com/Barry-Humphries-early-EPs-Wildlife-in-Suburbia-Chunder-Down-Under-19581965/202902583887.html, Barry Humphries early EPs, Popsike.com, 24 April 2023, 24 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230424064224/https://www.popsike.com/Barry-Humphries-early-EPs-Wildlife-in-Suburbia-Chunder-Down-Under-19581965/202902583887.html, live,
• Wild Life in Suburbia Volume Two (1959)WEB,collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/details=ecatalogue.23639, Record single titled Wild Life in Suburbia Volume Two, Arts Centre Melbourne, 24 April 2023, 14 May 2021,archive.today/20210514093615/https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/%23details=ecatalogue.26317details=ecatalogue.23639, live,
• A Nice Night’s Entertainment (1962)WEB,collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/details=ecatalogue.20497, Record titled A Nice Night’s Entertainment, Arts Centre Melbourne, 24 April 2023, 14 May 2021,archive.today/20210514093615/https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/%23details=ecatalogue.26317details=ecatalogue.20497, live,
• Chunder Down Under (1965)
• Barry Humphries at Carnegie Hall{{refn|group=lower-alpha|A local hall located at 60 Rosstown Rd, in the Melbourne suburb of Carnegie, NOT New York.}} (1972)WEB,collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/details=ecatalogue.20541, Record titled Barry Humphries at Carnegie Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 24 April 2023, 14 May 2021,archive.today/20210514093615/https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/%23details=ecatalogue.26317details=ecatalogue.20541, live,
• The Barry Humphries Record of Innocent Austral Verse (1972)WEB,collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/details=ecatalogue.20530, Record titled the Barry Humphries Record of Innocent Austral Verse, Arts Centre Melbourne, 24 April 2023, 14 May 2021,archive.today/20210514093615/https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/%23details=ecatalogue.26317details=ecatalogue.20530, live,
• Housewife Superstar! (1976)WEB,collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/details=ecatalogue.20486, Record titled Housewife Superstar!, Arts Centre Melbourne, 24 April 2023, 14 May 2021,archive.today/20210514093615/https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/%23details=ecatalogue.26317details=ecatalogue.20486, live,
• The Sound of Edna (1978)WEB,collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/details=ecatalogue.20519, Record titled The Sound of Edna, Arts Centre Melbourne, 24 April 2023, 14 May 2021,archive.today/20210514093615/https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/%23details=ecatalogue.26317details=ecatalogue.20519, live,
• Dame Edna presents the Last Night of the Poms (1981)WEB,collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/details=ecatalogue.20508, Record titled Dame Edna Presents the Last Night of the Poms, Arts Centre Melbourne, 24 April 2023, 14 May 2021,archive.today/20210514093615/https://collections.artscentremelbourne.com.au/%23details=ecatalogue.26317details=ecatalogue.20508, live,

Biographical studies

Humphries has been the subject of several critical and biographical studies and a TV documentary:

• The Real Barry Humphries by Peter Coleman. London: Coronet Books, 1991.BOOK, Coleman, Peter, The real Barry Humphries, 1990, 1990, Robson, 978-0-86051-678-1,
• Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilization: Backstage with Barry Humphries by John Lahr. London: Bloomsbury, 1991; and New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1992.BOOK, John Lahr, Dame Edna Everage and the rise of Western civilisation backstage with Barry Humphries, 2000, 2000, New York University of California, 978-0-7394-1135-3,
• A portrait of the artist as Australian: l’oeuvre bizarre de Barry Humphries, by Paul Matthew St. Pierre, 2004.BOOK, St. Pierre, Paul Matthew, ProQuest (Firm), A portrait of the artist as Australian : l’oeuvre bizarre de Barry Humphries, 2004, 2004, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 978-0-7735-2644-0,
• The Man Inside Dame Edna, TV documentary, by Adrian Sibley, 2008{{IMDb title|1186810|The Man Inside Dame Edna|(2008) (TV)}}
• One Man Show: The Stages of Barry Humphries by Anne Pender. HarperCollins, 2010.BOOK, Pender, Anne, One Man Show: The Stages Of Barry Humphries, March 2011, 2011, HarperCollins Publishers, 978-0-7304-9606-9,

Fictional characters

• Dame Edna Everage (Melbourne housewife)
• Sir Les Patterson (Australian cultural attaché)
• Sandy Stone (elderly Australian)
• Barry McKenzie (Australian visitor to Britain)

