This film was a production of the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat. He didnt want to ruin his film by having a prude play what was a very amorous character. Crown', Learn how and when to remove this template message, list of the 100 most romantic films of all time, Outstanding Supporting Actress - Limited Series, Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Golden Globe Award for "Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy", New York Film Critics Circle Award for "Best Actress", "The King and I actress Deborah Kerr is Glasgow's star - and there is a birth certificate to prove it", "Deborah Kerr, Actress Known for Genteel Grace and a Sexy Beach Kiss, Dies at 86", "Between The Lines A film by Michael Scheingraber", "Casino Royale is too much for one James Bond", "Biggest Snubs in Academy Awards History", "Pierre Tchernia prsentateur du palmares du festival de Cannes", "Hollywood actress Deborah Kerr recognised in home town of Weston-super-Mare", "Glasgow roots of Hollywood star celebrated as plaque is unveiled", Deborah Kerr: An Actress in Search of an Author, Deborah Kerr "Rhymes with Star" tribute site, Deborah Kerr Rhymes With Star, and What a Star She Was: She Deserves to be Remembered, Too, Extensive collection of press articles from the 1940s to 2000s, photo galleries and other information, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deborah_Kerr&oldid=1145417567, Alfold Cemetery, Alfold, near Guildford, Surrey, England. 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. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Travel Ideas. Europe Destinations. In marrying Viertel, she became stepmother to Viertel's daughter, Christine Viertel. [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. Kerr appeared in two huge hits for MGM in a row. It seemed that Bartley wasnt fond of having a wife that made more money than he didand Kerr was just getting started. offered her a fee comparable to that paid to the rest of the cast combined, but she turned it down in favour of appearing in an aborted stage version of Flowers for Algernon. 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. Hed already immortalized the role of the King on Broadway, and really wanted Kerr playing opposite him. Unfortunately for Powell, the film was a big hit in both the UKand the US. Answer: A German accent Trimmer and Smale married, both aged 28, on 21 August 1919 in Smale's hometown of Lydney, Gloucestershire. Anthony and Deborah had two daughters, Melanie Jane (born 27 December 1947) and Francesca Ann (born 20 December 1951). Deborah Jane Trimmer was born on 30 September 1921 in Glasgow, Scotland, the daughter of Captain Arthur Kerr Trimmer. In the original script, Kerrs famous love scene with Burt Lancaster was meant to be shot with the actors standing up. Pamela Franklin made her acting debut in The Innocents in 1961 as the the well-minded Flora whose governess Miss Giddens (played by Deborah Kerr) begins to think spirits are possessing Flora and . Asia Destinations. After her Broadway dbut in 1953, she toured the United States with Tea and Sympathy. Deborah Kerr was born on the 30th of September, 1921. In 1965, the producers of Carry On Screaming! Times Staff Writer. Her second marriage was to author Peter Viertel on 23 July 1960. Her acting had to speak for itselfbut it only took one scene for her to captivate audiences. Before long, she got a call that would take her straight to the screen. Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress who achieved international fame for her leading roles in films such as "From Here to Eternity" . But the question remained: Why would they cast Deborah Kerr in such a beloved singing role? In a surprising twist, acting didnt defeat Kerr at all. In 1960, Kerr quickly met and married author Peter Viertel, who had a pretty checkered past. Her husband, however, continued to live in Marbella. In fact, the writer and director thought it was a great idea, and quickly convinced Cohn to hand the role over to Kerr. Deborah Jane Trimmer was born on 30 September 1921 in Glasgow, Scotland, the daughter of Captain Arthur Kerr Trimmer. However, there was one huge problem. 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. This error message is only visible to WordPress admins, Revealed: Trees planted to help achieve net zero are adding to Scotlands carbon emissions, Dreading the hordes? 25. Bristol University professor of Film, Sarah Street who penned the study Deborah Kerr, published by the British Film Institute, and Black Narcissus, A British Film Guide said the actor had just landed a Hollywood contract with MGM and had to get special permission to shoot the movie in the UK with Powell and Pressburger. 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. This British beauty made a living playing prim and proper school teachers, nuns, and princesses. It was likely that Kerrs boyfriend was angry that Kerr was now under contract with MGM. After her Broadway dbut in 1953, she toured the United States with Tea and Sympathy. The BBC adaptation of Black Narcissus is a remake of the iconic Oscar-winning 1947 movie of the same name, shot entirely in the UK by pioneering British director Michael Powell and producer-writer Emeric Pressburger with the late, great Hollywood icon Deborah Kerr in the star role. