The King and I (1956) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The King and I ( 1956 ) Approved | A widow accepts a job as a live-in governess to the King of Siam's children. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 24 titles created 02 May 2014 a list of 43 titles created 10 May 2014 a list of 47 titles created 30 Nov 2015 a list of 31 titles created 10 months ago a list of 26 titles created 3 months ago Title: The King and I (1956) 7.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 5 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.

See more awards » Videos In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two young cowboys vie with an evil ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love. Director: Fred Zinnemann On a South Pacific island during World War II, love blooms between a young nurse and a secretive Frenchman who's being courted for a dangerous military mission. Director: Joshua Logan The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people. Director: Cecil B. DeMille 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X Billy Bigelow has been dead for fifteen years, and now outside the pearly gates, he long waived his right to go back to Earth for a day. But he has heard that there is a problem with his ... See full summary » Director: Henry King In 1850 Oregon, when a backwoodsman brings a wife home to his farm, his six brothers decide that they want to get married too. Director: Stanley Donen Harold Hill poses as a boys' band leader to con naive Iowa townsfolk.

Director: Morton DaCosta The story of the great sharpshooter Annie Oakley , who rose to fame while dealing with her love/professional rival, Frank Butler. Directors: George Sidney, Busby Berkeley Stars: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern The story of the romance between the King of Siam and widowed British schoolteacher, Anna Leonowens, during the 1860s. Director: Andy Tennant Edit Storyline Mrs. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis arrive in Bangkok, where she has been contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household. She threatens to leave when the house she had been promised is not available, but falls in love with the children. A new slave, a gift of a vassal king, translates "Uncle Tom's Cabin" into a Siamese ballet. After expressing her unhappiness at being with the King, the slave decides to make an attempt to escape with her lover. Anna and the King start to fall in love, but her headstrong upbringing inhibits her from joining his harem. She is just about to leave Siam but something important she finds out makes her think about changing her mind.

Written by Randy Goldberg <goldberg@nymc.edu> In the complete grandeur of CinemaScope 55! Richer - Deeper - Clearer! See more » Genres: 29 June 1956 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I See more » Filming Locations: 133 min Sound Mix: 4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)| 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm re-release)| 6-Track Stereo (1956 roadshow version) Color: Did You Know? Trivia Rita Moreno said that the heavy Siamese headdresses she and the ballet dancers wore in "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" ballet sequence gave all of them headaches, which lasted for days. See more » Goofs Tuptim's play "Small House of Uncle Thomas" is an inaccurate hodgepodge of characters and scenes from the original book, but this can easily be understood as her best interpretation of the story as a new speaker of English who wants to use the story for her own purposes to change the King's heart.

However, few of the references to Buddha or Buddhism within the song are depicted accurately and shows a clear Western interpretation of the religion. Some specific examples are that Buddhists do not view Buddha as God but rather as the founder of their teachings and the first to attain Enlightenment, they do not therefore pray to Buddha for help and guidance, they do not believe in angels, and they do not believe that Buddha calls them to his presence when they die; all of these are strictly Christian beliefs, most likely used in the story for the purpose of relating to a Western audience. See more » Quotes King : [chanting to Buddha before banquet preparations] Help also Mrs. Anna to keep awake for scientific sewing of dresses, even though she be only a woman and a Christian and therefore unworthy of your interest! Anna : [greatly offended, rising] Your Majesty! King : A promise is a promise! Head must not be higher than mine! A promise! See more » Crazy Credits The credits first say "Twentieth-Century Fox presents a Cinemascope Picture in Cinemascope 55", and then they go on to say "Darryl F. Zanuck presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'The King and I'".

See more » Connections (Sydney, Australia) – See all my reviews Known best as a musical version of 1946 FOX film "Anna and the King of Siam" starring Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison, "The King and I" often takes a back seat to "The Sound of Music". Whilst the latter is both my favourite all time movie and musical, "The King and I" is only second to it. Most of this, is due in part to the wonderful performances of Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner and a delightful supporting cast. Musical characters have been immortalised by few in the time musicals were fashionable. A few would be Julie Andrews' Maria, Gene Kelly's character from "Singin' in the Rain", Judy Garland's Dorothy and James Cagney's George M. Cohan from the biopic "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Brynner, in his best and most defining role, has forever left his mark on the King, arrogantly fierce, so simple, so desperate, so true.

Although not a singer and well known to be dubbed by Marni Nixon, the 'ghost' favourite of Hollywood musicals, Deborah Kerr gives another beautiful and loved performance as the English governess, with son Louis, travels to 1860s Siam to be tutor to the Royal children. Her performance demanded character, command and charm, and Kerr managed to successfully combine all three in a memorable performance. But it is the Rodgers and Hammerstein score that tops it all off. The element of the screenplay in the FOX movie adaptions was not always the strongest. Tentative and urging was "Something Wonderful". "I Whistle a Happy Tune", bright, calming and inspirational. "Getting to Know You" sets the mood of happiness, "Hello, Young Lovers" keeps a note of optimism, and the rich, lush score of the overture and throughout the film make it memorable. But it is "Shall We Dance?", a joyful song that I believe to be the best of the lot. Although it is melodiously challenged because of Gertrude Lawrence's low voice range, it is still one of the best of the duo's scores.

Cinemascope, used first in the first of the Rodgers and Hammerstein movies of the year "Carousel", provided opportunities to open up moments in the picture. On a widescreen print, only then can the real grandeur, splendour and colour of the enormous sets and opulence of the movie itself can be fully appreciated. Despite my love for the musical, since viewing both "Anna and the King of Siam" and the new Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat movie "Anna and the King", the flaws in what was previously believed to be an accurate and true account of Anna Leonowens story, have unfortunately ruined the musical, both in Anna's life and the depiction of the Siamese court. The non-musical versions have been obviously more historically accurate, and the comparison of the three different FOX versions have all been noticably scripted to the fit the time of release. But I have not yet allowed that to get in the way of enjoying a great musical. With "Anna and the King" as my favourite movie of 1999 of the moment, I hope it won't spoil things further. Rating: 10/10 12 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you? Yes Deborah Kerr | Biography and Filmography | 1921 Reprised role of Emma Harte in syndicated miniseries sequel "Hold the Dream"; final screen performance 1985 Made one-shot return to feature films with lead role in "The Assam Garden" 1985 Reteamed with Robert Mitchum in HBO romance "Reunion at Fairborough" 1985 Acted on London stage in "The Corn Is Green" 1984 Played lead of Emma Harte in British miniseries "A Woman of Substance"; syndicated in the U.S. 1982 Made U.S. TVmovie debut in remake of "Witness for the Prosecution" (CBS) 1978 Toured with stage play "The Last of Mrs. Cheney" 1975 Appeared on Broadway in Edward Albee's award-winning, but short-lived play "Seascape" 1973 Performed on tour in the U.S.

