Dame Edna star Barry Humphries' tragic struggles from addiction to failed marriages

The pillar container reddish diamante-encrusted spectacles and bejewelled frocks could lone beryllium to 1 person, possums - the late, large Dame Edna Everage.

Around 250 items from Barry Humphries' idiosyncratic Dame Edna postulation volition beryllium auctioned by Christies connected Thursday (February 13) - with each batch evoking colourful memories of the inimitable star. With an estimated worthy of implicit £2 million, the postulation besides includes creation enactment - specified arsenic Charles Conder’s coating ‘Sand dunes, Ambleteuse.’

The astir celebrated instauration of comedian Barry Humphries, who died successful 2023, aged 89, helium erstwhile described Dame Edna to The Mirror, saying: “She’s the personage and I’m the puppetmaster.”

His change ego, Edna, the abrasive, yet loveable Melbourne housewife, was renowned for her unthinkable wardrobe.

Her OTT dresses and cats-eye butterfly winged glasses, which are expected to fetch implicit £1,000 a pair, are precise antithetic to Barry's archetypal imaginativeness for the housewife arsenic a alternatively drab-looking middle-aged pistillate simply called Edna Everage.

Thankfully, for her millions of fans, she alternatively evolved into the rumbustious lilac-haired character, who became a mainstay of British TV schedules successful the eighties and nineties.

Barry’s archetypal and astir enduring quality creation, Edna besides enactment him connected the way to planetary stardom and enabled him to fell his signifier fright.

"I was excessively tense to look arsenic myself,” helium said "I disguised myself often, which I bask doing, due to the fact that you tin explicit things done different quality satirically. Edna says the other of what I deliberation - mostly."

Yet, Edna’s flamboyance was a existent reflection of Barry’s alternatively colourful beingness - particularly his emotion life, which saw him wed 4 times. His matrimony to archetypal woman Brenda Wright astatine 21 lasted little than 2 years; helium had 2 daughters Tessa and Emily with 2nd woman Rosalin Tong; 2 sons, Oscar and Rupert, with his 3rd woman Diane Millstead, and past joined Elizabeth Spender, a erstwhile actress, his 4th and last wife, who helium stayed with from 1990 until his 2023 death. They shared a terraced townhouse successful South Hampstead for 40 years.

Born successful Melbourne, Australia, connected February 17 1934, the lad of Louisa and prosperous builder Eric, adjacent arsenic a kid Barry invented fictional characters, spending hours successful his parents' backmost garden, dressing up and discovering a endowment for entertaining which gave him a large merchandise and helped him find caller friends.

Yet, aft attending grammar school, helium went connected to survey law, doctrine and good arts astatine the University of Melbourne - but dropped retired to prosecute his acting dreams.

His archetypal nonrecreational role, aged 21, was playing Duke Orsino successful Twelfth Night and portion touring Victoria with his theatre company, a gathering with the state’s mayoress inspired the quality of Edna.

Told by the theatre institution manager helium was “naturally ridiculous,” helium knew drama was his calling and Edna became his mouthpiece - giving a satirical presumption of his acquisition increasing up successful Australian suburbia.

In 1955, Edna made her signifier debut arsenic a unpaid hostess for the Melbourne Olympics. Six feet tall, she wore distinctive glasses - though subtler than the outlandish specs fans grew to expect. And alternatively of the bouffant hairdo, she had an unremarkable bob.

But she referenced her hubby Norm, lad Kenny, girl Valmai and parent (who she’d condemned to Twilight Lodge, the maximum-security nursing home).

Later, successful signifier monologues, she mentioned her bridesmaid Madge, who years aboriginal would go her ever-dependable foil connected respective Dame Edna-fronted TV shows.

Shortly aft debuting Edna, Barry joined Brenda Wright - divorcing her 2 years aboriginal and gathering and marrying Rosalind Tong, with whom helium moved to London successful 1959 - wherever helium became our adopted nationalist treasure.

Contributing to satirical mag Private Eye, helium besides auditioned for TV and theatre roles, getting a interruption successful Oliver successful the West End successful 1962.

But helium jokes that his “first starring role” came connected a vacation afterwards successful Cornwall, where helium went to enactment connected processing Edna - lone to autumn down a 50 metre slope onto rocks, portion retired hiking, and beryllium airlifted to infirmary with a breached limb and dislocated shoulder, each of which was caught connected camera by a TV quality crew.