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. But Kerr wasnt one to squander her hard-earned money. In marrying Viertel, she became stepmother to Viertel's daughter, Christine Viertel. I knew I could be sexy, said Deborah, who dyed her hair blonde and learned an American accent. It's an unbelievable terror, a kind of masochistic madness. 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. Each new Bond is assigned a specific role. In 1975, she returned to Broadway, creating the role of Nancy in Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Seascape. She joined Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra in a love triangle for a romantic comedy, Marriage on the Rocks (1965). Kerr had definitely reached her limit when it came to the safe roles that MGM kept giving her. Crawford was so high on her popularity that shed made a staggering demandone that left the role up for grabs. Chicago P.D. Star Marina Squerciatis Bikini Photos, What Happened to Ben Napier? [4][5], Young Deborah spent the first three years of her life in the west coast town of Helensburgh, where her parents lived with Deborah's grandparents in a house on West King Street. While the scene reeks of romance, the reality was something completely different. Before her death at age 86 just 19 days before the passing of her beloved husband Peter Deborah watched as a new generation discovered her film An Affair to Remember after Meg Ryans character wept over it in Sleepless in Seattle. Kerr rejoined old screen partner Mitchum in Reunion at Fairborough (1985). Kerr's first film for MGM in Hollywood was a mature satire of the burgeoning advertising industry, The Hucksters (1947) with Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. Kerr, nevertheless, used any opportunity to discard her cool exterior. 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". Kerrs lover Powell was ready to cast Kerr in his next filmA Canterbury Taleand more than eager to reunite her with Roger Livesey, her co-star in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. Deborah Kerr is the former superintendent of the Brown Deer School District in northern Milwaukee and says her 20 years of experience in that role has prepared her to lead the state Department of Instruction (DPI) and tackle issues like the achievement gap. After her first London success in 1943, she toured England and Scotland in Heartbreak House. Deborah Kerr was a beautiful and accomplished film and television actress who became famous first in Britain and then in Hollywood as a cool and classy actress of great taste and refinement. My mom never told me how her best friend died. See 'Magnum P.I.' [citation needed], In Hollywood, Kerr's British accent and manner led to a succession of roles portraying refined, reserved, and "proper" English ladies. Her soldier dad Arthur Charles Trimmer aka Jack lost a leg after being shot in the Battle of the Somme. With a lover who was a celebrated producer, director, and writer, Kerr certainly had her career tied up. Deborah Kerr holds a candle in a scene from the film 'Black Narcissus', 1947. Her first acting teacher was her aunt, Phyllis Smale, who worked at a drama school in Bristol run by Lally Cuthbert Hicks. All Rights Reserved. Speaking about the new Black Narcissus starring Gemma Arterton in Kerrs role as mission leader Sister Clodagh and Aisling Franciosi as the haunted Sister Ruth, originally played by Kathleen Byron Francesca said: My mother would be fascinated to see the different take on it. So, the production team for The King and I quietly contacted soprano-for-hire Marni Nixon to sing for Kerr. There should be more words for thank you, shouldnt there?. 1957: Pg. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Deborah Kerr came into this world on September 30, 1921, in Glasgow Scotland as Deborah Jane Trimmer. 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. Powell took his revenge decisively and ended the affair, leaving Kerr open to a world of possibilities. Unfortunately, well never know how she did, and the reason for this is heartbreaking: The editor removed every frame of footage of Kerr from the finished film. Lucky for Kerr, Hiller had to back out of the role due to pregnancy. Critics took notice of Kerrs performance and that earned her the attention of Hollywood producers. She adored the character of Ida Carmody, her daughter Francesca Shrapnel tells Closer. Deborah Jane Trimmer was born on 30 September 1921 in Hillhead, Glasgow, the only daughter of Kathleen Rose (ne Smale) and Capt. Trimmer and Smale married, both aged 28, on 21 August 1919 in Smale's hometown of Lydney, Gloucestershire. Thereafter, Kerr's career choices would make her known in Hollywood for her versatility as an actress. Secondly, the producers decided that her name meant a lot to the picture, so they did something unprecedented for an actress of her age: On the poster, they put her name above all the other performers. One thing Kerr hadnt tried yet was a wholesome musical. During the Broadway run, however, tragedy struck. 