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). As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. The marriage was troubled, owing to Bartley's jealousy of his wife's fame and financial success, and because her career often took her away from home. 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. Kerr's first marriage was to Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Anthony Bartley on 29 November 1945. Before she could move to Hollywood, Kerr had to persuade her already jealous husband to give up his job and move to the US with her. She forced Kerr to spend extended periods of time lying on the cold hard floor. However, when it came to Kerrs personal life, all light-hearted fancies flew out the window. In marrying Viertel, she became stepmother to Viertel's daughter, Christine Viertel. Star Perdita Weeks' Bikini Photos, See Your Favorite Celebrity Couples in Swimsuits: Best Beach Photos, Meet Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone's Daughters Vivian and Georgette, Pure Sunshine! DEBORAH KERR OBITUARY. In the original script, Kerrs famous love scene with Burt Lancaster was meant to be shot with the actors standing up. "She has the rare gift", wrote critic Beverley Baxter, "of thinking her lines, not merely remembering them. Kerrs next film, 1943s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, stood out for a few reasons. [citation needed], Kerr became known playing the lead role in the film of Love on the Dole (1941). Stewart Granger claimed in his autobiography that in 1945 she had approached him romantically in the back of his chauffeur-driven car at the time he was making Caesar and Cleopatra. You see, England was still in post-WWII ration mode, which meant that there wasnt much decent food to be had. She was a widow in love with William Holden in The Proud and Profane (1956), directed by George Seaton. In 1960, the same year they wed, the couple purchased a home in the Swiss mountains that became their haven. Beloved and cherished daughter of Eddie and Bernice Kerr (pre-deceased) and eldest of six (6) siblings, loving aunt and great aunt to a host of nieces and nephews, loved by a host of family and friends. While working on the 1956 movie The King And I with Yul Brynner she met singer Marni Nixon who voiced her songs for her and discovered they shared a Scottish ancestry. We want our readers to trust us. [16] This was immediately followed by her appearance in the religious epic Quo Vadis (1951), shot at Cinecitt in Rome, in which she played the indomitable Lygia, a first-century Christian. By appearing in From Here to Eternity, Kerr had to go head-to-head with the blonde of all blondes: Marilyn Monroe. The two married in 1945, and later, welcomed two daughters: Melanie Jane and Francesca Ann. Lets just, Love on the Dole (1941), British National Films, Major Barbara (1941), General Film Distributors, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Cover Girl Facts About Dorian Leigh, The Model Who Flirted With Fire, Wily Facts About Queen Caroline of Ansbach, Historys Monster Mother, Hard-Edged Facts About Etta James, The Comeback Queen, Alluring Facts About Raquel Welch, The Temptress With A Temper. But she found American actor Alessandro Nivolas portrayal of Mr Dean to be more credible than that delivered by David Farrar more than seven decades ago. Her role as a troubled nun in the Powell and Pressburger production of Black Narcissus (1947) brought her to the attention of Hollywood producers. They were so heavy and cumbersome that during the filmmaking of the Shall We Dance sequence, something horrible happened. All successful people these days seem to be neurotic. To avoid confusion over pronunciation, Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer billed her as "Kerr rhymes with Star! She was soon co-starring with acting greats like Clark Gable, Spencer Tracey, and Ava Gardner. She subsequently performed with the Oxford Repertory Company 1939-40. He died, aged 78, in a road rage incident in 2004. In it, Kerr fights off the attentions of not one, not two, but three gentleman suitors. Although nominated six times as Best Actress, Kerr never won a competitive Oscar. After Cohn hung up on Kerrs agent, he wanted to share the joke with the From Here to Eternity director and writer. Her acting had to speak for itselfbut it only took one scene for her to captivate audiences. Ironically, it was Powells Black Narcissus that finally sealed the deal. Although she long resided in Klosters, Switzerland and Marbella, Spain, Kerr moved back to Britain to be closer to her own children as her health began to deteriorate. The odds of being that close to an explosion were pretty smallbut not as small as landing her next role. Public visitation will be 4:30-8:00 pm, Tuesday, July 27th, 2021, at Calhoun Funeral Home, 23000 Rockside Road, Bedford . As a child, Deborah, who was born in Glasgow, dreamed of becoming a ballerina, but she switched to acting when she grew too