in "The Day After the Fair" 1972 Starred on London stage in "The Day After the Fair" 1968 Last features for 16 years, "The Arrangement" and "The Gypsy Moths" 1968 Had lead in uneven comedy "Prudence and the Pill," co-starring David Niven 1964 Co-starred in John Huston's version of Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" 1964 Starred in film version of "The Chalk Garden" 1961 Acted in BBC production of "Three Roads to Rome" 1961 Portrayed the governess who may or may not be haunted by spirits in "The Innocents," based on the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw 1960 Co-starred with Mitchum as a married couple operating a sheep ranch in "The Sundowners"; received sixth and last Best Actress Oscar nomination 1960 Received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame 1959 Portrayed writer Sheilah Graham in film adaptation of Graham's memoirs "Beloved Infidel" 1958 Delivered fine performance as

 a middle-aged spinster in "Separate Tables"; earned fifth Academy Award nomination 1957 Earned fourth Oscar nomination for her turn as a nun stranded on a Pacific Island with an army officer (Robert Mitchum) in "Heaven Knows, Mr.

Allison" 1957 Cast opposite Cary Grant in romance "An Affair to Remember" 1956 Recreated stage role from "Tea and Sympathy" in feature version 1956 Portrayed the proper British governess to the children of the monarch of Siam in film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I"; received third Academy Award nomination; singing voice dubbed by Marni Nixon 1955 Again played an adulterous wife in film version of Graham Greene's "The End of the Affair" 1953 Offered perhaps her most memorable performance as the adulterous wife of an army officer in "From Here to Eternity"; received second Best Actress Oscar nomination 1953 Appeared as Portia in all-star filming of "Julius Caesar" 1953 Made Broadway debut as female lead of "Tea and Sympathy" 1950 Played female lead in "King Solomon's Mines" 1948 Received first of six Best Actress Academy Award nominations for "Edward, My Son" 1947 Invited to Hollywood; made U.S.

film debut in "The Hucksters" 1947 Voted one of England's top ten money-making film stars in annual "Motion Picture Herald" exhibitors poll 1947 Cast as a nun on a religious mission in the Himalayas in "Black Narcissus" 1944 Performed on tour in stage melodrama "Gaslight" for British troops in Europe 1942 Played three roles in "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" 1942 Acted on London stage in an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's "Heartbreak House"; also toured 1940 Had leading role in "Love on the Dole" 1940 First prominent role in films, Jenny in "Major Barbara" 1939 Began acting career in English repertory theaters 1939 Made film acting debut in small role of a hatcheck girl in "Contraband" 1938 Danced in the corps de ballet of Sadler's Wells production of "Prometheus" 1937 Deborah Kerr - Scottish Rose - Biography Deborah Kerr Biography A gifted, sensitive Scottish-born leading actress, Deborah Kerr trained as a dancer in her aunt's drama and

 ballet school in Bristol, England.

She won a scholarship to the Sadler's Wells Theatre School and at age 17 made her professional dancing debut in London in the corps de ballet of Prometheus. She moved into stage acting and gained some experience in British repertory theater before segueing to films. Kerr landed her breakthrough screen role in 1940 as a frightened Salvation Army worker in the fine, all-star adaptation of the potent Shavian satire, Major Barbara. Although the shy, quiet side would often remain in Kerr's later star persona, she, like Greer Garson, gradually acquired a stiff-upper-lip attitude as her native land's and later Hollywood's postwar personification of the delicate yet strong, often impassioned English rose. Kerr moved into leads in an adaptation of the controversial novel which was England's equivalent of The Grapes of Wrath, the touching study of Depression-era poverty, Love on the Dole (1940).

Although she did well in films, including the grim Hatter's Castle (1941), it was really Kerr's lovely work in three roles in the splendid Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger time-spanning saga The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), as the various women in the hero's life, that really set her on top. She followed up with several excellent performances in fine films: the mousy wife whose marriage is revitalized when she enters wartime service in Perfect Strangers (1945); the Irish spy in the gripping I See a Dark Stranger (1946); and especially, a marvelous, award-winning performance as the determined yet fallible Sister Superior who attempts to establish a school and hospital in a remote Himalayan castle in Powell and Pressburger's uniquely unsettling Black Narcissus (1947). With a string of performances like these, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood (Louis B. Mayer and MGM) beckoned the graceful star, and Kerr was soon co-starring opposite Clark Gable in the enjoyable satire of advertising, The Hucksters (1947). In many ways, she filled the void Irene Dunne would soon create by leaving films.

Gracious, ladylike and smart, Kerr would in fact recreate two Dunne roles: the proper Englishwoman who becomes governess to a potentate's brood in the musicalized version of Anna and the King of Siam, The King and I (1956; with her singing dubbed by Marni Nixon); and the heroine prevented from making a crucial rendezvous with her lover in An Affair to Remember (1957; based on Dunne's better Love Affair). The actress' regal quality suited her for period adventures including Quo Vadis? (1951) and The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), and she also ventured into comedy in Dream Wife (1953) and The Grass Is Greener (1961). Perhaps the key difference between Kerr and earlier classy, genteel heroines such as Joan Fontaine was that the passions sparking Kerr's characters were often of a more overtly sexual nature. As questions of sex and censorship manifested themselves in the 1950s, her persona, prim only on the surface, proved ideal (as did Grace Kelly's) for suggesting the torrid side of romantic love.

One of the most famous images of Kerr's career was that of her straying wife in From Here to Eternity (1953) making love on the beach with military officer Burt Lancaster. The Proud and Profane (1956) was such a similar film (and role) that it suffered by comparison, but there are similar dimensions in other Kerr roles such as the wife who helps an effeminate college youth "prove" his masculinity in Tea and Sympathy (1956) and even her nun, trapped on an island with a swarthy soldier, in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957). One of her finest films came at the end of the decade when she made The Sundowners with director Fred Zinnemann. Her role as a sheep farmer's wife was performed without makeup, and her natural beauty was both affecting and illuminating. She received her final Academy Award nomination, and the film is considered one of her finest achievements.

Even if her mother-dominated spinster in Separate Tables (1958) was rather overdone, Kerr was a radiant, sincere and reliable actress, and since her appeal did not really depend upon youthful beauty, she continued impressively, if less prolifically, into 1960s films. Her work as governesses who encounter ghost-possessed charges in The Innocents (1961), an excellent adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, and free-spirited ones in The Chalk Garden (1964) was well crafted, and she had fine moments as a gentle tourist caring for her aging grandfather in The Night of the Iguana (1964) and as a matron who encounters liberated mores in the belabored but amusing sex farce, Prudence and the Pill (1968). Kerr subsequently returned primarily to stage work, keeping very busy in plays ranging from Candida to Long Day's Journey Into Night (both 1977), and enjoying considerable success in London and a worldwide tour in The Day After the Fair (1972-73, 1979).

