Kerr and Lancasters scene on the beach in From Here to Eternity was one that people wanted to see over and over again, but there was only one member of the public who had access: the projectionist. Scottish-born actress Deborah Kerr, who starred in Hollywood films including An Affair to Remember and The King And I, has died.. She was aged 86. It has a lot of shots that look very similar. But once she was free from MGM, how would she forge a new career? She would think it was interesting that another version had been done, and what todays film making might bring to that.. The Kerr-Bartley marriage was troubled, owing to Bartley's jealousy of his wife's fame and . Nevertheless, it was a huge highlight in Kerrs career something that would help her rest in peace. She returned to the cinema one more time in 1985's The Assam Garden. The process of development from a romantic, silly girl to a hard, disillusioned woman in three hours was moving and convincing". Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. She believes Kerr who became part of Hollywoods glitterati and had an illustrious and versatile career in movies like From Here To Eternity with Burt Lancaster and Edward My Son with Spencer Tracy would have approved. Deborah Jane Trimmer was born on 30 September 1921 in Hillhead, Glasgow, the only daughter of Kathleen Rose (ne Smale) and Capt. This page was last edited on 19 March 2023, at 01:49. Alexander Korda cast her opposite Robert Donat in Perfect Strangers (1945). In the meantime, however, Kerrs agent did something that destroyed this dream: Hed sold her contract to MGM studios in the US. [8], Kerr experienced a career resurgence on television in the early 1980s when she played the role of the nurse (played by Elsa Lanchester in the 1957 film of the same name) in Witness for the Prosecution, with Sir Ralph Richardson. She was an immediate hit with the public: An American film trade paper reported in 1942 that she was the most popular British actress with Americans. She appeared in Gary Cooper's last film The Naked Edge (1961) and starred in The Innocents (1961) where she plays a governess tormented by apparitions. So, the production team for The King and I quietly contacted soprano-for-hire Marni Nixon to sing for Kerr. This film was a production of the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. The other major distinction she said is the new versions more appropriate casting with proper ethnic actors instead of Caucasians made-up to look the part in the original. For this performance, Kerr was nominated for an Emmy Award. She then played Princess Flavia in a remake of The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) with Granger and Mason. Film, TV, Theatre - Actors and Originators, Sir John Gielgud - "the best Hamlet of our time", Jason Statham - Fast and Furious For Sure, Peter Ustinov - "He could make anyone laugh. Kerr was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1998, but was unable to accept the honour in person because of ill health. Her parents have four children, among whom the Greenleaf actress is the third. It has taken inspiration from the original film in many ways.. In 1994, having already received honorary awards from the Cannes Film Festival and BAFTA, Kerr received an Academy Honorary Award with a citation recognizing her as "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance". The lights were also extremely hot, and Kerr had to dance under them all day long. Deborah Jane Trimmer was born on 30 September 1921 in Hillhead, Glasgow, the only daughter of Kathleen Rose (ne Smale) and Capt. Which accent hasn't she done? Following this release, Kerr returned to a safe placethe stage, and eventually, television. The Glasgow, Scotland-born beauty spent her formative years studying ballet, but switched to drama when she grew too tall to become a prima ballerina. She was born in California as Margaret Nixon McEathron, the daughter of Charles Nixon and Margaret McEathron (nee Wittke). She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in The Sundowners. It was very popular as was An Affair to Remember (1957) opposite Cary Grant. One thing Kerr hadnt tried yet was a wholesome musical. But did her morals? In terms of lead actress nominations without a victory, Kerr now maintains the record. By appearing in From Here to Eternity, Kerr had to go head-to-head with the blonde of all blondes: Marilyn Monroe. Kerr ended up playing three different roles in the film. [8], In September and October 2010, Josephine Botting of the British Film Institute curated the "Deborah Kerr Season", which included around twenty of her feature films and an exhibition of posters, memorabilia and personal items loaned by her family. . Survivors include her daughters from her first marriage, Martha Carr and Melani Gold Friedman; her sisters Donyl Mern Aleman, Adair McEathron Jenkins and Ariel Lea Witbeck; six. Was in a bunch of great movies - Quo Vadis, From Here to Eternity, An Affair to Remember, The King and I, Casino Royale, The Innocents. Audiences, and more importantly producers, were finally seeing her as a sensual woman. With Powell out of the picture, Kerr wasted no time wallowing and kept a watchful eye out for her next Prince Charming. Deborah Kerr - IMDb But it wasnt an easy transition. Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed. Kerr later complained that by the end of the scene, she had tons of sand in places shed rather not mention. Kerr continued working on the stage and in television until tragedy struck: She received a diagnosis of Parkinsons disease. You see, Kerr had a very strict grandmother who concocted a somewhat cruel form of therapy for her. DEBORAH KERR OBITUARY. Kerr experienced a career resurgence on television in the early 1980s when she played the role of the nurse (played by Elsa Lanchester in the 1957 film of the same name) in Witness for the Prosecution, with Sir Ralph Richardson. After various walk-on parts in Shakespeare productions at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London, she joined the Oxford Playhouse repertory company in 1940, playing, inter alia, "Margaret" in Dear Brutus and "Patty Moss" in The Two Bouquets. