John Barry Humphries AO CBE (17 February 1934 – 22 April 2023) was a comedian, actor, novelist, satirist, and drag performer from Australia. He was best known for creating and portraying Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson on stage and on television.
His biographer Anne Pender characterized Humphries in 2010 as not only “the most significant theatrical figure of our time… [but] the most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin” for his delivery of Dadaist and absurdist humor to millions.
Where did Barry Humphries go to college and high school?
Humphries had his first education at Camberwell Grammar School, where he was inducted into the Gallery of Achievement. Humphries was transferred to Melbourne Grammar School, where he despised sport, despised mathematics, refused cadets “on the basis of conscientious objection,” and matriculated with great results in English and Art.
Humphries himself claimed his education as “self-educated, attended Melbourne Grammar School” in a Who’s Who entry. Humphries studied Law, Philosophy, and Fine Arts at the University of Melbourne for two years. During this time, he was a private in the Melbourne University Regiment, conducting National Service in the Australian Army’s Citizens Military Force. He did not complete his studies at university (though he did earn an honorary doctorate almost 50 years later).
Did Barry Humphries go to film school?
No! The late comedian did not attend any film school.
Humphries had written and performed songs and sketches in undergraduate revues, so he joined the newly created Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) after graduating. At this moment, he invented the initial incarnation of what would become his most famous character, Edna Everage. Mrs. Norm Everage’s debut stage sketch, “Olympic Hostess,” premiered on December 13, 1955, at Melbourne University’s Union Theatre.