Variable health and problems remembering her lines interfered with some of her work, but her presence was always cherished, and she made a successful one-shot return to films as a repressed widow in The Assam Garden (1985). She is tied with Thelma Ritter for the most nominations for an actress for an acting Oscar without winning (six times - (Edward, My Son, 1949, From Here To Eternity, 1953, The King and I, 1956, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, 1957, Separate Tables, 1958 and The Sundowners, 1960). Kerr was presented with an honorary Oscar at the 1994 ceremonies in recognition of the "perfection, discipline and elegance" of her screen work. In 2001, it was confirmed that she was suffering with Parkinson's disease and had been confined to a wheelchair. Deborah lived on a large estate with two trout ponds in the Alpine resort of Klosters, Switzerland with her husband Peter Viertel, a novelist-screenwriter. She also had a villa in Marbella, Spain.

Because of illness, she was no longer able to sign autographs at the end of her career. Deborah Kerr passed away October 16, 2007 in Suffolk in eastern England. She is survived by Viertel, two daughters and three grandchildren. CLICK HERE to read her obituary(ies). Father: Arthur Charles "Jack" Kerr-Trimmer. Civil engineer. Died when Kerr was 15 years old. Mother: Kathleen Rose "Colleen" Kerr-Trimmer. Brother: Edmund "Teddy" Trimmer) was murdered in a road rage incident in August 2004 in the Midlands, UK. He was 78 at the time of his death. Husband: Peter Viertel - the son of Austrian poet Berthold Viertel and screenwriter Salka Viertel. Married on July 23, 1960. Daughter: Melanie Jane Bartley born on December 27, 1947. Daughter: Francesca Ann Bartley. Married to actor John Shrapnel. Children: writer Joe Shrapnel and actors Lex Shrapnel and Tom Shrapnel. Aunt: Phyllis Smale.

Operated a drama and ballet school.

Sadler's Wells Theatre School, London, England, 1938 Milestones 1937 Stage debut in Harlequin and Columbine 1938 Danced in the corps de ballet of the Sadler's Wells production of Prometheus 1939 Began acting career in English repertory theaters 1939 Film acting debut in small role of a hatcheck girl in Contraband - role cut from film 1940 First prominent role in films, Jenny in Major Barbara 1940 Had leading role in Love on the Dole 1943 Acted on the London stage in an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House; also toured 1943 Had three roles in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp 1945 Performed on tour in the stage melodrama Gaslight for British troops in Europe 1947 Cast as a nun on a religious mission in the Himalayas in Black Narcissus 1947 Invited to Hollywood; first film there, The Hucksters 1947 Voted one of England's top ten money-making film stars in the annual Motion Picture Herald exhibitors poll 1948

 Received first of six Best Actress Academy Award nominations for Edward, My Son; played the unhappily wed mother of a suicide 1950 Played female lead in King Solomon's Mines 1953 Appeared as Portia in the all-star filming of Julius Caesar 1953 Made Broadway debut in the female lead of Tea and Sympathy 1953 Offered perhaps her most memorable performance as the adulterous wife of an army officer in From Here to Eternity; received second Best Actress Oscar nomination 1955 Again played an adulterous wife in the film version of Graham Greene's The End of the Affair 1956 Portrayed the proper British governess to the children of the monarch of Siam in the film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I; received third Academy Award nomination; singing voice dubbed by Marni Nixon 1956 Recreated stage role from Tea and Sympathy in the feature version 1957 Cast opposite Cary Grant in the romance An Affair to Remember 1957 Earned fourth Oscar nomination for her turn as a nun stranded on a Pacific Island with an army officer (Robert Mitchum) in Heaven

 Knows, Mr.

Allison 1958 Delivered a fine performance as a middle-aged spinster in Separate Tables; earned fifth Academy Award nomination 1959 Portrayed writer Sheilah Graham in the film adaptation of Graham's memoirs Beloved Infidel 1960 Co-starred with Mitchum as a married couple operating a sheep ranch in The Sundowners; received sixth and last Best Actress Oscar nomination 1961 Acted in the BBC production of Three Roads to Rome 1961 Portrayed the governess who may or may not be haunted by spirits in The Innocents, based on the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw 1964 Co-starred in John Huston's version of Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana 1964 Starred in the film version of The Chalk Garden 1968 Had lead in the uneven comedy Prudence and the Pill, co-starring David Niven 1969 Last features for 16 years, The Arrangement and The Gypsy Moths 1972 Starred on the London stage in The Day After the Fair 1973 Performed on tour in the USA in The Day

 After the Fair 1975 Appeared on Broadway in Edward Albee's award-winning, but short-lived play Seascape 1978 Toured in the stage play The Last of Mrs.

Cheney 1982 US TV-movie debut in remake of Witness for the Prosecution (CBS) 1984 Played lead of Emma Harte in the British miniseries A Woman of Substance; syndicated in the USA 1985 Acted on the London stage in The Corn Is Green 1985 Made one-shot return to feature films in the lead of The Assam Garden 1985 Reteamed with Robert Mitchum in the HBO romance Reunion at Fairborough 1986 Reprised role of Emma Harte in the syndicated miniseries sequel Hold the Dream; final screen performance Trivia Birth name - Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer Height - 5' 7" (1.70 m) Trademark - Playing classic English ladies Deborah displayed a penchant for dramatics at a very early age. She often staged presentations for her family. Her co-star in these productions was usually her baby brother, Teddy, whom she costumed in dresses. In school, she was active in singing, dancing, painting and piano.

When she was a young girl, she had a strict Victorian grandmother who made her lie on her back on the floor for long periods of time in order to straighten her back and ensure good posture. Appeared in Shakespearian plays at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park, London, and at one of these performances, Robert Atkins, a film director, and John Gliddon, a talent scout, were impressed with Deborah's elegance, beauty and acting abilities. They offered her a five year film contract which she signed on November 1, 1939. Performed with the Oxford Repertory Company 1939-40. Her first appearance on the West End stage was as Ellie Dunn in Heartbreak House at the Cambridge Theatre in 1943. She performed in France, Belgium and Holland with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association, or Every Night Something Awful) - The British Army entertainment service. Had a bit part in Contraband, but her part was eventually cut from the film. Deborah joined the Salvation Army as a volunteer so that she could gain insight into her character in Major Barbara.

Although the Scottish pronunciation of her surname is straightforward, when she was being promoted as a Hollywood actress by MGM, her last name was pronounced the same as "car." In order to avoid confusion over pronunciation, the slogan "Deborah Kerr - Her Name Rhymes with Star!" was used. After 1947, Kerr established herself in Hollywood, typecast by MGMin what Kerr referred to as tiara roles’as a well-bred young British matron. Played Laura Reynolds in the Robert Anderson play Tea and Sympathy. Deborah's performance was praised by the critics and public, and she won the Sarah Siddons Award for Best Actress. She would reprise the role for the film version two years later. Yul Brynner, who played the King on Broadway for four years, personally chose Kerr for the film version of The King and I. Kerr's wardrobe for Bonjour Tristesse was designed by Givenchy. She was awarded a BFI Fellowship (1986). She was awarded a Special British Academy Award in 1990.