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and holds the record for most Best Actress Oscar nominations without a win. Said critic James Agate of Love on the Dole, "is not within a mile of Wendy Hiller's in the theatre, but it is a charming piece of work by a very pretty and promising beginner, so pretty and so promising that there is the usual yapping about a new star". [32] She was also honoured in Hollywood, where she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street for her contributions to the motion picture industry. Although the British Army refused to co-operate with the producers and Winston Churchill thought the film would ruin wartime morale Colonel Blimp confounded critics when it proved to be an artistic and commercial success. Night of the Iguana. It wasnt that hard of a sell for a strange reasonhis appetite. People always think Im the epitome of the English gentlewoman, which just goes to show that things are never quite what they seem, said Deborah, who took a huge chance by breaking her contract to pursue the role of Karen, a disillusioned U.S. Army wife engaged in a torrid affair in From Here to Eternity. Kerr originally trained as a ballet dancer, first appearing on stage at Sadler's Wells in 1938. By 1953, movie fans had grown used to seeing Deborah in largely virtuous roles. "She has the rare gift", wrote critic Beverley Baxter, "of thinking her lines, not merely remembering them. Kerr starred in two films with David Niven: Bonjour Tristesse (1958), directed by Otto Preminger, and Separate Tables (1958), directed by Delbert Mann; the latter movie was particularly well received. She played the repressed wife in The End of the Affair (1955), shot in England with Van Johnson. The Life and Tragic Ending of Deborah Kerr - YouTube But theres even more irony coloring the picture: Glenn Close herself went on to outdo Kerr in Oscar losses, missing out eight times. She then went to the Sadler's Wells ballet school and in 1938 made her dbut in the corps de ballet in Prometheus. Kerrs record definitely belonged to the latter group. [citation needed], Kerr became known playing the lead role in the film of Love on the Dole (1941). [12], Powell hoped to reunite Kerr and lead actor Roger Livesey in his next film, A Canterbury Tale (1944), but her agent had sold her contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Born Deborah Jane Trimmer on September 30, 1921, in a private nursing home in Glasgow, she took the name from her paternal grandfather Arthur Kerr Trimmer who had adopted it from his Scottish maternal grandmother. Arthur Charles Kerr Trimmer, a World War I veteran and pilot who lost a leg at the Battle of the Somme and later became a naval architect and civil engineer. The couple married within a year and moved to California after Deborah was offered a contract by MGM. Deborah Kerr Bio, Early Life, Career, Net Worth and Salary While performing in a play for British troops during World War II, Deborah met Royal Air Force squadron leader Anthony Bartley. She forced Kerr to spend extended periods of time lying on the cold hard floor. Said critic James Agate of Love on the Dole, "is not within a mile of Wendy Hiller's in the theatre, but it is a charming piece of work by a very pretty and promising beginner, so pretty and so promising that there is the usual yapping about a new star". Kerr recently spoke with WPR's "The Morning Show" host Kate Archer Kent ahead of the . Directed by Alexander Korda, it's one of the great makeover movies, serving as an almost on-the-nose encapsulation of those contrary impulses: Kerr plays a dowdy housewife whose dull marriage is revitalized when both she and her husband (Robert Donat) find new avenues of fulfilment within the war effort, develop passions for other people, and, All Rights Reserved, Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google, Actor Burt Lancaster Didnt Settle Into One Role' and Turned Down Million Dollar Deal, Biographer Says, Frank Sinatra's 'Greatest Accomplishment' Was 'Helping as Many People as He Could' Friend Says, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Hawaii Adventures! According to Powell, his affair with Kerr ended when she made it clear to him that she would accept an offer to go to Hollywood if one were made. In 1955, Kerr won the Sarah Siddons Award for her performance in Chicago during a national tour of the play. She was the first performer to win the New York Film Critics Circle Award for "Best Actress" three times (1947, 1957 and 1960). However Kerr then played Anna Leonowens in the film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I (1956); with Yul Brynner in the lead, it was a huge hit. qualities of achievement and commitment, the BritishHeritage.org serves to recognize the British Heritage contribution to the betterment of mankind. To Cohns surprise, neither man laughed. From the Archives: Deborah Kerr, 86; 'Eternity' star During her international film career, Kerr won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Anna Leonowens in the musical film The King and I (1956). This was a big win for Nixonbut Kerr faced a major loss. After her first London success in 1943, she toured England and Scotland in Heartbreak House. Deborah Kerr was born in September 1921 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died in October 2007. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. Kerr rejoined old screen partner Mitchum in Reunion at Fairborough (1985). Her other major and best known films and performances are The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Black Narcissus (1947), Quo Vadis (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Tea and Sympathy (1956), An Affair to Remember (1957), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), Separate Tables (1958), The Sundowners (1960), The Innocents (1961), The Grass Is Greener (1960), and The Night of the Iguana (1964).
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