Barry Humphries, the legendary Australian performer known around the world as “Dame Edna,” died Saturday at a Sydney hospital. He was famous largely for his other popular comic persona, Dame Edna Everage. He was 89 years old and passed away from complications after hip surgery that he had in March.
Humphries was born in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy in 1934. In the 1950s he launched Dame Edna, and forever transformed the art of comedy. The delicate but tough persona was both a satire of suburban home-makers and informed by his own real-life mother. Throughout the decades, as you know, Dame Edna evolved into a cultural phenomenon, defined by her extravagant glasses and unforgettable catchphrases.
As a result, in 1959 Humphries decamped to London. He leapt to the forefront of the British comedy scene, standing shoulder to shoulder with his the rank of contemporaries such as Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore and Spike Milligan. He starred in many other major West End productions including Maggie May and Oliver!. This victory cemented his place as the ultimate Renaissance man.
In addition to his theatrical contributions, Humphries made a mark in film, featuring in popular movies like Finding Nemo, Spice World, The Hobbit, and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. His genius was not limited only to the stage. Throughout the height of his performance, he wrote an autobiography, My Gorgeous Life, while performing as Dame Edna.
Humphries, over his long and storied entertainment career, received many accolades and awards for his artistry and character creations. In 2007, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to the arts. His influence does not stop at comedy, he was heavily inspired by the nonsensical and subversive avant-garde Duchamp’d art movement called Dada.
Humphries, of course, was behind many other memorable characters such as Sir Les Patterson and Sandy Stone. On the flip side, he lived a very colorful personal life. He was survived by his four children and his fourth wife, Lizzie, whom he had married in 1937.
In his older years, Humphries began a retirement tour in 2012. He thrilled audiences by coming back last year with a run of concerts which explored his rich and deep catalogue of work. Even at the end of his life, he remained “completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit,” according to his family.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Humphries, stating, “A great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-a-kind, he was both gifted and a gift.”
Barry Humphries’ legacy as a makeshift raconteur and poseur will live on through the laughter, running away from his past, and joy he brought to booming audiences worldwide.
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