Awarded a CBE (Commander of the order of the British Empire) in the 1997/8 New Year's Honors List. Joan Crawford was originally meant to play her role in From Here to Eternity (1953). Maureen O'Hara was originally meant to play her role in The King and I (1956). For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Deborah Kerr has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street. Quotes "In my dressing room, I think, I must be mad to do this!" "I respect anyone who has to fight and howl for his decency." "Personally, I think if a woman hasn't met the right man by the time she's 24, she may be lucky." "All the most successful people these seem to be neurotic. Perhaps we should stop being sorry for them and start being sorry for me - for being so confounded normal." [speaking in 1969] "When I was under contract to MGM, with people like poor Robert Taylor and so many others, the cinema's job was solely entertainment. It filled a public need then.

Now the cinema serves so many other purposes; it functions as psychiatrist, politician, message-maker, money maker and, incidentally, entertainer. But it's no good regretting that things are different. Times have to change." "When you're young, you just go banging about, but you're more sensitive as you grow older. You have higher standards of what's really good; you're fearful that you won't live up to what's expected of you." "He's a warm, kind-hearted, loving, generous, intellectual genius." [On John Wayne] "I suppose the part nearest me is Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy. Of course playright Bob Anderson didn't know that, but he wrote Laura Reynolds, and Laura Reynolds happened to be me.

It was the coming together of a part and an actress - the same attitude to life, a certain shyness in life, a deep compassion for people who are being persecuted for anything." (Quoted from an interview with The Christian Science Monitor, 10/17/78) "I came over here (Hollywood) to act, but it turned out all I had to do was to be high-minded, long suffering, white-gloved and decorative." "[Autobiographies] are all the same -- it's always rags-to-riches, or I-slept-with-so-and-so. Damned if I'm going to say that." "I am really rather like a beautiful Jersey cow, I have the same pathetic droop to the corners of my eyes." "I adore not being me. I'm not very good at being me. That's why I adore acting so much." "Fred Zinnemann, on From Here To Eternity and The Sundowners, really brings out of me, in a completely different way, an awful lot that perhaps I'd never have the courage to lay bare, to open up.

He just knows how to get you to do it, to bring out some inner quality." (Quoted from an interview with The Times, 9/2/72) "For Karen Holmes (in From Here to Eternity), I studied voice for three months to get rid of my English accent. I changed my hair to blonde. I knew I could be sexy if I had to." (Quoted from an interview with The New York Daily Mirror, 11/8/53) "There's nothin' belligerent about it. It's entirely a question of which side I'm neutral on." --as Bridie Quilty in The Adventuress (1946). "Years from now, when you talk about this, and you will, be kind." --as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy (1956) "Do you think it will ever take the place of night baseball?" --as Terry McKay in An Affair to Remember (1957) "I am not a promiscuous trollop! It never happened before." --as Hilary Rhyall in The Grass Is Greener (1960).

"I should think as one grows older, dying would seem more natural." --as Miss Madrigal in The Chalk Garden (1964). "Love is the most important word in any language. From love comes happiness." --as Miss Madrigal in The Chalk Garden (1964). "At our last meeting, I died. It alters the appearance." --as Miss Madrigal in The Chalk Garden (1964). Deborah Kerr by Eric Braun This is a truly fantastic book. I finished it in less than three days, because I just couldn't put it down. It gives you insight into the actress' life, career choices and character, without being too explicit and vulgar. After you read it, you really feel like you KNOW Deborah Kerr... And wish you had. Please sign the registry by clicking here . . Deborah Kerr (Actress) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Deborah Kerr Female Born Sep 30, 1921 Deborah Jane Kerr CBE was a Scottish film and television actress.

She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy, a role which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture The King and I, and was a three-time winner of the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.… Read More related links We Need To Talk About Sean Penn Dating Vincent Dâonofrio's 24 Year Old Daughter Huffington Post - Oct 07, 2016 ' \n function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){\'undefined\'!=typeof HPTrack&amp;&amp;HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if(\'object\'==typeof commercial_video){var a=\'\',o=\'m.fwsitesection=\'+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video[\'package\']){var c=\'&amp;m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D\'+commercial_video[\'package\'];a+=c}e.setAttribute(\'vdb_params\',a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getEleme...

'from Here To Eternity' Blasts Viewers With Atomic Bomb LATimes - May 19, 2016 ' The Times\' longtime critic Edwin Schallert had a strong negative reaction to \"From Here to Eternity\" on Oct. 1, 1953. Despite that review, the film --Â based on James Jones\' novel, directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Burt Lancaster, <mark>Deborah Kerr</mark>, Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra --Â went... ' To Exhume Or Not To Exhume Huffington Post - Mar 03, 2016 'Whenever the anniversary of a famous author\'s birth or death reaches a significant milestone, critics and creative types may stop, look back, and think about a particular artist\'s cultural contribution. The more famous the artist, the less urgent the need to mark any major anniversary simply for the sake of history. Although this year marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare\'s death (April 23, 1616), Shakespeare festivals now dot the international landscape. Box office re...

12 Times That Oscar Got Best Actress Wrong Huffington Post - Jan 15, 2016 'Sometimes the Academy Awards get it right. And sometimes the Oscar goes to actors for the wrong reason -- especially in the leading role categories. Let\'s face it, in its 88 years, there are instances where actors were awarded Oscars not because they were truly the category\'s strongest, but because they were the most popular, the most sentimental, played the studio politics game with the most savvy, played the most likable character, the actor whose character dies from the most horrible di... Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Deborah Kerr. CHILDHOOD 1921 Birth Born on September 30, 1921. TEENAGE 1937 15 Years Old Kerr's first stage appearance was at Weston-super-Mare in 1937, as "Harlequin" in the mime play Harlequin and Columbine. 1938 16 Years Old She then went to the Sadler's Wells ballet school and in 1938 made her dÃ©but in the corps de ballet in Prometheus.

1940 18 Years Old After various walk-on parts in Shakespeare productions at the Open-Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London, she joined the Oxford Playhouse repertory company in 1940, playing, inter alia, "Margaret" in Dear Brutus and "Patty Moss" in The Two Bouquets. TWENTIES Show Less In 1943, aged 21, Kerr made her West End dÃ©but as "Ellie Dunn" in a revival of Heartbreak House at the Cambridge Theatre, stealing attention from stalwarts such as Edith Evans and Isabel Jeans. "She has the rare gift", wrote critic Beverley Baxter, "of thinking her lines, not merely remembering them. … Read More The process of development from a romantic, silly girl to a hard, disillusioned woman in three hours was moving and convincing".<br /><br /> Deborah Kerr returned to the London stage 29 years later, in many productions including the old-fashioned, The Day After the Fair (Lyric, 1972), a Peter Ustinov comedy, Overheard (Haymarket, 1981) and a revival of Emlyn Williams's The Corn is Green.

