Guide Note

Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress. She was born on September 30, 1921 in Helensburgh, Scotland. She died on October 16, 2007 at the age of 86. Kerr suffered from Parkinson's Disease. Kerr's journalist brother, Edward, died in 2004 as a result of a road rage incident. Kerr was a ballet dancer as a teenager and later attended the Hicks-Smale Drama School in Bristol, England ran by her aunt, Phyllis Smale. On November 29, 1945, Kerr married soldier Anthony Bartley. They had two daughters together, Melanie Jane and Francesca Ann. The couple divorced in 1959. She remarried on July 23, 1960 to writer Peter Viertel. Viertel had a daughter named Christine. Viertel died on November 4, 2007 from cancer, just three weeks after the death of his wife.

Fast Facts

1. Scottish actress
2. Born: September 30, 1921
3. Birthname: Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer
4. Birthplace: Helensburgh, Scotland
5. Died: October 16, 2007
6. Nickname: The English Rose
7. Won a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award
8. Nominated 6 times for an Academy Award

Kerr made her film debut in 1940 with Contraband. After that, she went on to play in Hatter's Castle, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Canterbury Tale, Black Narcissus, King Solomon's Mines and Quo Vadis. She received an Oscar nomination for her role as Karen in the 1953 film From Here to Eternity. Kerr's more recent works include Witness for the Prosecution, A Woman of Substance, The Assam Garden, Reunion at Fairborough and Hold the Dream.