|
Deborah Kerr: Hollywood's English rose
2007-10-20
Nicknamed Hollywood's own "English rose" by fans, the actress Deborah Kerr, who died Tuesday aged 86, starred in one of the most famous love scenes in movie history in "From Here To Eternity". In the 1953 film, the actress rolls around a beach in Hawaii, locked in a passionate kiss with co-star Burt Lancaster as waves crash around them. Despite being Scottish, she built up an image in Hollywood as the archetypical elegant and refined England woman, although her part in "From Here To Eternity" also hinted at more torrid depths. Born on September 30, 1921 in Helensburgh, near Glasgow in Scotland, Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer wanted to be a ballet dancer before opting for a career on the silver screen during the World War II. She got her Hollywood breakthrough after "Black Narcissus" in 1947 and went on to become one of the biggest stars in Tinseltown during the 1950s. Kerr starred in dozens of films in a wide range of roles -- as a governess in "The Innocents" in 1961, a nun in "Heaven Knows Mister Allison" in 1957 or a woman of the world in "Bonjour Tristesse" in 1958 -- but she was always a sophisticated beauty, oozing distinction and intelligence. She also showed she was comfortable with comedy, starring in the spoof James Bond film "Casino Royale" in 1967. She was Oscar-nominated for best actress six times but in 1994 she finally received an honorary award marking her whole career. Kerr suffered from Parkinson's disease for many years and lived in Switzerland, returning to England to be near her family when her illness got worse. She married twice and had two daughters by her first husband.
| 