Awards and honours

File:Barry Humphries Sydney Writers Walk plaque.jpg|thumb|Plaque for Humphries at the Sydney Writers WalkSydney Writers Walk

• 1979: Comedy Performance of the Year, Society of West End Management, London (now known as the Laurence Olivier awards) for A Night with Dame EdnaWEB,about.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/file/0023/15854/humphries.pdf, AWARD OF HONORARY DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF LAWS BARRY HUMPHRIES, AO, University of Melbourne, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423140204/https://about.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/file/0023/15854/humphries.pdf, live,
• 1990: TV Personality of the Year
• 1993: J. R. Ackerley Prize for Autobiography for More, Please
• 1993: Mo Award: Australian Show business AmbassadorWEB,www.moawards.com.au/awardwinners, MO Award Winners, Mo Awards, 16 March 2022, 7 March 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220307064432/https://www.moawards.com.au/awardwinners, live,
• 1994: Honorary Doctorate at Griffith University
• 1997: Sir Peter Ustinov Award for Comedy presented at the Banff World Television FestivalWEB,variety.com/2023/tv/news/barry-humphries-dead-dame-edna-everage-1235591477/, Barry Humphries, Comedian who played Dame Edna Everage, Dies at 89, 22 April 2023, Variety, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423114410/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/barry-humphries-dead-dame-edna-everage-1235591477/, live,
• 1997: Honoured Artists Award, Melbourne City Council
• 1999: British Comedy Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2000: Special Tony Award for a live theatrical event at the 55th Annual Tony Awards for Dame Edna: The Royal Tour
• 2000: Special Achievement Award by the Outer Critics Circle for The Royal Tour
• 2003: Honorary Doctorate of Law at his alma mater, University of Melbourne
• 2007: JC Williamson Award for his life’s work in the Australian live performance industry.MAGAZINE,www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/1306597/australias-helpmann-nominations-unveiled, Australia’s Helpmann Nominations Unveiled, Eliezer, Christie, Billboard (magazine), Billboard, Prometheus Global Media (Nielsen Business Media), 30 June 2008, 30 April 2012, 14 August 2016,www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/1306597/australias-helpmann-nominations-unveiled," title="web.archive.org/web/20160814194549www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/1306597/australias-helpmann-nominations-unveiled,">web.archive.org/web/20160814194549www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/global/1306597/australias-helpmann-nominations-unveiled, dead,
• 2011: Oldie of the Year for “his wonderful split personality which has entertained us for so many years“NEWS, Barry Humphries named Oldie of the Year, BBC News, BBC, 10 February 2011,www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12415463, 10 February 2011, 13 February 2011,www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12415463," title="web.archive.org/web/20110213035122www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12415463,">web.archive.org/web/20110213035122www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12415463, live,
• 2013: Britain-Australia Society Award for contribution to the relationship between Britain and AustraliaWEB,www.news.com.au/entertainment/barry-humphries-honoured-by-the-britainaustralia-society/news-story/3e1e14ba190daeeff1bb48722be6f1a1, Barry Humphries honoured by the Britain Australia Society, news.com.au, 23 April 2023,
• 2014: Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award – lifetime achievement award.WEB,www.slapstick.org.uk/awards/comedy-legend-award/, Lifetime achievement award, 18 June 2015, Slapstick.organic.uk, 23 April 2023, 8 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230408161239/https://slapstick.org.uk/awards/comedy-legend-award/, live,
• 2016: Honorary Doctorate at the University of South Australia.WEB,www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2016-Media-releases/Honorary-Doctorate-for-Australian-arts-superstar-Barry-Humphries-/, Honorary Doctorate for Australian arts superstar, Barry Humphries, University of South Australia, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423145326/https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2016-Media-releases/Honorary-Doctorate-for-Australian-arts-superstar-Barry-Humphries-/, live,
• 2017: Honorary Fellow of King’s College London.WEB,www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/kings/newsrecords/2017/07-july/new-fellows-of-king%27s-college-london, New Fellows of King’s College London, King’s College, London, 23 April 2023, 23 April 2023,web.archive.org/web/20230423150724/https://www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/kings/newsrecords/2017/07-july/new-fellows-of-king%27s-college-london, live,

Humphries was nominated four times for a British Academy Television Award (BAFTA TV), all in the Best Light Entertainment Performance category:

