Deborah Kerr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Deborah Kerr
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Kerr in 1973, by Allan Warren
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| Born |
Deborah Jane Trimmer
30 September 1921 |
| Died | 16 October 2007 (aged 86) Botesdale, Suffolk, England
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| Resting place | Alfold Cemetery, Alfold, near Guildford, Surrey, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1937–1986 |
| Known for | The King and I From Here to Eternity An Affair to Remember Tea and Sympathy Separate Tables Black Narcissus The Innocents The Sundowners |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Lex Shrapnel (grandson) |
Deborah Kerr (born Deborah Jane Trimmer; 30 September 1921 – 16 October 2007) was a famous British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which is a huge honor in movies.
During her long career, Deborah Kerr won a Golden Globe Award for her role as Anna Leonowens in the musical film The King and I (1956). She starred in many other well-known films. Some of these include Black Narcissus (1947), From Here to Eternity (1953), An Affair to Remember (1957), and The Innocents (1961).
In 1994, she received a special Academy Honorary Award. This award recognized her as "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty." It also praised her as "a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance."
Contents
Early Life and Training
Deborah Jane Trimmer was born on 30 September 1921 in Hillhead, Glasgow, Scotland. She was the only daughter of Kathleen Rose and Captain Arthur Charles Kerr Trimmer. Her father was a pilot and engineer who served in World War I.
Young Deborah spent her first few years in Helensburgh. She had a younger brother named Edmund. Deborah went to school in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare.
She first trained to be a ballet dancer. She even performed on stage at Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1938. However, she soon decided to become an actress instead. Her aunt, Phyllis Smale, who taught drama, helped her get started. Deborah chose "Kerr" as her stage name. It was a family name from her grandmother.
Becoming a Film Star
Deborah Kerr's first stage role was in 1937 in a mime play. She then joined a theater company in Oxford in 1940. Her first film role was in Contraband (1940), but her scenes were cut. She had a good supporting role in Major Barbara (1941).
She became well-known for her lead role in Love on the Dole (1941). Critics praised her as a "very pretty and promising beginner." She also starred in Hatter's Castle (1942), which was very popular.
Kerr played three different women in the film The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943). This movie was a big success. She also performed on the London stage in 1943. She toured for entertainment groups during World War II.
Her role as a troubled nun in Black Narcissus (1947) caught the attention of Hollywood. This film was a hit in both the UK and the US. Deborah Kerr won the New York Film Critics Award for Actress of the Year. Soon after, she moved to Hollywood and signed a contract with MGM.
Hollywood Success
In Hollywood, Deborah Kerr often played elegant and proper English ladies. However, she always looked for chances to show different sides of her acting. Her first film for MGM was The Hucksters (1947). She received her first Oscar nomination for Edward, My Son (1949).
Kerr starred in two huge hit films for MGM. These were King Solomon's Mines (1950), filmed in Africa, and the religious epic Quo Vadis (1951). She also played Princess Flavia in The Prisoner of Zenda (1952).
In 1953, she showed her strong acting skills as Portia in Julius Caesar. She also appeared in Young Bess (1953).
From Here to Eternity and Broadway
Deborah Kerr took on a new kind of role in From Here to Eternity (1953). She played Karen Holmes, a military wife. This role showed her passionate side and earned her another Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The famous scene where she and Burt Lancaster are on a Hawaiian beach is very well-known.
She also made her Broadway debut in 1953 in the play Tea and Sympathy. She was nominated for a Tony Award for this role. Kerr later played the same character in the film version of Tea and Sympathy (1956).
Peak Years of Stardom
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Deborah Kerr became known for her wide range of acting roles. She played Anna Leonowens in the musical film The King and I (1956) with Yul Brynner. This film was a huge success. Her singing voice in the movie was provided by Marni Nixon.
She played a nun in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) with her friend Robert Mitchum. This film was very popular. So was An Affair to Remember (1957) where she starred opposite Cary Grant.
Kerr also made two films with David Niven: Bonjour Tristesse (1958) and Separate Tables (1958). Separate Tables was especially well-received.
Later Films and Television
Deborah Kerr reunited with Robert Mitchum in The Sundowners (1960), filmed in Australia. She also starred with Cary Grant again in The Grass Is Greener (1960). She appeared in The Innocents (1961), playing a governess who sees ghosts.
She made her British TV debut in 1963. Kerr played another governess in The Chalk Garden (1964). She worked with director John Huston again in The Night of the Iguana (1964).
In Casino Royale (1967), she played a "Bond Girl." At 45, she was the oldest actress to play this role in a James Bond film at that time. She also starred in Prudence and the Pill (1968) with David Niven. Her last film role was in The Assam Garden in 1985.
She also had a successful career in television in the 1980s. She played a nurse in Witness for the Prosecution (1982). She also took on the role of Emma Harte in the miniseries A Woman of Substance (1984). For this performance, Kerr was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Personal Life
Deborah Kerr's first marriage was to Anthony Bartley in 1945. They had two daughters, Melanie Jane and Francesca Ann. They divorced in 1959.
Her second marriage was to author Peter Viertel in 1960. She became a stepmother to his daughter, Christine. Deborah Kerr lived in Switzerland and Spain for many years. As her health declined, she moved back to Britain to be closer to her own children.
Later Years and Legacy
Deborah Kerr passed away on 16 October 2007, at the age of 86. She died in Botesdale, England, from Parkinson's disease. She is buried in Alfold Cemetery in Surrey. Her husband, Peter Viertel, died just three weeks later.
Kerr received many honors throughout her life. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1998. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to movies.
Even though she was nominated six times for a competitive Oscar, she never won one. However, in 1994, she received an Academy Honorary Award for her lifetime achievements. This special Oscar celebrated her grace, beauty, and dedication as an actress.
She won a Golden Globe Award for The King and I in 1957. She was also the first actress to win the New York Film Critics Circle Award three times. Both the Cannes Film Festival and BAFTA also gave her special honorary awards.
In 2010, the British Film Institute held a "Deborah Kerr Season" to celebrate her work. In 2021, on what would have been her 100th birthday, memorial plaques were unveiled in her honor in Weston-super-Mare and Glasgow.
Images for kids
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Kerr in 1973, by Allan Warren
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Kerr in Young Bess (1953)
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Kerr in An Affair to Remember (1957)
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With Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)
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Kerr in The Sundowners (1960)
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Kerr's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street
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The grave of Deborah Kerr, Alfold churchyard in Surrey
See also
In Spanish: Deborah Kerr para niños
