
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, perhaps best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the Court of St. James's. He is a film producer and script writer, a star of London's West End musical theatre, an award-winning writer and an accomplished landscape painter. For his delivery of dadaist and absurdist humour to millions, biographer Anne Pender described Humphries in 2010 as not only the most significant theatrical figure of our time … [but] the most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin. Humphries' characters, especially Dame Edna Everage, have brought him international renown, and he has appeared in numerous films, stage productions and television shows. Originally conceived as a dowdy Moonee Ponds housewife who caricatured Australian suburban complacency and insularity, Edna has evolved over four decades to become a satire of stardom, the gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal, internationally feted Housewife Gigastar, Dame Edna Everage. Humphries' other major satirical character creation was the archetypal Australian bloke Barry McKenzie, who originated as the hero of a comic strip about Australians in London (with drawings by Nicholas Garland) which was first published in Private Eye magazine. The stories about "Bazza" (Humphries' nickname, as well as an Australian term of endearment for the name Barry) gave wide circulation to Australian slang, particularly jokes about drinking and its consequences (much of which was invented by Humphries), and the character went on to feature in two Australian films, in which he was portrayed by Barry Crocker. Humphries' other satirical characters include the "priapic and inebriated cultural attaché" Sir Les Patterson, who has "continued to bring worldwide discredit upon Australian arts and culture, while contributing as much to the Australian vernacular as he has borrowed from it", gentle, grandfatherly "returned gentleman" Sandy Stone, iconoclastic 1960s underground film-maker Martin Agrippa, Paddington socialist academic Neil Singleton, sleazy trade union official Lance Boyle, high-pressure art salesman Morrie O'Connor and failed tycoon Owen Steele. Description above from the Wikipedia article Barry Humphries, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Series | Dame Edna's Neighbourhood Watch | Unknown | 2022 |
Series | Magical Land of Oz | Narrator (voice) | 2019-02-10 |
Movie | Standing Up for Sunny | Barry Humphries | 2019-06-12 |
Movie | Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie | Charlie / Dame Edna | 2016-07-01 |
Movie | Peter Cook and Dudley Moore: The Missing Sketches | Himself | 2016-12-31 |
Series | A Granny's Guide to the Modern World | Unknown | 2016-08-03 |
Movie | Blinky Bill the Movie | Wombo (voice) | 2015-08-21 |
Movie | Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show | Herself | 2015-12-25 |
Movie | Jack Irish: Dead Point | Justice Logan | 2014-04-13 |
Series | The Great Comic Relief Bake Off | Contestant (Dame Edna Everage) | 2013-01-21 |
Movie | Justin and the Knights of Valour | Braulio (voice) | 2013-08-09 |
Movie | Kath & Kimderella | Dame Edna Everage | 2012-09-06 |
Movie | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Great Goblin | 2012-11-26 |
Series | Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford | Unknown | 2010-03-26 |
Series | A Comedy Roast | Unknown | 2010-04-07 |
Movie | Mary and Max | Narrator (voice) | 2009-02-09 |
Movie | Salvation | Client | 2009-03-19 |
Series | I'd Do Anything | Himself - Judge | 2008-03-15 |
Series | Q&A | Himself - Panellist | 2008-05-22 |
Movie | Not Quite Hollywood | Unknown | 2008-08-28 |
Movie | We Are Most Amused | Himself | 2008-11-15 |
Series | The Graham Norton Show | Herself | 2007-02-22 |
Series | The Dame Edna Treatment | Unknown | 2007-03-17 |
Series | Betjeman and Me | Unknown | 2006-08-14 |
Series | The One Show | Unknown | 2006-08-14 |
Movie | Da Kath & Kim Code | John Monk | 2005-11-27 |
Series | The Tony Danza Show | Unknown | 2004-09-13 |
Movie | Remember the Secret Policeman's Ball? | Himself - Edna Everage | 2004-11-15 |
Movie | Finding Nemo | Bruce (voice) | 2003-05-30 |
Series | Little Britain | Unknown | 2003-09-16 |
Series | QI | Unknown | 2003-09-11 |
Movie | Nicholas Nickleby | Mrs. Crummies/Mr. Leadville | 2002-12-27 |
Movie | Welcome to Woop Woop | Blind Wally | 1998-08-13 |
Series | Ally McBeal | Claire Otoms | 1997-09-08 |
Series | The View | Unknown | 1997-08-11 |
Movie | Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills | Bert / Lady Shopper / Manager | 1997-10-07 |
Movie | Spice World | Kevin McMaxford | 1997-12-18 |
Movie | The Leading Man | Humphrey Beal | 1996-12-12 |
Movie | Napoleon | Kangaroo (voice) | 1995-06-30 |
Movie | Immortal Beloved | Clemens Metternich | 1994-12-16 |
Series | Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Unknown | 1993-09-13 |
Series | RTL Samstag Nacht | Unknown | 1993-11-06 |
Series | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Dame Edna Everage | 1992-05-25 |
Movie | Joan Rivers: Abroad in London | Dame Edna Everage | 1992-10-08 |
Series | Boulevard Bio | Unknown | 1991-08-06 |
Movie | Selling Hitler | Rupert Murdoch | 1991-06-11 |
Series | Dame Edna's Hollywood | Dame Edna Everage | 1991-11-30 |
Series | Pebble Mill | Unknown | 1991-10-14 |
Movie | Les Patterson Saves the World | Sir Les Patterson / Dame Edna Everage | 1987-04-09 |
Series | The Dame Edna Experience | Unknown | 1987-09-12 |
Movie | A (BBC Arena) Birthday Tribute to Dame Edna Everage | Edna Everage | 1984-01-01 |
Movie | Dr. Fischer of Geneva | Richard Deane | 1984-10-08 |
Series | LIVE with Kelly and Ryan | Unknown | 1983-04-04 |
Series | Wogan | Himself | 1982-05-04 |
Movie | The Secret Policeman's Other Ball | Himself - Various Roles | 1982-09-23 |
Movie | A Toast to Melbourne | Unknown | 1981-01-01 |
Movie | Shock Treatment | Bert Schnick | 1981-10-30 |
Movie | The Rocky Horror Treatment | Himself | 1981-02-04 |
Series | Russell Harty | Unknown | 1980-10-28 |
Series | An Audience with... | Dame Edna Everage / Sir Les Patterson | 1978-01-08 |
Series | The South Bank Show | Unknown | 1978-01-14 |
Movie | The Getting of Wisdom | Rev. Strachey | 1977-08-25 |
Movie | Pleasure at Her Majesty's | Edna Everage | 1976-12-29 |
Movie | Side by Side | Unknown | 1975-04-30 |
Series | Saturday Night Live | Unknown | 1975-10-11 |
Movie | The Great MacArthy | Col Ball-Miller | 1975-08-04 |
Movie | Percy's Progress | Dr. Anderson / Australian TV Lady | 1974-08-01 |
Movie | Barry McKenzie Holds His Own | Edna Everage | 1974-12-12 |
Movie | The Adventures of Barry McKenzie | Aunt Edna Everage | 1972-01-01 |
Series | Hey Hey It's Saturday | Unknown | 1971-10-09 |
Movie | The Naked Bunyip | Edna Everage | 1970-02-02 |
Movie | The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom | Mr. Wainwright | 1968-01-01 |
Movie | Bedazzled | Envy | 1967-10-30 |
Series | The Wednesday Play | Unknown | 1964-09-30 |