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. This page was last edited on 19 March 2023, at 01:49. Feldman even promised her that she would only be on set for 10 days of shooting. Deborah Kerr in the 1950s Deborah Kerr's stage name pays homage to her Scots roots. 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. Husband Bartley had to swallow his prideso he could swallow some hearty American food. The process of development from a romantic, silly girl to a hard, disillusioned woman in three hours was moving and convincing". in the classic 1956 film, The King and I. As it turned out, Kerr wasnt the first person considered for the role of Annaand it mustve felt like deja vu all over again. Kerr's first stage appearance was at Weston-super-Mare in 1937, as "Harlequin" in the mime play Harlequin and Columbine. She played a nun in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) opposite her long-time friend Robert Mitchum, directed by John Huston. Which accent hasn't she done? Deborah Kerr movies: with Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity. While performing in a play for British troops during World War II, Deborah met Royal Air Force squadron leader Anthony Bartley. Travel Destinations. To avoid confusion over pronunciation, Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer billed her as "Kerr rhymes with Star! [10], 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. She won a scholarship to Sadler's Wells . Starring: Ursula Andress, Peter Sellers, Orson Welles, Peter O'Toole, Geraldine . Thats when a miracle happened. 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. Kerrs agent, Allenberg called up Columbia head honcho Harry Cohn to petition Kerr for the role in From Here To Eternity. Ive abdicated.. Deborah Kerr is a wonderful woman, mother of two daughters and grandmother of three grandchildren. [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. The couple often came back to Swanbourne to visit Anthony's parents at the Cottage (opposite the Old House), and they were always interested in what was going on in the village. We began our interview sitting comfortably on the terrace, where the great celluloid diva spends . [20] When asked about this revelation, Kerr's response was, "What a gallant man he is! Ironically, it was Powells Black Narcissus that finally sealed the deal. And the Helensburgh Heritage Trust reports the star twice visited the town in the 1950s when she stayed with friends on Charlotte Street. The film is about an ordinary American couple (amusing seeing as Deborah and Cary were both very British), Clem and Effie . [citation needed]. That doesnt really come across in quite the same way in the original, she added. The professor said: She always had a generous spirit. 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. A different photograph of the family appears with the article, "Tale of Nun and Marine on Island Unique Film." Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. Their chemistry was undeniable, and it radiated off the screen. [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. The process of development from a romantic, silly girl to a hard, disillusioned woman in three hours was moving and convincing". From Here to Eternity became one of the 10 highest-grossing films of the 1950s and earned Deborah an Oscar nomination. Kerr played a very public tug-of-war between the saintly and the saucy. Her parents encouraged her singing when they discovered that she had. Both flopped, as did Beloved Infidel (1959) with Gregory Peck. [26], She is tied with Thelma Ritter and Amy Adams as the actresses with the second most nominations without winning, surpassed only by Glenn Close, who has been nominated eight times without winning. So too was the spy comedy drama I See a Dark Stranger (1946), in which she gave a breezy, amusing performance that dominated the action and overshadowed her co-star Trevor Howard. For many years she had battled Parkinson's disease with the dignified grace and quiet wit she brought to her many roles. [citation needed]. The film was a big hit in Britain. , died Tuesday in Suffolk, England. It was filmed in Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and on location in Leonardslee, a subtropical garden in Sussex. Her first acting teacher was her aunt, Phyllis Smale, who worked at a drama school in Bristol run by Lally Cuthbert Hicks. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. She has done many accents over the years. Acting Daughter of Legendary Actor Burt Lancaster Shares Stories of Her Father September 3, 2015 Students, faculty, and staff gathered in the New York Film Academy Theater to attend an evening centered on the life and work of legendary actor-producer Burt Lancaster. Deborah Kerr (19212007) was a British actress who holds the record - six - for most Best Actress Oscar nominations without a win. Kerr's theater training and personal elegance added to every role, so she's worth remembering this Wednesday. She landed a role in 1947s Black Narcissus directed by none other than her ex-boyfriend, Powell. In fact, it was her nemesis Wendy Hillerthe same actor who one critic had said Kerr paled in comparison.
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