Read Less After her first London success in 1943, she toured England and Scotland in Heartbreak House. … Read More Near the end of the Second World War, she also toured Holland, France, and Belgium for ENSA as "Mrs Manningham" in Angel Street, and Britain (with Stewart Granger) in Gaslight. Read Less In 1943, she played three women in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. … Read More During the filming, according to Powell's autobiography, Powell and she became lovers: "I realised that Deborah was both the ideal and the flesh-and-blood woman whom I had been searching for". Kerr made clear that her surname should be pronounced the same as "car". To avoid confusion over pronunciation, Louis B. Mayer of MGM billed her as "Kerr rhymes with Star!" <br /><br /> Although the British Army refused to co-operate with the producersâand Winston Churchill thought the film would ruin wartime moraleâColonel Blimp confounded critics when it proved to be an artistic and commercial success.

Powell hoped to reunite Kerr and lead actor Roger Livesey in his next film, A Canterbury Tale (1944), but her agent had sold her contract to MGM. According to Powell, his affair with Kerr ended when she made it clear to him that she would accept an offer to go to Hollywood if one were made. Read Less 1945 - 1947 2 More Events 1945 23 Years Old Kerr's first marriage was to Squadron Leader Anthony Bartley RAF on 29 November 1945. … Read More They had two daughters, Melanie Jane (born 27 December 1947) and Francesca Ann (born 20 December 1951 and subsequently married to the actor John Shrapnel). The marriage was troubled, owing to Bartley's jealousy of his wife's fame and financial success and because her career often took her away from home. Read Less 1947 25 Years Old Her role as a troubled nun in the Powell and Pressburger production of Black Narcissus in 1947 did indeed bring her to the attention of Hollywood producers.

… Read More The film was a hit in the US, as well as the UK, and Kerr won the New York Film Critics' Award as Actress of the Year. British exhibitors voted her the eighth-most popular local star at the box office. Read Less 1949 27 Years Old Soon she received the first of her Academy Award nominations for Edward, My Son, a 1949 drama set in England that co-starred Spencer Tracy. 1950 28 Years Old In Hollywood, Kerr's British accent and manner led to a succession of roles portraying refined, reserved, and "proper" English ladies. Kerr, nevertheless, used any opportunity to discard her cool exterior. She starred in the 1950 adventure film King Solomon's Mines, shot on location in Africa with Stewart Granger and Richard Carlson. … Read More This was immediately followed by her appearance in the religious epic Quo Vadis? (1951), shot at CinecittÃ in Rome, in which she played the indomitable Lygia, a first-century Christian. She then played Princess Flavia in a remake of The Prisoner of Zenda (1952).

Read Less THIRTIES Show Less Having established herself as a film actress in the meantime, she made her Broadway debut in 1953, appearing in Robert Anderson's Tea and Sympathy, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. … Read More Kerr repeated her role along with her stage partner John Kerr (no relation) in Vincente Minnelli's film adaptation of the drama. In 1955, Kerr won the Sarah Siddons Award for her performance in Chicago during a national tour of the play. After her Broadway dÃ©but in 1953, she toured the United States with Tea and Sympathy.

In 1975, she returned to Broadway, creating the role of Nancy in Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Seascape.<br /><br /> In 1977, she came back to the West End, playing the title role in a production of George Bernard Shaw's Candida.<br /><br /> The theatre, despite her success in films, was always to remain Kerr's first love, even though going on stage filled her with trepidation: <br /><br /> Kerr's first film role was in the British production Contraband in 1940, but her scenes were left on the cutting room floor. With her next two British filmsâMajor Barbara and Love on the Dole (both 1941)âher screen future seemed assured and her performance, said James Agate of Love on the Dole, "is not within a mile of Wendy Hiller's in the theatre, but it is a charming piece of work by a very pretty and promising beginner, so pretty and so promising that there is the usual yapping about a new star".

She went on to make Hatter's Castle (1942), in which she starred opposite Robert Newton and James Mason, and then played a Norwegian resistance fighter in The Day Will Dawn (1942). Read Less In 1953, Kerr "showed her theatrical mettle" as Portia in Joseph Mankiewicz's Julius Caesar (1953). … Read More She then departed from typecasting with a performance that brought out her sensuality, as "Karen Holmes", the embittered military wife in Fred Zinnemann's From Here to Eternity (1953), for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The American Film Institute acknowledged the iconic status of the scene from that film in which Burt Lancaster and she romped illicitly and passionately amidst crashing waves on a Hawaiian beach. The organisation ranked it 20th in its list of the 100 most romantic films of all time.<br /><br /> Thereafter, Kerr's career choices would make her known in Hollywood for her versatility as an actress. She played the repressed wife in The End of the Affair (1955), with Van Johnson; a nun in Heaven Knows, Mr.

Allison (1957) opposite her long-time friend Robert Mitchum; a mama's girl in Separate Tables (1958) opposite David Niven; and a governess in both The Chalk Garden and The Innocents (1961). She also portrayed an earthy Australian sheep-herder's wife in The Sundowners and appeared as lustful and beautiful screen enchantresses in both Beloved Infidel and Bonjour Tristesse. Read Less 1959 37 Years Old They divorced in 1959. 1960 38 Years Old Her second marriage was to author Peter Viertel on 23 July 1960. … Read More In marrying Viertel, she became stepmother to Viertel's daughter, Christine Viertel. Although she long resided in Klosters, Switzerland and Marbella, Spain, she moved back to Britain to be closer to her own children as her health began to deteriorate. Her husband, however, continued to live in Marbella.

Read Less FORTIES 1966 44 Years Old … Among her most famous roles were Anna Leonowens in the film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I (1956); and opposite Cary Grant as his shipboard romantic interest Terri McKay in the bittersweet love story An Affair to Remember (1957). She reunited with Grant and Mitchum for a sophisticated comedy, The Grass Is Greener, and then joined Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra in a love triangle for a romantic comedy, Marriage on the Rocks. Read Less In 1966, the producers of Carry On Screaming! offered her a fee comparable to that paid to the rest of the cast combined, but she turned it down in favor of appearing in an aborted stage version of Flowers for Algernon. 1967 45 Years Old In 1967, Kerr starred in the comedy Casino Royale, achieving the distinction of being, at 46, the oldest "Bond Girl" in any James Bond film, until Monica Bellucci, at the age of 50, became a "Bond Girl" in Spectre (2015).

