Saturday 22 April 2023
Legendary Australian comedian Barry Humphries is being remembered today for his comic alter egos like ‘Dame Edna Everage’, following his death in hospital. He has died at the age of 89 after earlier being admitted due to ongoing complications from hip surgery.
Barry appeared in more than 20 films and authored numerous books and stage plays. His most popular television and stage character is no doubt Dame Edna Everage, although there have been others like Sir Les Patterson and Sandy Stone.
An aristocrat in name only, the “dame” helped herself to a seat in the Royal Box alongside the then Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall at the 2013 Royal Variety Performance. It was typical of the many comical stunts perpetrated by Barry Humphries. Enjoy this clip:
Barry’s Dame Edna appeared on many talk shows in Australia, Britain and the USA. One of her funniest was with Michael Parkinson, where her sharp wit and outrageous humor took full flight:
From here in Australia, Dame Edna was in fine form with Bert Newton at the 1984 Logie Awards. It’s wonderful to be reminded of some of the celebrities of the era in shots of the audience:
On Bang a Gong you can see an early version of Edna Everage here: The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
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