DEBORAH KERR BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Deborah Kerr was born on September 30th, 1921 in Glasgow, Scotland with the birth name Deborah Jane-Kerr-Trimmer.  She was the only daughter to Kathleen Rose and Arthur Charles Kerr-Trimmer.  Her father worked as a naval architect and civil engineer.   She had one brother, Edward.

She attended Northumberland House School in England which was an independent school.   She started ballet training at a young age and first appeared on stage in 1938.  She soon decided to pursue a career as an actress as her aunt ran an acting school called the Hicks-Smale Drama School in Bristol and so she became a student and enjoyed acting.

In 1940 she got her first film role in a British film called, "Contraband", but her scenes never made it to the finished product.  However, this role lead to other film roles including, "Hatter's Castle" (1942) and "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" (1943).

By 1944, Kerr's agent had sold her contract to MGM and she did one more film in Britain, "Black Narcissus" (1947) which then caught the attention on Hollywood.  For her role in this film, she won the New York Film Critics's Award as Actress of the Year.  

Kerr then moved to Hollywood, which thanks to her British accent opened up a number of doors for her playing a proper English lady.  She tried to get away from being type casted and take on more roles that exhibited her sexuality such as in the film, "From Here to Eternity" (1953) starring with Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Ernest Borgnine, Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra, for which she earned a Oscar nomination for Best Actress.  She worked opposite Cary Grant on one of her more well known roles in the film, "An Affair to Remember" (1958). 

She had finally proved to Hollywood that she could portray a variety of characters.  She took on a role as a nun in, "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison" (1957) with Robert Mitchum, a school teacher in "The King and I" (1956) opposite Yul Brynner and a governess in, "The Chalk Garden" (1964).  She also worked on comedy films such as, "The Grass is Greener" (1960) and "Marriage on the Rocks" (1965).  She earned a name for herself being the oldest "Bond Girl" to appear in a James Bond film in 1967, "Casino Royale".

As her career progrssed, compeition with younger up and coming actresses was fierce and therefore, she agreed to do her one and only nude scne in the film, "The Gypsy Moths" (1969).  It was after her role in this film, that she decided to pull away from the film industry and focus her career on television and theater work.  

She returned to Broadway in 1975 performing in the play, "Seascape" and then went on to also try working as a television actress.  She was in the television show, "Witness for the Prosecution" (1980) and was nominated for an Emmy award for her role on, "A Woman of Substance" (1984).    

Deborah Kerr married twice during her lifetime.  First to Anthony Bartley on November 29th, 1945 and they had two daughters, Melanie and Francesaca-Ann.  This marriage ended sadly due to Bartley's excesive jelousy over his wife's career and financial success.  Her second marriage was to an author, Peter Viertel on July 23rd, 1960 and from this marriage she became a step mom to another daughter, Chrsitine Viertel. 

Deborah Kerr passed away on October 16th, 2007 in Botesdale, Suffolk, England, UK from complications from Parkinson's disease at the age of eighty six.  Less then three weeks later her husband, Peter Viertel passed away as well. 

Kerr was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Motion Picture Industry and in 1984, Kerr was awarded a Cannes Film Festival Tribute. 
 
 
Filmography

1986   Hold the Dream
1985   The Assam Garden 
1985   Reunion at Fairborough 
1984   A Woman of Substance
1982   Hallmark Hall of Fame
1982   BBC2 Playhouse 
1969   The Arrangement 
1969   The Gypsy Moths
1968   Prudence and the Pill
1966   Casino Royale  
1966   Eye of the Devil  
1965   Marriage on the Rocks
1964   The Night of the Iguana 
1964   The Chalk Garden 
1963   ITV Play of the Week 
1961   The Innocents 
1961   The Naked Edge
1960   The Grass Is Greener 
1960   The Sundowners 
1959   Beloved Infidel 
1959   Count Your Blessings 
1959   The Journey
1958   Separate Tables  
1958   Bonjour tristesse 
1957   Kiss Them for Me 
1957   An Affair to Remember 
1957   Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison
1956   Tea and Sympathy 
1956   The King and I 
1956   The Proud and Profane 
1955   The End of the Affair 
1953   From Here to Eternity 
1953   Dream Wife 
1953   Julius Caesar 
1953   Young Bess
1952   Thunder in the East 
1952   The Prisoner of Zenda 
1951   Quo Vadis 
1950   King Solomon's Mines 
1950   Please Believe Me
1949   Edward, My Son 
1947   If Winter Comes 
1947   The Hucksters 
1947   Black Narcissus 
1946   The Adventuress
1945   Vacation from Marriage 
1943   The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 
1942   The Avengers 
1942   A Battle for a Bottle
1942   A.J. Cronin's Hatter's Castle 
1942   Courageous Mr. Penn 
1941   Love on the Dole 
1941   Major Barbara