Dr. Humphries is not only a succesful character actor in EDurope and Australia, but also one of Australia's best loved landscape painters. His pictures are in inumerable private and public collections both in his homeland and abroad. He was educated at the University of Melbourne, where he studied studied law, philosophy and fine arts. During this time, Humphries held his first Dada exhibition --- experiments in Anarchy and visual satire which have become part of Australian folklore.
After writing and performing songs and sketches in university revues, Humphries joined the newly formed Melbourne Theatre Company. In 1956, he created the character of Mrs. Everage, a Melbourne housewife who has since become the internationally celebrated Megastar, Dame Edna. Humphries' other satirical characters include the legendary comic strip hero and progenitor of Crocodile Dundee, Barry McKenzie, trade union con-man Lance Boyle and the drooling ogre Sir Les Patterson.
Later, Humphries joined Sydney's Philip Street Revue Theatre, Australia's first home for intimate revue and satirical comedy. After a long season, he appeared as Estragon in Waiting for Godot. This
duction marked Australia's first ever production of a Samuel Beckett play. In 1959, Humphries sailed to Venice.
1996 Revival of Oliver!
Barry as Fagin in the 1997 revival of "Oliver!" at the London Palladium.
During the sixties in London, Barry Humphries appeared in numerous West End productions. Most notable were the musicals Oliver! and Maggie May, by Lionel Bart, and stage/radio productions by his friend Spike Milligan, in particular The Bed Sitting Room. In 1967 he starred as Fagin in the Piccadilly Theatre's revival of Oliver! with a young Phil Collins as The Artful Dodger. In 1997, Barry returned to the role of Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh's award winning revival at the London Palladium.
Humphries gained particular notoriety when he first brought Mrs. Everage to the British stage at the Fortune Theatre in 1969 for his one-man Just a Show. It polarized British critics and lead to a short-lived BBC television series The Barry Humphries Scandals, which in turn paved the way for Monty Python.
In the mid-70s, Humphries starred at the Apollo Theatre in London in Housewife, Superstar! Since then he has presented London with four more theatrical offerings including A Night With Dame Edna (1979) for which Humphries won the Society of West End Theatres Award; An Evening's Intercourse (1982); two seasons of Back with a Vengeance (1987/88) ; Look at Me When I'm Talking to You (1996) and culminating in Edna, The Spectacle (1998) at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, arguably the most beautiful theatre in Europe. He has made numerous theatrical tours in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and in the Far and Middle East.
Barry speaking at the Banff Television Festival 1997. He was awarded the Sir Peter Ustinov Endowment for his life's work as an entertainer. Photo: John Bonner/ Courtesy of Banff Television Festival.
Barry speaking at the Banff Television Festival 1997. He was awarded the Sir Peter Ustinov Endowment for his life's work as an entertainer. Photo: John Bonner/ Courtesy of Banff Television Festival
Numerous television appearances in Australia and the UK include The Bunyip, a children's comedy for Channel 7 in Melbourne; plus two highly successful series of his talk show The Dame Edna Experience for London Weekend Television with a host of ‘megastar' guests including Liza Minnelli,
l offerings including A Night With Dame Edna (1979) for which Humphries won the Society of West End Theatres Award; An Evening's Intercourse (1982); two seasons of Back with a Vengeance (1987/88) ; Look at Me When I'm Talking to You (1996) and culminating in Edna, The Spectacle (1998) at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, arguably the most beautiful theatre in Europe. He has made numerous theatrical tours in Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and in the Far and Middle East.
Barry speaking at the Banff Television Festival 1997. He was awarded the Sir Peter Ustinov Endowment for his life's work as an entertainer. Photo: John Bonner/ Courtesy of Banff Television Festival.
Barry speaking at the Banff Television Festival 1997. He was awarded the Sir Peter Ustinov Endowment for his life's work as an entertainer. Photo: John Bonner/ Courtesy of Banff Television Festival
Numerous television appearances in Australia and the UK include The Bunyip, a children's comedy for Channel 7 in Melbourne; plus two highly successful series of his talk show The Dame Edna Experience for London Weekend Television with a host of ‘megastar' guests including Liza Minnelli, Robin Williams, Cher and Kim Basinger. These popular programs have since been repeated all over North America and Europe winning him the Golden Rose of Montreux in 1991.
His most recent television shows include Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch, Dame Edna's Work Experience, and Dame Edna's Hollywood, an occasional series filmed in the U.S. for the NBC and Fox networks. His most recent television special Dame Edna Kisses it Better was shown on the BBC last January.
Dr. Humphries is the author of several books, novels, autobiographies, and plays. His autobiography won the J.R. Ackerley prize for biography in 1993, and he is the subject of two critical and biographical studies: The Real Barry Humphries by Peter Coleman, and Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilization by John Lahr. He was given the Order of Australia in 1982, and was endowed with an Honorary Doctorate of Griffith University (Australia) in 1994. He is married to Lizzie Spender, the daughter of British poet Sir Stephen Spender, and has two sons and two
