★★★★★ 0/5

Vale: Barry Humphries

Legendary showbiz entertainer Barry Humphries has died, aged 89.

27
Leave a comment

Legendary showbiz entertainer Barry Humphries, has died aged 89.

He passed away in hospital at St. Vincent’s in Sydney having been hospitalised following complications from hip replacement surgery.

“He was completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit,” a family statement said.

“With over seventy years on the stage, he was an entertainer to his core, touring up until the last year of his life and planning more shows that will sadly never be.

“His audiences were precious to him, and he never took them for granted.

“Although he may be best remembered for his work in theatre, he was a painter, author, poet, and a collector and lover of Art in all its forms. He was also a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and a friend and confidant to many.

“His passing leaves a void in so many lives.

“The characters he created, which brought laughter to millions, will live on.”

Humphries initially conceived Dame Edna as a dowdy, small-minded housewife, but over the character’s four decades of existence has evolved into a global superstar, appearing in numerous shows in London’s West End, Australia, the USA and on television.

Throughout his lengthy career Humphries has written scripts, produced films, and worked as a landscape painter. never wavering from his Australian roots and love of all things Melburnian.

In 2010, biographer Anne Pender described Barry Humphries as not only “the most significant theatrical figure of our time … [but] the most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin”.

Humphries has won a host of awards including British Comedy Awards, a Tony Award, and was honoured as Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1982 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007.

After dropping out of Queen’s College where he studied Philosophy, Fine Arts and Law, Barry Humphries became heavily involved in the Dadaist art scene, playing public pranks as different characters.

This led him into performance art and eventually theatre, where he’d join the newly established Melbourne Theatre Company in 1953 before relocating to Sydney where he joined the Philip Street Revue Theatre’ emerging as a lampoon and satirical comedian.

Humphries moved to London in 1959 where his career began to gather momentum, as he befriended the highly-regarded British comedians of the time such as Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Alan Bennett, and Spike Milligan.

His major breakthrough came when he was cast for several productions on London’s West End and New York City’s Broadway, appearing in musicals Maggie May, Treasure Island, and Oliver! which featured a young Phil Collins as the Artful Dodger.

His true calling came however with his one-man satirical stage revues where he’d perform as a multitude of characters he’d created.

He recalled: “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.”

His first outing as Dame Edna Everage came in 1955, where he’d perform as the character for a skit during the Olympic Hostess stage show at Melbourne University’s Union Theatre on 12th December 1955.

Other characters included the gentle senior, Sandy Stone, of Anzac Drive and the constantly-offensive Sir Les Patterson.

Amongst his many stage and television specials were A Night with Dame Edna, An Evening’s Intercourse with Dame Edna, Edna: The Spectacle, Back with a Vengeance, The Dame Edna Treatment, Dame Edna Live: The First Last Tour plus Ally McBeal, The Life & Death of Sandy Stone, Jack Irish, The Kangaroo Gang and appearances on talk shows such as Parkinson, The Graham Norton Show, The Don Lane Show and more.

Films included, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, The Getting of Wisdom, Finding Nemo, Bedazzled, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Shock Treatment, Welcome to Woop Woop, Kath & Kimderella, Da Kath & Kim Code, Spice World, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, Mary & Max and Les Patterson Saves the World.

 

 

This post updates.

Source: SmoothRadio, News.com.au

27 Responses

  1. I remember watching The View and Dame Edna was a guest. They were talking about bullies and they asked Edna if she was bullied and she said “No I was a bully!” such a quick wit.

  3. I acknowledge that he was a very talented individual, but the fact he was a transphobe leaves a sour taste in my mouth and it means I cannot truly be a fan of his. Some things are more important.

  4. I hope he’s afforded a State Funeral to make up for the usual suspects stripping him of having the Melbourne Comedy Award named after him.

    Rest In Peace, Baz.

  5. Sad news.
    All of Barry’s characters were brilliant but my favourite was
    the lower profile melancholic Sandy Stone.
    Encaptulated a bygone era in Australia perfectly,
    The cleverest and most complex of all Barry”s characters I think.

    1. I agree…loved the character…do not know how he did the lisp?….and of course we left the sticker on the bowl if we had a Prouds purchase…

  6. As I read this news a thought popped into my mind that I’m going with here as I imagined this:
    Father Bob Maguire: Hey Barry you have to come up here and help me out, the place is a mess, and bring a ton of gladiolus, it’s really in need of a good spruce up.

    Valē Barry Humphries.

      1. Breaking news is perceived as being of greater interest to people than most other news stories –
        more important than headline news.

        And to many TV blog readers >30, David’s headline fits this story –
        Humphries’ various performances had an overall greater impact than most other “Vales”.

        While I do not agree with cbsau, I suspect the reference was to the story as a whole, rather than any individual paragraph.

  11. Such a loss. A truly Australian icon. From his multiple alter-egos, to his own work, he will be missed.

    In coming weeks, SBS has a new episode of Who Do You Think You Are featuring Humphries.

  15. “Hello Possums!”. Heaven has become a funnier place. 😭 Dame Edna was even referenced in The Simpsons by Moe when Homer had a crayon removed. He was clever and hilarious 😆🤣😂 man. A sad week following Father Bob’s passing.

  18. Noooooo!!!

    Damn the brittleness of age!

    He was still so sharp and funny, and I was hoping that he had some years left in him yet, but time will stop for no man, sadly.

    Farewell, Possum!

Leave a Reply