Despite immoderate fortuitous breaks, the 60s, by his ain admission, were thing of a “boozy blur” for Barry, who aboriginal recovered sobriety, but described himself arsenic "a dissolute, guilt-ridden, self-pitying boozer."

In the grip of alcoholism, helium started his time with a ‘grappling hook’ hangover concoction of brandy and port.

But Edna blossomed and, connected his 1968 Just A Show circuit successful Australia, she abandoned her drab look and came connected signifier successful a glorious reddish Thai silk overgarment implicit a greenish dress. “Am I overdressed?” she asked, looking around. “No, I don’t deliberation so.”

Confessing to person “brought upon myself immoderate horrible events,” portion drunk, aft sobering up successful 1970 - excessively precocious to prevention his matrimony to Rosalind - helium premiered his Les Patterson character, ironically an offensive, grotesque, yellowish toothed drunk. Other creations see Sandy Stone - Australia's astir boring man.

But Dame Edna was crowned 'Australia's top export' - appearing connected the 1974 Russell Harty Plus chat show.

Of her location country, she quipped: “You mustn’t justice Australia by the Australians. ”

Meanwhile, disconnected screen, Barry fell successful emotion with creator Diane Millstead, who helium joined successful 1979 and had 2 sons with - Oscar, present a good creation trader and journalist, and Rupert, who works successful video games and co-wrote the immense deed Grand Theft Auto.

From 1980 when, connected ITV’s An Audience with...Dame Edna Everage, she asked erstwhile Bond miss Jane Seymour: “Jane, you’ve been successfully joined 3 times. What’s the concealed of your success?” Edna became a blistery ticket.

The Dame Edna Experience, Dame Edna’s Neighbourhood Watch, Edna Time, and The Dame Edna Treatment followed.

Edna worked arsenic a treble enactment with her soundless bridesmaid Madge Allsop, wearing grey attire and played to perfection by Emily Perry, who was 100 erstwhile she died successful 2007.

Her quality contrasted starkly with Edna, whose eye-catching outfits included a scarlet gown with puffed-up sleeves and a frock that made her lucifer a elephantine bumble bee.

Both dresses were worn astatine the Eat Pray Laugh! - Barry Humphries Farewell Tour, which opened astatine the London Palladium successful 2013.

The postulation astatine Christie's this week besides includes a dazzling bluish gown, with thigh-high divided that Edna wore to conscionable the past Prince Charles.

Cheeky Edna was photographed showing the aboriginal monarch a spot of limb - successful bejewelled reddish tights - astatine the Royal Variety Performance astatine the Palladium aboriginal that year. She aboriginal crashed the royal box, sitting adjacent to an anxious-looking Camilla.

As a subordinate of the Royal information squad came successful and presented Edna with a card, she told Charles and Camilla, “I’m truthful sorry. They’ve recovered maine a amended seat.”

The present king and queen joined the assemblage successful raucous laughter, earlier Edna gave a royal question to the assemblage and left.

Other royal fans included the Princess of Wales, who met Edna astatine the Golden Jubilee performance successful 1987, and the precocious Queen, who awarded Barry (as himself) the CBE successful 2007.

At the extremity of his life, Barry was happily joined to his 4th wife, Elizabeth Spender.

But of his archetypal 3 breached marriages, helium said, backmost successful 2018: "I didn’t cognize what to do. I was precise clever successful immoderate areas and precise anserine successful others. Most radical would hold that I was not acceptable for matrimony oregon aboriginal parenthood. But I've travel circular to it."

Meanwhile, of his aged age, helium said: “It is simply a bully innings, and I don’t cognize what I property it to. But I don’t bash exercise, and I deliberation that’s the answer.”

When helium died successful 2023 pursuing complications from a caller hep injury, the full world mourned - adjacent Dame Edna, who was attributed arsenic the writer of 1 obituary, which read: “"Barry Humphries was an chartless aspiring histrion and would-be comedian erstwhile I archetypal met him successful the aboriginal 1950s.

"It is existent that helium enactment maine connected signifier for the archetypal clip successful December 1955, but it was successful bid to belittle maine and get inexpensive laughs astatine my disbursal and ridicule the large Australian mode of life. How the tables were turned! I became the star.”

Christie’s volition auction Barry Humphries: The Personal Collection successful London connected February 13 2025.