Sir Peter Jackson mourns death of The Hobbit's Great Goblin, Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin. Photo: AFP / Warner Bros
Sir Peter Jackson says the world is a "poorer place" without Barry Humphries, the iconic Australian performer who died this weekend, aged 89.
Humphries was best-known for his character Dame Edna Everage, whom he inhabited on stage and screen for more than 60 years.
But his work with Sir Peter saw him taking on a much less glamorous role - that of The Hobbit's Great Goblin.
"It was our honour to count Barry as a friend and a colleague," Sir Peter wrote on social media on Sunday, a day after Humphries' passing.
"We were overjoyed when he agreed to play the Great Goblin in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - not one of his most glamorous roles, but one which he tackled with enthusiasm and disarming authenticity."
Photo: Supplied / Facebook
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was the first in the Hobbit trilogy, released in 2012.
While it had mixed reviews, Humphries' performance - voice and via motion capture - was warmly received, many reviewers comparing the grotesque villain to Star Wars' Jabba the Hutt.
Celebrities from Australia and around the world mourned Humphries on social media, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called him a "great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind".
Australian comedian, actor and author Barry Humphries, dressed as his alter ego, Dame Edna Everage, at a press conference in Sydney on 5 July, 2012. Photo: AFP / Pool / Greg Wood
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Humphries a "a comic genius who used his exuberant alter egos, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, to say the otherwise unsayable".
"To say Barry was beloved is an understatement," added Sir Peter.
"His ability to spread laughter, whilst making astute and telling observations, was unrivalled. Barry always had a twinkle in his eye - undoubtedly because his marvellous mind was up to some kind of mischief.
"He was truly a scholar, a gentleman and one glorious Dame. We will miss you, Barry.
Comedian Barry Humphries and his wife Lizzie Spender pose for a photograph as they arrive at St Bride's church for a service to celebrate the wedding between media Mogul Rupert Murdoch and former supermodel Jerry Hall which took place on Friday, in London, Britain March 5, 2016.
Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, presents Barry Humphries the Wizard of Oz award for his fictional character Sir Les Patterson at the Oldie Of The Year Awards 2021 at The Savoy Hotel in London, Britain, October 19, 2021.
Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Barry Humphries accepts the Wizard of Oz award for his fictional character Sir Les Patterson at the Oldie Of The Year Awards 2021 at The Savoy Hotel in London, Britain, October 19, 2021.
Sunday, 23 April, 2023 -
Australia's Barry Humphries poses after receiving his Most Excellent Order of the British Empire from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, London October 10, 2007.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Australians have paid tribute to Barry Humphries, the comedian best known for his character Dame Edna Everage, as both a "one-of-a-kind" entertainer and a charming and intelligent man.
The Sydney Morning Herald said Humphries died on Saturday at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, where he had been treated for various health issues. Humphries was 89, said Reuters.
Humphries, born and raised in Melbourne, rose to fame in Britain in the 1970s playing a host of Australian caricatures including Dame Edna, repulsive drunk diplomat Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, a decrepit rambling senior.
St Vincent’s Hospital chaplain Martin Maunsell said he met Humphries when the comedian was being treated for a fall, describing him as "charming" and "intelligent".
“He was one of a kind,” Maunsell said. “I don’t think we’ll ever see someone like him ever again in Australia.”
In the beachside suburb of Coogee, Sydney resident Dani Kersh said Humphries was like a "complete ray of sunshine".
"He provided a good dose of comedy and humor and entertainment across Australia. What a legend,” Kersh said.
Another Sydneysider, Lucy Bloom, said it felt like the character of Dame Edna would never come to an end.
“Dame Edna is a character you expect to live forever, so I was really, really shocked to see that we would have no more Dame Edna," Bloom said "I met her in 2015 in San Francisco and will never forget.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the local tributes following Humphries' death, calling him a "great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind".
"Barry Humphries entertained us through a galaxy of personas, from Dame Edna to Sandy Stone. But the brightest star in that galaxy was always Barry," Albanese wrote on Twitter.
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