Deborah Kerr - Theater Personalities, Family and Facts

Deborah Kerr's Personal Details

Deborah Kerr was one of the most famous English actresses of her time

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Who is Deborah Kerr?

Deborah Kerr was one of the most famous English actresses of her time. She was born in Scotland and considered to be a real English beauty with impeccable grace and elegance, a ramrod posture honed during her training as a ballet dancer, and flame colored tresses that set her apart from other actresses. She was also called ‘The English Rose’ by her admirers. She won one ‘Golden Globe Award’, three ‘New York Film Critics Awards’, one ‘BAFTA Fellowship Award’, six Oscar nominations, three ‘Golden Globe’ nominations, four ‘BAFTA Award’ nominations and a ‘CBE’ for her work during an acting career spread over more than 45 years. She became famous especially for her roles in ‘From Here to Eternity’ and ‘The King and I’. She was admired in the industry for her acting talent and the professional way in which she handled her roles. She was able to excel in any role from a nun to a slave with equal ease for the stage or the screen. She started as a ballet dancer but decided to become an actress instead as her five foot seven inches frame was a little too tall for a ballet dancer. She acted for the stage, the big screen and for the television.

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Deborah Kerr biography timelines

• // 30th Sep 1921
  Deborah Kerr was born Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer in Helensburgh, Scotland, on September 30, 1921. Her father was an army engineer named Captain Arthur Kerr-Trimmer and her mother was Kathleen Rose. She had a younger brother, Edmund (Teddy).
• // 1937
  Deborah Kerr made her stage debut in ‘Harlequin and Columbine’ in 1937.
• // 1938
  In 1938 she danced with a ballet group in ‘Prometheus’ produced by the ‘Sadler’s Wells Theater School’.
• // 1939 To 1940
  She acted in the ‘Oxford Repertory Company’ from 1939 to 1940.
• // 1939
  She was offered a five-year contract and her first role was in a spy drama ‘Contraband’ in 1939 which was never screened.
• // 1940
  She acted in a film adaption of Bernard Shaw’s work titled ‘Major Barbara’ and then in the lead role in ‘Love on the Dole’ in 1940.
• // 1943
  British director Michael Powell gave her a role in film ‘The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp’ in 1943 in which she appeared thrice.
• // 1943
  In 1943 she acted on the London stage in George Bernard Shaw’s adaptation ‘Heartbreak House’.
• // 1945
  In 1945 she toured Europe with the play ‘Gaslight’ to entertain the British Troops.
• // 1945 To 1959
  She married a war hero Anthony Bartley in 1945 but divorced him in 1959. She had two daughters from this marriage - Melanie and Francesca.
• // 1947
  She acted in another British film ‘Black Narcissus’ in 1947.
• // 1947
  Deborah Kerr won the ‘New York Film Critics Award’ in 1947 for ‘Black Narcissus’ and was voted one of the top earning English stars by ‘Motion Picture Herald’ poll.
• // 1948
  She won her ‘Academy Award’ nomination and a ‘Golden Globe Award’ nomination in 1948 for ‘Edward, My Son’.
• // 1953
  She appeared in the films ‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘From Here to Eternity’ in 1953.
• // 1953
  She also made her Broadway debut in 1953 in a lead role in ‘Tea and Sympathy’.
• // 1953
  Her second ‘Academy Award’ nomination was for ‘From Here to Eternity’ in 1953.
• // 1955 To 1956
  In 1955 she acted in the film version of Graham Greene’s ‘The End of the Affair’. She re-enacted the same role on the stage in 1956 and acted in the film version of Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s film version of ‘The King and I’ in the same year.
• // 1955
  In 1955 she got a nomination for the ‘BAFTA Award’ for ‘The End of the Affair’.
• // 1956
  She won the ‘Golden Globe Award’ and her third ‘Academy Award’ nomination for the film ‘The King and I’ in 1956.
• // 1956
  She won a nomination for the ‘BAFTA Award’ for the film ‘Tea and Sympathy’ in 1956.
• // 1957
  She acted in the film ‘Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison’ opposite Robert Mitchum in 1957.
• // 1957
  ‘An Affair to Remember’ in 1957 opposite Cary Grant made her immensely popular.
• // 1957
  She received her second ‘New York Film Critics Award’, a fourth ‘Academy Award’ nomination and a second ‘Golden Globe Award’ nomination for the film ‘Heaven Knows Mr. Allison’ in 1957.
• // 1958
  She appeared in ‘Separate Tables’ in 1958.
• // 1958
  She won the fifth ‘Academy Award’ nomination and the third ‘Golden Globe Award’ nomination in 1958 for the film ‘Separate Tables.
• // 1959
  In 1959 she portrayed writer Sheilah Graham in the film ‘Beloved Infidel’.
• // 1960
  She acted opposite Robert Mitchum in the film ‘The Sundowners’ in 1960.
• // 1960
  She won a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ in 1960.
• // 1960 To 1961
  Kerr won a third ‘New York Film Critics Award’ and a sixth ‘Academy Award’ nomination in 1960 and a ‘BAFTA Award’ nomination in 1961 for the film ‘Sundowners’
• // 1961
  She acted in ‘The Innocents’ and also in the BBC production ‘Three Roads to Rome’ in 1961.
• // 1964
  In 1964 she acted in Tennessee William’s ‘The Night of The Iguana’ and also starred in ‘The Chalk Garden’.
• // 1964
  In 1964 she received a fourth ‘BAFTA Award’ nomination for the film ‘Chalk Garden’.
• // 1968
  In 1968 she co-starred with David Niven in the film ‘Prudence and the Pill’ and also acted in the films ‘The Arrangement’ and ‘The Gypsy Moths’.
• // 1972 To 1973
  She starred in ‘The Day after The Fair’ on the London stage in 1972 and toured the United States with it in 1973.
• // 1973
  She acted in television movies ‘A Song at Twilight’ in 1973.
• // 1975
  In 1975 she appeared on the Broadway stage in Edward Albee’s ‘Seascape’.
• // 1978
  In 1978 she toured the US with the play ‘The Last of Mrs. Cheney’.
• // 1985
  She acted on London stage in ‘The Corn Is Green’ in 1985
• // 1986
  Her final screen appearance was in the TV miniseries ‘Hold the Dream’ in 1986.
• // 1991
  She won a ‘BAFTA Fellowship Award’ in 1991.
• // 1994
  She was awarded a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award, Honorary Oscar’ in 1994.
• // 1997
  She was awarded the ‘CBE’ in 1997.
• // 16th Oct 2007
  Deborah Kerr died age of 86 in Suffolk, England, on October 16, 2007, due to complications arising out of Parkinson’s disease.

