Barry Humphries: The satirist and comedian whose life was dominated by Dame Edna Everage

Barry Humphries was described arsenic 1 of the top raconteurs and stand-up comedians of his age.

But his achievements arsenic a writer, painter, histrion and student were overshadowed by his astir monstrous creation, the shrill toned and sequined Dame Edna Everage.

From her humble suburban beginnings successful the mid 1950s, plain Mrs Everage morphed into a planetary superstar, spreading her homespun doctrine and piles of gladioli wherever she went.

On the travel her creator met with captious disapproval and a conflict against intoxicant abuse, earlier becoming what the professional Brian Sewell erstwhile described arsenic "an institution".

John Barry Humphries was calved successful the Melbourne suburb of Camberwell connected 17 February 1934. His begetter was a palmy builder and the young Humphries had a comfy upbringing successful a pleasant portion of the Australian city.

He began inventing fictional characters from an aboriginal age, spending hours successful his parent's backmost plot dressing up successful assorted costumes.

He besides discovered a acquisition for entertaining radical and erstwhile wrote that doing truthful gave him a large consciousness of merchandise and helped him find caller friends.

His parents sent him to Melbourne Grammar School, an instauration that turned retired much than its just stock of notable Australian luminaries, boasting starring politicians, artists, soldiers and sportsmen among its alumni.

Humphries excelled astatine creation and English, and mostly ignored the remainder of the schoolhouse curriculum, aboriginal penning successful Who's Who? that helium was "self-educated" and attended Melbourne Grammar School.

He studied law, doctrine and good arts astatine Melbourne University and became celebrated for a bid of publically performed applicable jokes influenced by his involvement successful the Dada movement.

Humphries revelled successful the nationalist reactions to his marque of thoroughfare theatre which illustrated his delight successful making his assemblage consciousness somewhat uncomfortable. It was thing that would beryllium a large portion of his aboriginal career.

After leaving university, helium joined the Melbourne Theatre Company wherever helium wrote and performed songs and sketches.

It was successful the theatre company's circuit autobus that, according to his autobiography, Humphries archetypal came up with the thought of a suburban housewife called Mrs Norm Everage, the quality making her archetypal signifier quality successful a sketch Humphries performed successful 1955.

It was expected to beryllium a one-off show but, aft Humphries had moved to the Philip Street Revue Theatre successful Sydney successful 1957, helium decided to springiness Norm, rechristened Edna, different outing and she became thing of a hit.

At the clip Humphries utilized Edna, a dull housewife with decidedly politically incorrect views connected foreigners, arsenic a satire connected his acquisition of increasing up successful the blimpish suburbs of Melbourne.

In 1959, Humphries moved to London wherever helium rapidly became portion of the caller question of satirical drama featuring artists specified arsenic Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller.

He besides struck up an unlikely, but agelong lasting relationship with the Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman, with whom helium shared a passionateness for some Victoriana and for Cornwall.

It was successful Cornwall successful 1962 that his vocation astir came to a premature extremity erstwhile helium fell down a 150 ft cliff adjacent Zennor, breaking a fig of bones.

Humphries created the character, Barry McKenzie, the boorish, sexist, arrogant Australian, who appeared successful a comic portion helium wrote for the magazine, Private Eye.

There was overmuch disapproval of this quality successful his location state of Australia which, for a time, banned the merchantability of a publication of the strips. Humphries would person akin disapproval for his quality of the lecherous, hard drinking Sir Les Patterson.

He was blessed to instrumentality the compliment. "Australia is an outdoor country," helium erstwhile said. "People lone spell wrong to usage the toilet. And that's a caller development."

Edna Everage was not good received by the critics erstwhile Humphries archetypal launched her onto the London scene, but helium was encouraged by Peter Cook to proceed to make the character.

His large theatrical interruption came erstwhile helium was offered the portion of Mr Sowerberry the undertaker successful the 1960 signifier accumulation of Lionel Bart's signifier philharmonic Oliver, and transferred with the amusement erstwhile it was moved to Broadway successful 1963.

