Graham Kennedy

Graham Kennedy was born on 15 February 1934 in Balaclava, Victoria, Australia. He was the son of John Albert Eric Humphries, a clerk of courts, and Alice May Williams, a dressmaker. He had a troubled childhood as his parents separated when he was six and he was raised by various relatives. He attended Sydney Church of England Grammar School and Geelong Grammar School. He then studied law at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he graduated with honours in 1956. He returned to Australia and began his professional performing career on the West End and Broadway stages as Mr Sowerberry in Oliver!, and in Peter Cook's Establishment nightclub. He created numerous characters that brought him international renown, such as Dame Edna Everage, a gaudily dressed, acid-tongued, egomaniacal "Housewife Gigastar"; Sir Les Patterson, a "priapic and inebriated cultural attaché"; Sandy Stone, a gentle, grandfatherly "returned gentleman"; and Barry McKenzie, an archetypal Australian bloke. He appeared in numerous stage productions, films, and television shows. He was honoured as Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1982 and Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007 for his services to entertainment. He also received several honorary doctorates from Australian universities. He married four times and had four children. He died on 25 May 2005 from natural causes at his home in Bowral, New South Wales¹.