TV Cream

Hall of Fame

KERR, Deborah

kerrOne of those stars who, if it wasn’t for the fact she’s so often ignored these days, we’d think twice about putting in this list, so numerous are her famous roles: From Here to Eternity, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Quo Vadis and, of course, The King and I. But there’s more to it than the Halliwell-approved canon. Innocent wife of occult vintner David Niven in Eye of the Devil. Grieving wife of John Huston’s M in Casino Royale, making a terrible wig-based pun. And, natch, finding her contraceptives watered down in swinging sexcom Prudence and the Pill. The full run of the counter and no mistake.

FINEST HOUR: Getting away from Niven-based matrimony for once, in Jack Cardiff’s painted-on Himalayan retreat in the magnificent Black Narcissus.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Richardpd

    October 21, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    She had to lobby to be in From Here to Eternity, mostly because she was getting fed up with the “poker up the arse” parts she was normally offered.

  2. THX 1139

    October 21, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    When people used to call her an English Rose, she would deny it and point out she was “a Scottish Thistle”.

  3. Sidney Balmoral James

    October 21, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    Black Narcissus is a superb film, but Kerr (and indeed rest of the cast) are wiped off the screen by Kathleen Byron – now there was an actress – but what a waste.

  4. George White

    May 21, 2023 at 10:09 am

    Ended up in Channel 4’s most successful ever drama, A Woman of Substance, she and Miranda Richardson channelling Meg and Jill from Crossroads in the wraparounds.

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