When Barry Humphries passed away in 2023, it felt like the end of an era. Honestly, it was. For decades, the man didn’t just occupy a space in the entertainment industry; he basically built his own wing of it. Whether you knew him as the purple-haired, gladioli-waving Dame Edna or the foul-mouthed Sir Les Patterson, his presence was impossible to ignore. But while his stage shows are legendary, looking back at Barry Humphries movies and TV shows reveals a career that was much weirder, riskier, and more influential than most people realize.
He wasn't just a guy in a dress. He was a satirist who could dismantle a person's ego with a single "Hello, Possum!"
The Big Screen: From Bazza to Bruce the Shark
Most people don't think of Humphries as a traditional "movie star," and in some ways, he wasn't. He didn't do the leading man thing in Hollywood. Instead, he brought his own grotesque, beautiful world to the cinema.
Take The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972). It was a massive deal. It was the first Australian film to ever make over a million dollars at the local box office. Before this, the Aussie film industry was basically dormant. Humphries co-wrote it with Bruce Beresford, and it was based on his comic strip in Private Eye. It was crude, loud, and full of "chundering." People loved it. It proved that there was an audience for stories that weren't just watered-down versions of British or American culture.
Then there’s the voice work.
💡 You might also like: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
If you have kids, you probably know him better as Bruce the Shark from Finding Nemo (2003). "Fish are friends, not food." That was him! He brought this hilarious, terrifying, yet somehow endearing energy to a Great White Shark that made the character an instant icon. It's a testament to his range. He could go from the high-camp satire of the West End to a Pixar blockbuster without breaking a sweat.
The Weird and Wonderful Roles
- The Great Goblin in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012): He did the motion capture and voice for this gross, bloated creature. It was pure Humphries—theatrical, slightly unsettling, and totally committed.
- Bert Schnick in Shock Treatment (1981): The sequel/spin-off to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It’s a cult classic, and Barry is delightfully strange in it.
- Clemens Metternich in Immortal Beloved (1994): A rare "serious" role where he played a real historical figure.
- Kevin McMaxford in Spice World (1997): Because why wouldn't he be in the Spice Girls movie? It’s peak 90s chaos.
Why Barry Humphries Movies and TV Shows Changed Television Forever
Television was where Barry truly lived. He understood the medium's intimacy and its potential for anarchy. The Dame Edna Experience (1987-1989) wasn't just a talk show; it was a demolition of the talk show format.
Imagine being a celebrity guest—maybe Mel Gibson or Sean Connery—and sitting on a sofa while a "housewife" from Melbourne mocks your shoes, your divorce, or your failing career. Edna was "mean," but she was so charmingly oblivious about it that everyone played along. She made the audience feel like they were in on a secret joke.
This style of character-led interviewing paved the way for everyone from Ali G to Stephen Colbert.
📖 Related: Kate Moss Family Guy: What Most People Get Wrong About That Cutaway
The TV Legacy
He didn't just stick to his own specials. He popped up everywhere. Did you know he was in Ally McBeal? He played Claire Otoms, a character just as eccentric as any of his others. He was also a regular on the UK chat show circuit, appearing on Parkinson and The Graham Norton Show countless times. Every time he sat in that chair, he brought a level of unpredictability that is sorely missing from today’s overly rehearsed junkets.
And let’s not forget Sir Les Patterson. The "Cultural Attaché" was the polar opposite of Edna. Where Edna was refined (in her own mind), Les was a walking disaster of stains, spit, and inappropriate comments. Watching Sir Les on television was a masterclass in physical comedy and satire. He was a walking critique of the "ugly Australian" stereotype, and Humphries played him with a disgusting amount of relish.
The Man Behind the Mask
For a long time, people struggled to see the man behind the characters. He was so good at disappearing into Edna or Sandy Stone (the gentle, rambling old man who represented the fading 1950s suburbia) that Barry himself felt like a ghost.
But if you watch the later Barry Humphries movies and TV shows, especially the documentaries like The Man Inside Dame Edna (2008), you see a different side. You see a man who was deeply intellectual, a lover of art and literature, and someone who used comedy to process the world around him. He was a Dadaist at heart. He loved the absurd. He loved to poke the bear.
👉 See also: Blink-182 Mark Hoppus: What Most People Get Wrong About His 2026 Comeback
Some people found him controversial, especially in his later years. He didn't always get it right, and he wasn't afraid to be out of step with the times. But that was part of his DNA as a satirist. He wasn't there to be liked; he was there to observe and reflect, usually with a very sharp mirror.
How to Experience Barry's Work Today
If you’re looking to dive into the world of Barry Humphries, don't just stick to the YouTube clips.
- Watch the Bazza films: Start with The Adventures of Barry McKenzie. It’s a time capsule of 70s culture and the birth of modern Australian cinema.
- Finding Nemo (Obviously): Re-watch it and pay attention to Bruce’s timing. It’s perfect.
- The Dame Edna Experience: Find the old episodes where she interviews huge stars. It’s a masterclass in improvisation.
- Mary and Max (2009): He provides the narration for this beautiful, dark, stop-motion film. It’s one of his most underrated contributions.
Barry Humphries was a one-off. There will never be another Dame Edna because there will never be another mind quite like his. He showed us that you could be sophisticated and silly at the same time, and that sometimes, the best way to tell the truth is to put on a wig and a pair of diamantes.
To really appreciate the evolution of character comedy, start by tracking down a copy of The Adventures of Barry McKenzie or the DVD sets of his 1980s specials. Seeing how he transitions from the raw, bawdy humor of the 70s to the polished, satirical brilliance of the late 80s gives you a clear view of how his genius developed alongside the changing media landscape.