1969 47 Years Old In 1969, pressure of competition from younger, upcoming actresses made her agree to appear nude in John Frankenheimer's The Gypsy Moths, the only nude scene in her career. … Read More Concern about the parts being offered to her, as well as the increasing amount of nudity included in films, led her to abandon the medium at the end of the 1960s in favour of television and theatre work.<br /><br /> Kerr experienced a career resurgence on television in the early 1980s when she played the role of the nurseâplayed by Elsa Lanchester in the 1957 movieâin Witness for the Prosecution. Later, Kerr rejoined screen partner Robert Mitchum in Reunion at Fairborough. She also took on the role of the older Emma Harte, a tycoon, in the adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance. For this performance, Kerr was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Read Less LATE ADULTHOOD 1984 62 Years Old Although she never won a BAFTA, Oscar or Cannes Film Festival award in a competitive category, all three organisations gave Kerr honorary awards: a Cannes Film Festival Tribute in 1984; a BAFTA Special Award in 1991; and an Academy Honorary Award in 1994. … Read More In September and October 2010, Josephine Botting of the British Film Institute curated the "Deborah Kerr Season", which included around twenty of her feature films and an exhibition of posters, memorabilia and personal items loaned by her family.<br /><br /> Biographies of Kerr have been published by Eric Braun and, in 2010, by the entertainment journalist Michelangelo Capua, but she has yet to receive an in-depth study of her filmography, artistry or life.<br /><br /> Deborah Kerr was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress: Edward, My Son (1949), From Here to Eternity (1953), The King and I (1956), Heaven Knows, Mr.

Allison (1957), Separate Tables (1958) and The Sundowners (1960). Read Less 1985 63 Years Old She received one Emmy Award nomination in 1985 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special for A Woman of Substance. … Read More She was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress â Motion Picture Drama for Edward, My Son (1949), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) and Separate Tables (1958).

Read Less Deborah Kerr, Actress Known for Genteel Grace and a Sexy Beach Kiss, Dies at 86 - The New York Times The New York Times Movies |Deborah Kerr, Actress Known for Genteel Grace and a Sexy Beach Kiss, Dies at 86 Search Correction Appended Photo Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in the famous beach scene in the 1953 film "From Here To Eternity." Credit Columbia Pictures via Associated Press Deborah Kerr , a strikingly versatile actress whose screen persona of a genteel, tea-sipping Englishwoman blossomed into a deeper, more provocative identity when she played a ocean-swept sex scene opposite Burt Lancaster in “From Here to Eternity,” died Tuesday in Suffolk, England. She was 86. The death was confirmed yesterday by Jack Larson, a family friend. She had Parkinson’s disease. Louis B.

Mayer, boss of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, famously decreed that Miss Kerr’s last name rhymed with star, and she more than lived up to the billing with big roles in memorable pictures like “The King and I” (1956), “An Affair to Remember” (1957) and “The Sundowners” (1960). In more than four decades as a major Hollywood actor, Miss Kerr, who had red-gold hair and blue-green eyes, was nominated for six Academy Awards without winning. In 1994 she received an honorary Oscar for her lifetime of work. The citation called her an “artist of impeccable grace and beauty.” Her influence persisted after she retired from big-screen movies in 1969 and moved to Switzerland and Spain, appearing only in occasional stage and television roles. Film buffs still return with fascination to her intriguing performance in “Black Narcissus” (1947), in which she played a nun whose pride yields to spiritual humility while doing missionary work in the Himalayas.

Continue reading the main story Her indelible performance in “An Affair to Remember” could be felt below the surface of Nora Ephron’s “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993). It used the theme song and clips of critical scenes from the earlier tear-jerker, which went on to a renewed burst of popularity. Advertisement Continue reading the main story It is hard to overstate the impact of Miss Kerr’s appearance in “From Here to Eternity” in 1953. Until then she had played what she called “goody, goody” roles; Laurence Olivier termed her “unreasonably chaste.” Miss Kerr, with Greer Garson and Jean Simmons, was the quintessential Englishwoman, with all the staidness that implied. In “Eternity” Miss Kerr was suddenly something entirely different: a sexy, adulterous wife making torrid love to Burt Lancaster on a Hawaiian beach. Parts of the scene were so daring for the time that they were cut. The role broadened her image. Moviegoers came to suspect that even in the more refined moments of her later roles, a raw sensuality lurked below Miss Kerr’s placid surface.

This mix of niceness and sexiness prompted tag lines like “A Sweet Kerr Named Desire” and did not exactly hurt at the box office. “I don’t think anyone knew I could act until I put on a bathing suit,” Miss Kerr said in an interview with Collier’s magazine. A line Miss Kerr delivered in the 1956 movie “Tea and Sympathy” exemplified her seemingly new knowingness. As she’s about to sexually initiate an anguished student, she tells him, “Years from now, when you talk about this — and you will — be kind.” Versatility was a hallmark of subsequent roles. Yul Brynner, who had played the King on Broadway in “The King and I,” chose Miss Kerr for the 1956 film version. She was nominated for a fifth Oscar for her role as a repressed spinster in “Separate Tables” (1958). Her sixth nomination was for “The Sundowners” (1960), in which she performed without makeup as a sheep farmer’s wife. Stage roles were fewer but drew positive comment.

When “Tea and Sympathy” opened on Broadway in 1953, with Miss Kerr in the role she later reprised in the film, Brooks Atkinson, writing in The New York Times, noted her “effortless style.” Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer was born on Sept. 30, 1921, in Helensburgh, Scotland. From an early age, she staged dramatic presentations for her family. Her father, Arthur, was a naval architect who died when she was in her midteens. Photo Deborah Kerr with Yul Brynner in The King and I. Credit 20th Century Fox via Associated Press She attended a drama school in Bristol, England, and ballet school in London. She abandoned her ambition to dance professionally partly because her 5-foot-7 height limited possible roles. She focused on acting and appeared in open-air Shakespeare plays in Regent’s Park. She also read children’s stories for the British Broadcasting Corporation. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Miss Kerr signed a film contract in 1939 with the producer and director Michael Powell.

He described her as a “plump little dumpling who was obviously going places” and cast her as a hatcheck girl in “Contraband” (1940). Her part, with her two lines, was cut. Then Gabriel Pascal, the producer and director, cast her as Jenny Hill in a film adaptation of Shaw’s “Major Barbara” (1941). Because of her inexperience, he enrolled her in Oxford Playhouse, where she appeared in several roles. At her own suggestion, she volunteered with the Salvation Army so she could gain insight into her character. Now less plump thanks to her assiduous work and wartime rations, she received positive notices in both Britain and the United States. More roles in British films came quickly. A notable one was the female lead in “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” (1943). Miss Kerr played three different aspects of the ideal woman in three generations. Hollywood legend has it that Mr. Mayer of M-G-M saw this picture after its release in the United States in 1945 and said: “That girl’s a star.

