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.
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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0402032
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734221
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Filmography (Movies)
Barry Humphries: The Last Laugh
Character:Self
Release Date:23/12/2023
Barry Humphries at the BBC
Character:Self (archive material) / Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson
Release Date:28/05/2023
Barry Humphries - A Life of Laughs
Character:Self (Archive)
Release Date:03/05/2023
Parkinson at 50
Character:Dame Edna Everage (archive footage)
Release Date:28/08/2021
Show of Titles
Character:"Anyone Can Whistle" Performer
Release Date:13/06/2021
Dame Edna Rules The Waves
Character:Dame Edna Everidge
Release Date:31/12/2019
Standing Up for Sunny
Character:Barry Humphries
Release Date:12/06/2019
Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches
Character:Self
Release Date:31/12/2016
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Character:Charlie / Dame Edna
Release Date:01/07/2016
Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show
Character:Self
Release Date:25/12/2015
Blinky Bill the Movie
Character:Wombo (voice)
Release Date:21/08/2015
Jack Irish: Dead Point
Character:Justice Logan
Release Date:13/04/2014
Justin and the Knights of Valour
Character:Braulio (voice)
Release Date:09/08/2013
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Character:The Great Goblin
Release Date:12/12/2012
Kath & Kimderella
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Release Date:06/09/2012
Making Mary and Max
Character:Self
Release Date:21/10/2009
Mary and Max
Character:Narrator (voice)
Release Date:09/04/2009
Salvation
Character:Client
Release Date:19/03/2009
We Are Most Amused
Character:Self
Release Date:15/11/2008
Gaybo Laughs Back
Character:Dame Edna
Release Date:09/11/2008
Not Quite Hollywood
Character:Self
Release Date:28/08/2008
The Man Inside Dame Edna
Character:Self/Dame Edna/Les Patterson
Release Date:09/01/2008
Little Britain Down Under
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Release Date:27/05/2007
It Started with Swap Shop
Character:Self
Release Date:28/12/2006
Telling Schoolgirl Tales: The Making of 'The Getting of Wisdom’
Character:Self
Release Date:06/03/2006
Da Kath & Kim Code
Character:John Monk
Release Date:27/11/2005
Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball?
Character:Self - Edna Everage
Release Date:09/12/2004
Barry Humphries Presents Back to My Roots and Other Suckers
Character:Sir Les Patterson/Owen Steele/Sandy Stone/Dame Edna Everage
Release Date:08/12/2003
Finding Nemo
Character:Bruce (voice)
Release Date:30/05/2003
Nicholas Nickleby
Character:Mrs. Crummles/Mr. Leadville
Release Date:27/12/2002
Welcome to Woop Woop
Character:Blind Wally
Release Date:13/08/1998
Spice World
Character:Kevin McMaxford
Release Date:18/12/1997
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills
Character:Bert / Lady Shopper / Manager
Release Date:07/10/1997
Sir Les And The Great Chinese Takeaway
Character:Les Patterson/Dame Edna
Release Date:28/06/1997
The Leading Man
Character:Humphrey Beal
Release Date:12/12/1996
Les Patterson 'Has A Stand Up' - Live & Rampant
Character:Les Patterson
Release Date:11/11/1996
Some Interesting Facts About Peter Cook
Character:Self
Release Date:19/12/1995
Napoleon
Character:Kangaroo (voice)
Release Date:30/06/1995
Immortal Beloved
Character:Clemens Metternich
Release Date:16/12/1994
Selling Hitler
Character:Rupert Murdoch
Release Date:20/04/1993
Joan Rivers: Abroad in London
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Release Date:08/10/1992
A Late Lunch With Sir Les
Character:Les Patterson
Release Date:27/12/1991
An Audience with Jackie Mason
Character:
Release Date:27/12/1990
A Night on Mount Edna
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Release Date:14/12/1990
One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Release Date:25/12/1988
Barry Humphries: This is Your Lunch
Character:Self/Dame Edna
Release Date:01/01/1988
Howling III: The Marsupials
Character:Academy Award Presenter
Release Date:15/05/1987
Les Patterson Saves the World
Character:Sir Les Patterson / Dame Edna Everage
Release Date:09/04/1987
An Aussie Audience with Dame Edna
Character:Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson / Self
Release Date:14/04/1986
Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Character:Dame Edna/Les Patterson
Release Date:30/12/1984
Royal Variety Performance 1984
Character:
Release Date:25/11/1984
Dr. Fischer of Geneva
Character:Richard Deane
Release Date:08/10/1984
A Birthday Tribute to Dame Edna Everage
Character:Dame Edna/Sir Les Patterson
Release Date:17/02/1984
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
Character:Self - Various Roles
Release Date:01/03/1982
Shock Treatment
Character:Bert Schnick
Release Date:21/08/1981
The Rocky Horror Treatment
Character:(archive footage)
Release Date:04/02/1981
A Toast to Melbourne
Character:
Release Date:01/01/1981
An Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Character:Dame Edna
Release Date:26/12/1980
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Character:Our Guests at Heartland
Release Date:21/07/1978
The Getting of Wisdom
Character:Rev. Strachey
Release Date:25/08/1977
Pleasure at Her Majesty's
Character:Edna Everage
Release Date:29/12/1976
The Great MacArthy
Character:Col Ball-Miller
Release Date:04/08/1975
Side by Side
Character:Rodney
Release Date:30/04/1975
Barry McKenzie Holds His Own
Character:Aunt Edna Everage / Dr. Meyer Delamphrey / Offensive Buck-toothed Englishman / Senator Douglas Manton
Release Date:12/12/1974
Percy's Progress
Character:Dr. Anderson / Australian TV Lady
Release Date:01/08/1974
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
Character:Aunt Edna Everage / Hoot / Dr. DeLamphrey
Release Date:12/10/1972
The Naked Bunyip
Character:Edna Everage
Release Date:02/02/1970
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom
Character:Mr. Wainwright
Release Date:11/09/1968
Bedazzled
Character:Envy
Release Date:30/10/1967
Television Appearances
Magical Land of Oz
Character:Narrator (voice)
A Granny's Guide to the Modern World
Character:
Brilliant Creatures
Character:Self
The Great Comic Relief Bake Off
Character:Contestant (Dame Edna Everage)
A Comedy Roast
Character:
Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford
Character:
Q&A
Character:Self - Panellist
I'd Do Anything
Character:Himself - Judge
Who Do You Think You Are?
Character:Self
The Dame Edna Treatment
Character:
The Graham Norton Show
Character:Self
The One Show
Character:Self
Betjeman and Me
Character:
The One Show
Character:Dame Edna Everage
The Tony Danza Show
Character:Dame Edna
QI
Character:Self
QI
Character:Self - Panellist (archive footage)
Micallef Tonight
Character:Self
The Osbournes
Character:Self
Hollywood Squares
Character:
Parkinson
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Ally McBeal
Character:Claire Otoms
The View
Character:Self
The Team: A Season With McLaren
Character:Dame Edna Everage
RTL Samstag Nacht
Character:
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Character:Dame Edna
Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch
Character:Dame Edna
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Character:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna's Hollywood
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Pebble Mill
Character:Self
Boulevard Bio
Character:Dame Edna
The Dame Edna Experience
Character:
Wogan
Character:Self
Russell Harty
Character:
The South Bank Show
Character:Self
An Audience with...
Character:Dame Edna Everage
An Audience with...
Character:Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson
Saturday Night Live
Character:Dame Edna Everage
Omnibus
Character:Sir Les Patterson
Omnibus
Character:Self
The Wednesday Play
Character:
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character:Dame Edna Everage
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Character:Self
Images
