Barry Humphries (1934-2023)
The beloved Australian comic genius Barry Humphries has died after complications from a broken hip. He was 89 years old. Humphries was best known for his comic personas, most notably Dame Edna Everage. For over seven decades, he entertained audiences on the stage, has toured globally and has appeared in more than 20 films.
The 21-year-old actor conceived his feminine alter-ego in 1955 for a skit he did on the stage in Melbourne as a satire of Australian suburbia when Edna Everage was just a housewife in Monee Ponds. The character made film appearances, like "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie" and "Barry McKenzie Holds His Own", the latter of which she becomes a dame, evolving into a more over-the-top figure that audiences loved. Barry continued playing Edna in several stage tours, talk shows and TV specials in the coming years, which include "The Dame Edna Experience" and "The Dame Edna Treatment". His other satirical personas aside from playing Edna are the drunk and lecherous cultural attache, Sir Les Patterson, etc. Throughout his career, Humphries has appeared in films, playing characters like the great white shark Bruce in "Finding Nemo" and The Great Goblin in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". His other film appearances include "The Naked Bunyip", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Shock Treatment", "Spice World", "Da Kath & Kim Code" and "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie".
He received many honours in his lifetime, including being an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1982 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007.
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