Get her.” Miss Kerr’s last film in England was “Black Narcissus,” for which she won the New York Film Critics Award for best actress after its American release. (The award also recognized her critically acclaimed role as a young Irish woman in the 1946 film “I See a Dark Stranger.” ) Her first film for M-G-M was “The Hucksters” (1947). She played opposite Clark Gable under a contract that initially paid her $3,000 a week and guaranteed that she would be a co-star in all her productions. She was soon leading lady to Cary Grant, James Mason, Stewart Granger and Spencer Tracy. Miss Kerr earned her first Oscar nomination for her third film for M-G-M, “Edward, My Son” (1949), in which she played the alcoholic wife of Mr. Tracy. But she soon grew uneasy about playing the foil for male stars in movies like “King Solomon’s Mines” (1950) with Mr. Granger. “I wore a halo of decorum and was just about as exciting as an oyster,” she told American Weekly magazine in 1957.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story So she got a new agent, Bert Allenberg. He had called her and declared: “Deborah, for years now you’ve been playing the insipid English virgin. I think I can get you the roles you ought to have,” Collier’s reported. Harry Cohn, who was president of Columbia Pictures, originally wanted Joan Crawford or somebody like her, decidedly un-virginal. Mr. Allenberg argued the merits of a different sort of sexuality: a heroine “who looks like a lady but acts like a harlot.” “The result is screen history — which keeps repeating itself in the form of love scenes almost identical to that which Deborah and Burt played,” American Weekly magazine said. Miss Kerr’s first marriage, to Anthony Bartley, an Englishman who had been a decorated fighter pilot during World War II, ended in divorce. She is survived by her husband, Peter Viertel, an author and screenwriter; her daughters Melanie and Francesca; a stepdaughter, Christine Viertel; and three grandchildren. It is likely that her role in “The King and I,” as Anna in her famous hoop skirt, tops many people’s list of favorite Kerr characters.

In an interview with The Chicago Tribune in 1986, Miss Kerr suggested it might not have been hers. “I’d rather drop dead in my tracks one day than end up in a wheelchair in some nursing home watching interminable replays of ‘The King and I,’” she said before hooting with laughter. Correction: October 25, 2007 An obituary on Friday about the actress Deborah Kerr rendered incorrectly the final line of Robert Anderson’s play “Tea and Sympathy,” which she spoke in both the Broadway and film versions as her character was about to sexually initiate an anguished student. It is “Years from now, when you talk about this  and you will  be kind.” It is not “When you speak of this in future years, and you will, be kind.” Richard Severo contributed reporting. A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B7 of the New York edition with the headline: Deborah Kerr, Actress Known for Genteel Grace and a Sexy Beach Kiss, Dies at 86.

Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Biography - Deborah Kerr - rhymes with "star" Deborah Kerr - rhymes with "star" Contact Biography Deborah Kerr was born Deborah Jane Kerr Trimmer on September 30, 1921 in Helensburgh, Scotland to Arthur Charles ("Jack") Trimmer, a civil engineer and his wife Colleen. Deborah displayed a penchant for dramatics at a very early age when she would stage presentations for her family. Her co-star in these productions was usually her baby brother, Teddy, whom she costumed in dresses. In school, she was active in singing, dancing, painting and piano. Deborah's father died when she was 15 and she entered the Hicks-Smale Drama School where she took lessons in acting, ballet and singing. Teddy also took lessons as well. Although Deborah first concentrated heavily in ballet, she soon realized that her height (5'6") put her at odds with the other dancers and she soon abandoned any serious thoughts of dancing professionally. She began to focus on acting and was soon appearing in Shakespearian plays at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park.

At one of these performances, Robert Atkins, a film director, and John Gliddon, a talent scout, were impressed with Deborah's elegance, beauty and acting abilities. They offered her a five year film contract which she signed on November 1, 1939. She was immediately cast in a bit part in director Michael Powell's film "Contraband" but her part was eventually cut from the film. Despite this setback, Kerr was introduced to producer Gabriel Pascal who was looking for an actress to play Jenny Hill in the film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara. She was given a screen test and hired but Pascal wanted her to gain more acting experience and he enrolled her in Oxford Playhouse where she would appear in several productions there. At her own suggestion, Deborah joined the Salvation Army as a volunteer so that she could gain insight into her character. Filming commenced on Major Barbara in late 1940 and it was released in Britain in August of 1941. The film opened to glowing reviews and it was apparent that a new star was on the horizon. Gabriel Pascal was pleased with his new actress but he had no projects suitable for her following Major Barbara, so he allowed her to work for others on loan out.

Her next film would be Love On The Dole, a popular play that dealt with a Depression era family in Britain. Deborah played the part of Sarah Hardcastle, which had been played by Wendy Hiller on the stage. Kerr was top billed in Love On The Dole and she received tremendous reviews when the film opened in April of 1941. Her career continued to climb and she was next cast as William Penn's wife in Penn of Pennsylvania (titled The Courageous Mr. Penn in the U.S.) and the female lead in Hatter's Castle and in the war drama The Day Will Dawn. Kerr again crossed paths with Michael Powell who wanted her to play the female lead in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and this time her role would not end up on the cutting room floor. In Blimp, Kerr would play three different aspects of the ideal woman in three generations. Her performance in this film was quite remarkable and it attracted the attention of MGM Studios in Hollywood. In the meantime, Deborah was offered the role of Ellie Dunn in the stage play Heartbreak House. Her co-stars were Robert Donat and Edith Evans.

Following a six month stint in this play, she next worked with Donat again in the film Perfect Strangers (released in the U.S. as Vacation From Marriage.) Back in Hollywood, Louis B. Mayer at MGM was not overly impressed with the film Vacation From Marriage but his appreciation for Deborah Kerr was sealed and contract negotiations to bring her to America began. It was during this time that Deborah met a Squadrom Leader named Anthony Bartley, who was stationed in Brussels with the RAF. They began to date regularly and Bartley proposed marriage while Deborah was filming I See A Dark Stranger. They were married in November of 1945. Immediately following her marriage, Kerr began work on one of the most interesting films she ever made. It was an adaptation of Rumer Godden's novel Black Narcissus, produced and directed by Michael Powell. She was cast as Sister Clodaugh, the Sister Superior of a group of nuns who are given the responsibility of establishing an order in an old palace in the remote Himalayas. It was a striking film and is considered a masterpiece of filmmaking with some of the best color cinematography ever captured on film. Kerr would win the New York Film Critics Awards for Best Actress.

"Black Narcissus" (1947) Hollywood Beckons In November of 1946, Deborah and Anthony left for Hollywood. She was warmly welcomed by Louis B. Mayer and the MGM staff. Her first assignment had already been chosen - that of a society widow opposite Clark Gable in The Hucksters, a big bestseller at the time. MGM would promote their new discovery as "Deborah Kerr - Her Name Rhymes With Star!" Deborah Kerr at home Anthony and Deborah were comfortable in Hollywood and immediately purchased a house in Pacific Palisades which overlooked the ocean. A house was very important to Deborah and she wanted one that would hold her large collection of books and one that had a garden. The Hucksters was a great success and Deborah's second film in Hollywood was If Winter Comes with Walter Pigeon and an almost entirely British cast. Deborah became pregnant during filming and following completion of the film, she gave birth to a daughter, Melanie Jane, on December 27, 1947. Deborah's third film for MGM was Edward My Son in which she had the meaty role of the alcoholic wife of Spencer Tracy. The part would garner Deborah's first Academy Award nomination.

