Kerr, Deborah (1921–)

English actress. Born Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer in Helensburgh, Scotland, Sept 30, 1921; grew up in England; only dau. of Arthur Kerr-Trimmer (civil engineer and architect); granted scholarship to Sadler's Wells ballet school (1938); m. Anthony Charles Bartley (aviator), Nov 28, 1945 (div. 1959); m. Peter Viertel (writer), 1959; children: (1st m.) Melanie Jane Bartley and Francesca Bartley.

Made London stage debut (1939), and West End debut (1940) in Heartbreak House; during WWII, won small film role in Major Barbara (1941), followed by Love on the Dole, Hatter's Castle and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp; by war's end, was fully established as a major figure in British film and theater; performance in Black Narcissus brought her to attention of Hollywood; made US film debut in The Hucksters (1947), followed by If Winter Comes (1948) and Edward, My Son (1949); adorned a long succession of historical epics, including Quo Vadis (1951), Young Bess (1952), and Julius Caesar (1953); fought against demure roles, landing part of adulterous officer's wife in From Here to Eternity (1953); appeared on Broadway in Tea and Sympathy (1953); other films include The End of the Affair (1955), the classic An Affair to Remember (1957), The Innocents (1961), Night of the Iguana (1964) and The Arrangement (1969); took 15-year hiatus from film; returned to stage in England and US and enjoyed a long series of acclaimed performances, including a 9-month London run with The Day After the Fair (1972) and a run in Seascape on Broadway; returned to sporadic filming (1984). Nominated for Academy Award as Best Actress a record-breaking 6 times (without winning), for Edward My Son, The King and I, Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, From Here to Eternity, Separate Tables and The Sundowners; received honorary Academy Award (1994).

See also Eric Braun, Deborah Kerr (1977); and Women in World History.