Barry Humphries, Dame Edna Everage comedian, dead at 89
Barry Humphries, the Australian comedian best known for his portrayal of Dame Edna Everage, has died at the age of 89. Humphries had been in hospital since suffering a fall in Feburary and experiencing complications following hip surgery.
”He was completely himself until the very end, never losing his brilliant mind, his unique wit and generosity of spirit,” his family said in a statement.
Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1934, Humphries originally created the persona of Edna Everage in 1955 as a social satire on the Australian housewives of the era. The character came to international prominence in the 1970s when Humphries brought the persona to the West End and appeared in numerous television programmes, late-night shows, and comedy specials.
In addition to his role as Everage, Humphries also created the characters of Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, among others. Humphries provided the voice for the vegetarian shark Bruce in Finding Nemo and appeared in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit as the Great Goblin.
In 1982, Humphries was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (OA) for services to theatre. In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II made him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contribution to the arts.
Humphries is survived by his wife, Lizzie Spender, and four children.
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