Deborah Kerr Overview:

Legendary actress, Deborah Kerr, was born Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer on Sep 30, 1921 in Helensburgh, UK. Kerr died at the age of 86 on Oct 16, 2007 in Botesdale, Suffolk .

MINI BIO:

Lovely red-haired Scottish-born leading lady whose angular beauty got her cast in gentle, ladylike roles. A star of the British cinema in only her third film, she went to Hollywood in 1947, where her struggle to break the well-bred image was unsuccessful, despite her torrid love scenes in From Here to Eternity; the vivacious, fun-loving lady of real life remained a suppressed image for the screen, although she did make some extremely good films within that restriction between 1956 and 1961. Nominated six times for the best actress Oscar but never won; perhaps her unluckiest losing performance was in The Sundowners. Special Oscar, though, in 1994.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Although Kerr was nominated for six Oscars, she never won a competitive Academy Award. However she won one Honorary Oscar Award in 1993 in appreciation for a full career's worth of elegant and beautifully crafted performances .

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1949Best ActressEdward, My Son (1949)Evelyn BoultNominated
1953Best ActressFrom Here to Eternity (1953)Karen HolmesNominated
1956Best ActressThe King and I (1956)AnnaNominated
1957Best ActressHeaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)Sister AngelaNominated
1958Best ActressSeparate Tables (1958)Sibyl Railton-BellNominated
1960Best ActressThe Sundowners (1960)Ida CarmodyNominated

Academy Awards (Honorary Oscars)

YearAwardDescription
1993Honorary Awardin appreciation for a full career's worth of elegant and beautifully crafted performances

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She was honored with one star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures. Deborah Kerr's handprints and footprints were 'set in stone' at Grauman's Chinese Theater during imprint ceremony #112 on Mar 22, 1956.

BlogHub Articles:

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AND THE OSCAR DOESN’T GO TO… On August 29, 2023 By CarolIn Uncategorized Image from Reel Rundown Of all the people who never won an Oscar, is one of the most surprising ones. Surely one of the most talented actresses of her gener... Read full article


leads an order of nuns in the dazzling “Black Narcissus”

By Stephen Reginald on Aug 18, 2021 From Classic Movie Man

leads an order of nuns in the dazzling “Black Narcissus” Black Narcissus (1947) is a psychological drama directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and starring , Sabu, David Farrar, and Flora Robson. The film was written and produced by Powell and P... Read full article


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Jean Seberg and David Niven. Seventeen-year-old Cecile and her wealthy, widower father split their time between Paris and the French Riveria. Their goal in life is to have fun. The middle-aged Raymond (David Niven) woos young attractive women, keeps them around for a few months, and then discards t... Read full article


THE BLOGATHON: Reunion at Fairborough (1985)

on Sep 30, 2018 From Caftan Woman

Maddy Loves Her Classic Films and is celebrating on the occasion of her birthdate, September 30th, with a blogathon. Click HERE for the tributes to the actress whose name rhymes with star. There is joy in watching experts in their field. Skill and talent can be inspirational. There is ... Read full article


10 Things You May Not Know About

By Stephen Reginald on Oct 5, 2017 From Classic Movie Man

10 Things You May Not Know About (1921 – 2007) is perhaps best remembered as portraying proper British ladies on the screen, but she had quite a range as an actress. She appeared in comedies, dramas, and musicals with ease. 1. Kerr first trained to be a ballet d... Read full article


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Deborah Kerr Quotes:

Cpl. Allison, USMC: [Sister Angela walks up next to Allison as he stares at the waves on the shoreline; beat] Hello, Ma'am.
Sister Angela: Good morning, Mr. Allison.
Cpl. Allison, USMC: I must've been off my rocker last night. A marine oughtn't to get married. His duties are with the family or the corps. One of 'em's gotta get the short end. In the service, they'd ask us, 'what's better? A bad husband, or a bad marine. Well, he ends up *both*. Do me a favor, huh, ma'am? Just... just forget I opened my big mouth.
Sister Angela: [walking away] ... certainly, Mr. Allison.
[He continues to stare out at the waves]


Effie: Clem...
Clemson Reade: [softly] What?
Effie: I am afraid that we'll have to postpone the wedding till after the oil deal is signed.
Clemson Reade: [alarmed] What?
Effie: I don't see any other way. Truly I don't. There are so many things to get done. Meetings, conferences, reports, and all of them so urgent.
Clemson Reade: So is our wedding.
Effie: But I mean *really* urgent.


J. Miller: You should visit England one day. You may change your mind.
Bridie Quilty: There's no need. I've an aunt there who has told me all about it. She says the upper classes are cringing and always moaning about their troubles, and the lower classes are arrogant and think they own the Earth.
J. Miller: I thought it was the other way round.
Bridie Quilty: My aunt runs a servants' registry office.
J. Miller: Ah!
Bridie Quilty: There's no "ah" about it. She hates the whole lot of them, and so do I. My father fought for Ireland against the English in 1916, and if I ever get the chance I shall do the same.
J. Miller: For a subject of a neutral country, aren't you being a little belligerent?
Bridie Quilty: There's nothing belligerent about it. It's entirely a question of which side I'm neutral on.


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Deborah Kerr Facts
Lived in Switzerland and Spain after retiring from acting, but returned to England to be with her family when her Parkinson's disease worsened.

Received one of the longest standing ovations of all Honorary Oscar-recipients when she was awarded with an Honorary Oscar for her body of work in 1994.

Her aunt Phyllis Smale, running the Hicks-Smale Drama School in Bristol, became her first acting coach.

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