tall. And while she found the leading ladies of the TV series less compelling than their 1947 counterparts, she conceded: It is very hard to compete with a performance that has become iconic. The lights were also extremely hot, and Kerr had to dance under them all day long. "She has the rare gift", wrote critic Beverley Baxter, "of thinking her lines, not merely remembering them. Kerr became known in Britain playing the lead role in the film of Love on the Dole (1941). Kerr made clear that her surname should be pronounced the same as "car". In this section, we explore some of her most iconic looks and provide tips on how to recreate them. Kerr returned to the London stage in many productions including the old-fashioned, The Day After the Fair (Lyric, 1972), a Peter Ustinov comedy, Overheard (Haymarket, 1981) and a revival of Emlyn Williams's The Corn is Green. Deborah Joy Winans was born on September 6, 1983, to Carvin Winans and Deborah Kerr Winans. She danced with Yul Brynner in the classic 1956 film, The King and I. Kerr made her British TV debut in "Three Roads to Rome" (1963). But once she was free from MGM, how would she forge a new career? Joan Crawford had gotten about as big as a Hollywood star could getand she had an ego to match it. All Rights Reserved, Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google, Being Famous Is Overrated! Mitchum just happened to be in the water when this happened and almost drowned laughing. Deborah Kerr may have frolicked in the surf with Burt Lancaster and donned a nun's habit more than once, but for many, her name prompts a vision of the actress in a large, gothic house, clad in a hoopskirt, tending the children of her employer. Kerr had to make herself stand out, and she had to do it by laying it all on the line. They divorced in 1959. She relished the challenge of playing complicated women, her daughter Francesca Shrapnel exclusively tells Closer. But she never lost her love, or connection, with Scotland. Her wardrobe consisted of classic pieces such as tailored suits, sheath dresses, high-waisted trousers, and trench coats. In 1994, Glenn Close presented Kerr with the Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement with a citation recognising her as "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance". DC Thomson Co Ltd 2023. Ive abdicated.. 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. 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. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. And thats when a close relative suggested something even more difficult. She is buried in a family plot at Alfold Cemetery, Alfold, Surrey. Her first acting teacher was her aunt, Phyllis Smale, who worked at a drama school in Bristol run by Lally Cuthbert Hicks. [8] After her first London success in 1943, she toured England and Scotland in Heartbreak House. The two actors had to time their lovemaking with the surf in order to achieve the maximum effect with the waves crashing behind them. Kerr had definitely reached her limit when it came to the safe roles that MGM kept giving her. The gambit worked. The process of development from a romantic, silly girl to a hard, disillusioned woman in three hours was moving and convincing". Kerr was extremely shy, so dancing in front of a crowd didnt come easy. Deborah Jane Trimmer, better known by her stage name Deborah Kerr (30 September 1921-16 October 2007), was a British actress who appeared in movies, plays, and television. Taking the advice to heart, Kerr left her dance shoes on the sidelines. It was likely that Kerrs boyfriend was angry that Kerr was now under contract with MGM. Although she never won a BAFTA or Cannes Film Festival award in a competitive category, both organisations gave Kerr honorary awards: a Cannes Film Festival Tribute in 1984 and a BAFTA Special Award in 1991. Scottish-born actress Deborah Kerr, the graceful star who romped in the surf with Burt Lancaster in "From Here to Eternity" and danced with Yul Brynner in "The King and I," has died at age 86. By 1959, Bartley had had it. In 1955, Kerr won the Sarah Siddons Award for her performance in Chicago during a national tour of the play. Shed love Gemma Arterton and would probably be rather moved at the thought of Pressburgers grandson producing it. 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. Now Sir James must nab the brain behind SMERSH. character of the British people through commitment to British values, the British community and/or to Great Britain. 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 addition to the pain and suffering associated with learning to dance on pointe, Kerr also faced another obstacleher crippling insecurity. It ushered in the peak years of her career: She played Anna, the governess in The King and I, an Australian shepherds wife in The Sundowners, and a woman who falls for Cary Grants charms on a transatlantic voyage in An Affair to Remember.

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