In a career that lasted over forty years, Deborah Kerr epitomised the English Rose for cinemagoers the world over. We lost her to Hollywood far too soon, but while she was here she starred in as good a clutch of films as any actress of her generation.
She was born in Helensburgh in Scotland. She made her professional debut in the corps-de-ballet at Sadler's Wells, but soon shifted to acting. Few actresses have made a bigger splash so early even though her bit part in Contraband ended up on the cutting room floor. She was signed up by Gabriel Pascal for a large supporting role in Major Barbara and after that it was lead roles all the way.
Her first starring role was as the girl forced to prostitute herself in John Baxter's daring Love on the Dole. She marked herself out as a special talent playing three roles in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Hollywood took notice after she co-starred with Robert Donat in Perfect Strangers. Pascal sold her contract to MGM, but Kerr had a clause in her contract stating she didn't have to go to Hollywood until her husband, Battle of Britain hero Anthony Bartley, left the RAF. So she had time for a couple of classic films here before she was shipped out to the States.
MGM had her typecast as a typical English heroine and mainly used her in the period adventures that were fashionable at the time. She was frustrated and looked for a role that could change her image: she got it with From Here to Eternity. She worked hard to get the part of the bored army wife embarking on an affair on the eve of the Pearl Harbour attack, and only got it when Joan Crawford dropped out after a dispute over the costumes. The sight of Kerr and Burt Lancaster grappling in the waves on a Pacific beach became one of the most iconic images of 50s cinema.
Her career kept its high profile through the 50s. Her first marriage ended in 1959 and she married screenwriter Peter Viertel. As the sixties wore on, her career faltered but she continued to work in the theatre until ill-health forced her to give up the stage in the early 80s. After receiving six Oscar nominations throughout her career she finally got a lifetime achievement award in 1994.
| 1941 | Major Barbara |
| 1941 | Love on the Dole |
| 1941 | Penn of Pennsylvania |
| 1942 | The Day Will Dawn |
| 1943 | The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp |
| 1945 | Perfect Strangers |
| 1946 | I See a Dark Stranger |
| 1947 | Black Narcissus |
| 1947 | The Hucksters (US) |
| 1949 | Edward My Son (US) |
| 1950 | Please Believe Me (US) |
| 1950 | King Solomon's Mines (US) |
| 1950 | Thunder in the East (US) |
| 1951 | Quo Vadis (US) |
| 1952 | The Prisoner of Zenda (US) |
| 1953 | Dream Wife (US) |
| 1953 | Young Bess (US) |
| 1953 | Julius Caesar |
| 1953 | From Here to Eternity (US) |
| 1955 | The End of the Affair |
| 1956 | The Proud and the Profane (US) |
| 1956 | The King and I (US) |
| 1956 | Tea and Sympathy (US) |
| 1957 | Heaven Knows Mr Allison (US) |
| 1957 | An Affair to Remember (US) |
| 1958 | Bonjour Tristesse (US) |
| 1958 | Separate Tables (US) |
| 1959 | The Journey (US) |
| 1959 | Count Your Blessings (US) |
| 1959 | Beloved Infidel (US) |
| 1960 | The Sundowners (US) |
| 1960 | The Grass is Greener |
| 1961 | The Naked Edge (US) |
| 1962 | The Innocents |
| 1964 | The Chalk Garden |
| 1964 | The Night of the Iguana (US) |
| 1965 | Marriage on the Rocks (US) |
| 1965 | Eye of the Devil (US) |
| 1967 | Casino Royale |
| 1968 | Prudence and the Pill (US) |
| 1969 | The Gypsy Moths (US) |
| 1970 | The Arrangements (US) |
| 1985 | The Assam Garden |