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Deborah Kerr's FAQ

• What is Deborah Kerr birthday?

  Deborah Kerr was born at 1921-09-30

• When was Deborah Kerr died?

  Deborah Kerr was died at 2007-10-16

• Where was Deborah Kerr died?

  Deborah Kerr was died in Botesdale, Suffolk, England

• Which age was Deborah Kerr died?

  Deborah Kerr was died at age 86

• Where is Deborah Kerr's birth place?

  Deborah Kerr was born in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

• What is Deborah Kerr nationalities?

  Deborah Kerr's nationalities is British

• Who is Deborah Kerr spouses?

  Deborah Kerr's spouses is Anthony Bartley (married 1945), divorced 1959), Peter Viertel (married 1960–2007; her death)

• Who is Deborah Kerr siblings?

  Deborah Kerr's siblings is Edmund (Teddy)

• Who is Deborah Kerr childrens?

  Deborah Kerr's childrens is Christine Viertel (stepdaughter), Francesca Ann Bartley (born 1951), Melanie Jane Bartley (born 1947)

• Who is Deborah Kerr's father?

  Deborah Kerr's father is Captain Arthur Kerr-Trimmer

• Who is Deborah Kerr's mother?

  Deborah Kerr's mother is Kathleen Rose

• What is Deborah Kerr's sun sign?

  Deborah Kerr is Libra

• How famous is Deborah Kerr?

  Deborah Kerr is famouse as Actress