• 1981: An Audience with Dame Edna EverageWEB,awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=entertainment%20performance&page=1&f%5B0%5D=string_type%3ATelevision&f%5B1%5D=string_category%3AEntertainment%20Performance&f%5B2%5D=string_category%3ALight%20Entertainment%20Performance, Television Awards, bafta.org, 25 April 2023, 25 April 2023,awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=entertainment%20performance&page=1&f%5B0%5D=string_type:Television&f%5B1%5D=string_category:Entertainment%20Performance&f%5B2%5D=string_category:Light%20Entertainment%20Performance," title="web.archive.org/web/20230425165520awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=entertainment%20performance&page=1&f%5B0%5D=string_type:Television&f%5B1%5D=string_category:Entertainment%20Performance&f%5B2%5D=string_category:Light%20Entertainment%20Performance,">web.archive.org/web/20230425165520awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=entertainment%20performance&page=1&f%5B0%5D=string_type:Television&f%5B1%5D=string_category:Entertainment%20Performance&f%5B2%5D=string_category:Light%20Entertainment%20Performance, live,
• 1987: The Dame Edna Experience
• 1988: One More Audience with Dame Edna
• 1990: The Dame Edna Experience

He received national honours in Australia and the United Kingdom:

• 1982: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “services to the theatre” (Queen’s Birthday Honours, Australian List)WEB,honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869869, It’s an Honour, itsanhonour.gov.au, 22 April 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180411174719/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/869869, 11 April 2018, live,
• 1982: Granted a coat of arms by the College of Arms with a shield bearing crossed gladioli and the Sydney Opera House, supported by a shark and a possum both wearing butterfly glasses, along with other symbolism containing a funnel-web spider and a blowfly. His motto is “I share and I care”.BOOK,books.google.com/books?id=ShkiqPn_tToC, The Best Australian Profiles, 13 November 2021, Ricketson, Matthew, 2004, Black Inc., 1-86395-293-4, 31 August 2022,web.archive.org/web/20220831112333/https://books.google.com/books?id=ShkiqPn_tToC, live, NEWS,www.thetimes.co.uk/article/heraldic-chief-gets-his-coat-mldnmwk2s, Patrick, Kidd, Heraldic chief gets his coat, 10 February 2021, 13 November 2021, The Times, 13 November 2021,web.archive.org/web/20211113150129/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/heraldic-chief-gets-his-coat-mldnmwk2s, live,
• 2001: Centenary Medal for service to Australian society through acting and writingWEB,honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1127915, It’s an Honour, itsanhonour.gov.au, 22 April 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180411175140/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1127915, 11 April 2018, live,
• 2007: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for “services to entertainment” (Queen’s Birthday Honours, UK List)
• 2023: Posthumously appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours for “eminent service to the arts as a comedian, actor, author, satirist and entertainer, to the promotion of Australian culture, and as a patron of organisations”.WEB, King’s Birthday 2023 Honours - the full list,www.smh.com.au/national/king-s-birthday-2023-honours-the-full-list-20230609-p5dffh.html, Sydney Morning Herald, Nine Entertainment Co, 11 June 2023, 11 June 2023,

Notes

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Barry Humphries}}

• {{IMDb name|402032|Barry Humphries}}
• {{IBDB name|id=4428|name=Barry Humphries}}
• {{IOBDB name|id=19466|name=Barry Humphries}}
• {{British Comedy Guide|people|barry_humphries}}
• {{discogs artist|Barry Humphries}}
• www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/whoswho/biography/15125" title="web.archive.org/web/20041211071435www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/whoswho/biography/15125">Playbill biography
• The man behind Dame Edna Everage (BBC News)
• unimelb.edu.au/unisec/calendar/honcausa/citation/humphries.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20071020232641unimelb.edu.au/unisec/calendar/honcausa/citation/humphries.html">University of Melbourne Doctorate announcement
• Barry Humphries at the National Library of Australia
• Barry Humphries Collection held in the Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne
• Barry Humphries at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Barry Humphries on Picture Australia
• www.glbtq.com/arts/humphries_b.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20090713071153www.glbtq.com/arts/humphries_b.html">Andres Mario Zervigon: Essay on Humphries from a GLBTQ perspective at glbtq.com.
• Barry Humphries & his favorite paintings
• {{NPG name|id=6552}}

{{Navboxes|state=collapsed|title = Awards for Barry Humphries|list ={{AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role}}{{OlivierAward ComedyPerformance}}{{JC Williamson Award}}}}{{Authority control}}