Four years later, helium took the relation of Fagin erstwhile the amusement was revived connected the London stage.

He returned to Australia wherever helium toured a bid of satirical 1 antheral shows featuring Edna Everage and Les Patterson, and the much gentle, and aboriginal deceased, Sandy Stone who Humphries described arsenic "Melbourne talking successful its sleep."

In 1973, helium co-wrote and appeared successful the film, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, with Barry Crocker playing the rubric relation and Humphries appearing arsenic Aunt Edna. The movie besides featured a drawstring of stars including Peter Cook, Spike Milligan, Willie Rushton and Joan Bakewell.

In the 1974 sequel, Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Edna is created a dame by the past Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

But his occurrence came astatine a price. He had begun to portion heavy during his clip successful London and connected 1 travel backmost to Australia, helium was recovered slumped connected the broadside of a street. His parents arranged for him to acquisition treatment, pursuing which helium gave up intoxicant altogether.

Despite his assorted movie and signifier appearances, it was successful his 1 antheral shows that Humphries achieved his top pursuing some successful the UK and Australia.

After a shaky start, helium appeared successful a bid of signifier shows including Housewife, Superstar successful 1976 and An Evening's Intercourse with Dame Edna successful 1982.

Often lasting much than 2 hours, his performances were masterpieces of archetypal worldly and improvisation spiced with the barbed insults Edna often aimed astatine members of her audiences.

"Tiles lone halfway up the wall, darling?" she would accidental successful treatment with a unfortunate astir bath decor. "What went wrong, beloved - did you tally retired of money?"

He besides became a regular connected UK tv with The Barry Humphries Show connected the BBC and ITV's The Dame Edna Experience.

By this clip the dowdy housewife from Moonee Ponds had turned into a planetary megastar, flitting betwixt her galore luxurious residences crossed the satellite and pausing lone to counsel satellite leaders and propulsion armfuls of gladioli to her adoring audiences.

Apart from musicians oregon dancers, Humphries was lone ever joined by 1 different idiosyncratic onstage - the soundless Marge, played by English histrion Emily Perry, who was Dame Edna's long-suffering champion person and bridesmaid.

Over clip Dame Edna's costumes became much extravagant, with her dresses adorned by Australian icons specified arsenic kangaroos, koalas and the Sydney Opera House.

It took the Americans decades to get his peculiar marque of satirical humour, but Humphries yet achieved occurrence successful the US successful 1999, erstwhile Dame Edna: The Royal Tour opened connected Broadway, yet moving for 10 months.

Away from the signifier Humphries was passionate astir creation and literature. A talented artist, helium championed the enactment of galore painters, peculiarly Charles Conder, whose works featured successful a BBC documentary which Humphries presented.

He wrote respective plays, books, novels, and autobiographies for which helium won a fig of awards including the J.R. Ackerley prize for biography successful 1993.

In 2012, helium announced helium was retiring from unrecorded performances and acceptable disconnected connected a farewell circuit of Australia to immense captious acclaim, 1 reviewer describing Humphries "as virile, arsenic vulgar and arsenic magnificent arsenic ever." The circuit moved connected to the UK, earlier taking America by storm.

A uncommon sour enactment came successful 2019 erstwhile accusations of transphobia led to a large drama prized named aft him being renamed.

In comments helium aboriginal said had been misinterpreted, helium drew disapproval for describing being transgender arsenic "a fashion" and besides claimed to person been speaking successful quality with a notation to gender-reassignment country arsenic "self-mutilation".

Controversy aside, the lure of the limelight proved excessively strong, and successful 2022, helium emerged from self-imposed exile with The Man successful the Mask: a bid of shows looking backmost astatine his agelong career.

Fast approaching 90, his immaculate comic timing was inactive arsenic crisp arsenic ever. When helium whipped retired Dame Edna's celebrated glasses, determination was an tremendous cheer.

For much than 60 years, Barry Humphries held a reflector to Australia and Australians, revealing their virtues and weaknesses done a assemblage of adored characters,

"It's a benignant of therapy," helium erstwhile said, "I'd miss it if I couldn't bash it".