Her Hollywood career continued at a steady pace and Anthony entered into a successful career in television. Kerr's roles at this time mainly consisted of historical epics, such as Quo Vadis, King Solomon's Mines, Julius Caesar and Young Bess. In fact, Kerr's screen image had already been firmly entrenched in Hollywood as a staid, elegant English woman of refined taste. with Burt Lancaster in "From Here to Eternity" (1953) Kerr yearned for more colorful roles and the opportunity arose during the casting for From Here To Eternity. The role of Karen Holmes, the sexy adulterous wife living on an Army base in Hawaii, was initially set for Joan Crawford, but negotiations fell through when Crawford did not approve of her wardrobe or cameraman. Bert Allenberg, Kerr's manager, suggested to Harry Cohn that Deborah could do wonders with the role. Cohn first thought that the notion was ridiculous but producers Fred Zinnemann and Buddy Adler thought that it would be a terrific idea. So Deborah Kerr, cast against type, got the part. The film was a tremendous success and would eventually win eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Deborah won another nomination for Best Actress, but the winner that year would be newcomer Audrey Hepburn for Roman Holiday. With John Kerr in "Tea and Sympathy" (1954) Kerr changed gears in early 1954 by accepting the stage role of Laura Reynolds in the Robert Anderson play Tea and Sympathy. Her role as a young schoolmaster's wife who guides an insecure young boy (played by John Kerr, no relation to her) into manhood was a resounding success. Deborah's performance was praised by the critics and public and she won the Sarah Siddons Award for Best Actress. She would reprise the role for the film version two years later. In early 1955, she began work on one of her most famous roles, that of Anna in The King and I. Yul Brynner, who played the King on Broadway for four years, personally chose Kerr for the film version. Although her songs would be dubbed by Marni Nixon, Kerr's Anna was a magical portrayal and it is the role that she is best remembered for. She won a third Academy Award nomination and the film was a huge box office success. It still remains on the list of all time box office champions.

Kerr's career continued to flourish throughout the 1950's. She received yet another Academy Award nomination as well as her second New York Film Critics Award for her role as a nun stranded on a deserted island with Robert Mitchum in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957). with Cary Grant in "An Affair to Remember" (1957) She starred opposite Cary Grant in An Affair To Remember in 1958. The film recently regained tremendous popularity due to the film Sleepless In Seattle. An Affair To Remember is a tearjerker of the first order and remains a favorite among romance buffs. Kerr was the standout attraction in Otto Preminger's Bonjour Tristesse, which co-starred David Niven and Jean Seberg. This film, although somewhat cold, is worth a look for the lush color photography and Kerr's wardrobe by Givenchy. Terence Rattigan's play Separate Tables brought Kerr her fifth Academy Award nomination as a repressed spinster whose life is governed by her overbearing mother (played by Gladys Cooper). The all star cast also included David Niven, Wendy Hiller and Rita Hayworth, who gave an effective dramatic performance as a lonely divorcee.

One of her finest films came at the end of the decade when she made The Sundowners with director Fred Zinnemann. Her role as a sheep farmer's wife was performed without makeup and her natural beauty was both affecting and illuminating. She received her final Academy Award nomination and the film is considered one of her finest achievements. The Bartley marriage was not as successful. Deborah and Anthony's relationship had become increasingly strained, part by Anthony's difficulties in adjusting to his wife's career and her frequent long-distance absences working far away from home. While making The Journey in Vienna, Deborah met writer Peter Viertel ( the son of Austrian poet Berthold Viertel and screenwriter Salka Viertel) and their friendship quickly turned romantic. Shortly afterward, the Bartleys separated and divorced the following year. Kerr's career continued on an even track at the beginning of the 1960's when she made an excellent adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Titled The Innocents, it was a quality production filmed in England and directed by Jack Clayton. The striking black and white cinematography contributed greatly to the eerie story of a governess who is charged with two young children who seem to be possessed by ghosts.

In "The Innocents" (1961) On July 23, 1960, Deborah married Peter Viertel. Their wedding was held in Klosters, Switzerland where they made their home. Following the completion of The Innocents, Deborah took a much needed break to devote more time to Peter and their new home. In 1962, she made her first film for television, "Three Roads To Rome" and it gave her the opportunity to play three different characters in three separate vignettes. Kerr returned to the screen in 1963 for the film adaptation of Enid Bagnold's play The Chalk Garden. The story of a governess who is hired to watch over a disturbed young girl remains a favorite of Kerr fans today. It is a literate, colorful and highly entertaining film. Kerr worked steadily throughout the remainder of the 1960's but her roles became secondary in most films (usually cast as the wife) and, with the exception of Night of the Iguana, they were not as memorable as her previous films. After the ill received The Arrangement in 1969, she announced that she would be retiring from the screen.

In 1971, she returned to the stage, starring in The Day After The Fair, which was based on the Thomas Hardy short story "On The Western Circuit". It ran for nine months in Europe and in September of 1973, the play toured America. Her next stage play was Seascape, an Edward Albee play, which premiered in Los Angeles in 1975. The reviews were not good and the play folded after a month. She did have great success in the plays Longs Day Journey Into Night and Candida in 1977. Her last stage appearance was in The Corn Is Green in 1985. In 1982, she returned to film work, this time for television, as Nurse Plimsoll in Witness For The Prosecution (1982). Later television work included A Woman Of Substance (1983), Reunion at Fairborough (1985) and Hold The Dream (1986). In 1985, she made a memorable feature film called The Assam Garden in which she portrayed a widow who strikes up a friendship with an Indian neighbor.

Deborah Kerr has the record for the most nominations for the Best Actress Academy Award without ever winning. She was nominated a total of six times (Edward, My Son, 1949, From Here To Eternity, 1953, The King and I, 1956, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, 1957, Seperate Tables, 1958 and The Sundowners, 1960). In 1994, she was finally given an honorary Oscar as appreciation for her years of exemplerary work in many fine films. Glenn Close presented her with the award and she gave an eloqent speech. She and her husband lived in Klosters, Switzerland, until her illness (Parkinson's Disease) led her daughters to return their mother to Britain to be near them and receive care. In 2004, she was greatly distressed to hear that her brother Teddy was murdered in a "road rage" accident in Birmingham. She became increasingly more frail and died October 16, 2007 in Suffolk at the age of 86.

Peter Viertel died just three weeks later in a hospital in Marbella of lymphoma.

Question: Deborah Kerr played the female lead in the film version of which musical ?
Answer: THE KING AND I