Biography of Deborah Kerr — The English Rose
Star of From Here to Eternity, The Sundowners, and The King and I
Dec 2, 2007
Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer was born in Scotland on September 30, 1921 to Arthur and Kathleen (nee Smale) Kerr-Trimmer. Kerr, pronounced "car" not "kerr", was educated firstly at boarding school and then at her aunt's (Phyllis Smale) drama school, Hicks-Smale Drama School in Bristol. In 1937 Kerr won a scholarship to Ninette de Valois's Sadler's Wells ballet school, but eventually decided she preferred acting.
Early Career
Her career started in 1936 in Bristol when she was reading children's stories for BBC radio. She made her screen debut in 1940 in Contraband, but her part in the film was edited out! In 1941 Kerr appeared in Major Barbara with Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison. This was followed by The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp in 1943.
In 1945 Kerr was touring Allied Forces locations in Europe with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association – sometimes called Every Night Something Awful), the British Army entertainment service.
The Move to Hollywood
In 1947 Kerr moved to Hollywood and in the same year appeared in Black Narcissus and The Adventuress, for which she received Best Actress Award from the New York Film Critics. Kerr seemed destined to be typecast as the typical prim and proper English lady, but she soon shattered that illusion with her performance as the nymphomaniac Karen Holmes in From Here to Eternity (1953). This very successful film brought an Oscar nomination but, alas, no award.
The King and I
Kerr's most memorable role, for which she won a Golden Globe Award, was Mrs Anna in the 1956 musical The King and I. She played the English governess hired to tutor the King of Siam's vast family. Kerr's singing voice was dubbed in by Marni Nixon, an up-and-coming soprano.
Kerr's career continued to develop when she won Best Actress from the New York Film Critics for both Heaven Knows, Mr Allison (1957) and The Sundowners (1960).
No More Movies
In 1968, Kerr decided not to work in movies. She disliked the explicit sex and violence portrayed in films of the time. She continued to take some stage and television roles during the 1970s and '80s and worked on a number of television productions including the mini-series A Woman of Substance in 1984 and Hold the Dream in 1986, after which she retired completely. Kerr has also been the subject of a BBC documentary programme entitled Deborah Kerr: Not Just an English Rose (1986).
Awards and Nominations
Kerr was nominated four times for BAFTA and six times for Oscar awards, but failed to win either award. In 1991 she received a BAFTA "Special Award", and she has received the New York Film Critics Award three times.
Last Public Appearance
Her last public appearance was in 1994, when she received an Honorary Oscar in acknowledgement of her contribution to film and theatre history. She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1998 New Year's Honours List.
In her later years Kerr suffered from Parkinson's Disease and returned to England to be near her family. In 2004 her younger brother, Edmund Trimmer, died in a road-rage attack. Kerr had two daughters, Melanie Jane and Francesca Ann, from her marriage to Anthony Bartley (divorced 1959). Her grandsons are actors Tom and Lex, and writer Joe Shrapnel (Francesca's sons). Deborah married novelist and screenwriter Peter Viertel in 1960. Deborah Kerr died on October 16, 2007, from complications associated with Parkinson's. Peter died on November 7, 2007 aged 86, just over two weeks later.
Source:
- A Life in Movies (ISBN 0-434-59945-X) by Michael Powell, Heinemann, 1986
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