Anecdotes

Maureen O'Hara was originally meant to play her role in Le roi et moi (1956), but Yul Brynner specifically asked for Kerr.

Deborah Kerr, her husband Peter Viertel and her biographer Eric Braun all died within the space of five weeks in the fall of 2007. All were aged 86.

Originally when filming began on Dieu seul le sait (1957), her co-star Robert Mitchum worried that Kerr would be like the prim characters she frequently played. However, after she swore at director John Huston during one take, Mitchum, who was in the water, almost drowned laughing. The two stars went on to have an enduring friendship that lasted until Mitchum's death in 1997.

Joan Crawford was originally meant to play her role in Tant qu'il y aura des hommes (1953), but after she insisted on using her own cameraman, the studio balked and decided to cast against type with Kerr, who at that time had begun to tire of her ladylike image, and was anxious to play the adulterous military wife that has an affair with Burt Lancaster (Kerr too in real life). The casting worked and her career thereafter flourished with sexier, more versatile roles.

Received one of the longest standing ovations of all Honorary Oscar recipients when she was awarded an Honorary Oscar for her body of work in 1994.

Her brother Ted Trimmer was killed in a road-rage incident at the age of 78 (August 2004).

Suffered from Parkinson's disease in her final years.

Was romantically involved with Burt Lancaster while filming Tant qu'il y aura des hommes (1953).

Her last public appearance was in 1994 when she was awarded an honorary Oscar after six failed nominations over the years. Along with Thelma Ritter, she is one of the few actresses to have received six nominations and not won the award. On Oscar evening, Glenn Close presented a special tribute to her work, and the Oscar audience watched clips of her films to music. She then appeared from behind the screen, obviously frail, in a blue pastel trouser suit and received a standing ovation from her peers. A life-long shy person, she said, "I have never been so terrified in my life, but I feel better now because I know that I am among friends. Thank you for giving me a happy life." Following this, there was another standing ovation and she left the stage, her exit becoming her last official goodbye to Hollywood. Ironically, Close herself has since passed Kerr with seven nominations and Ritter's record, receiving six nominations with--so far--no wins.

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.

William Wyler said, "I still think of Audrey Hepburn as the princess but Deborah Kerr as the queen".

She wanted to play in La Reine africaine (1951) very badly, but MGM refused to loan her because she had just appeared in Les mines du roi Salomon (1950), which also had an African locale.

Deborah Kerr established a warm rapport with dubber Marni Nixon. According to Nixon, she and Kerr worked at least a week on each musical number, Nixon closely following Kerr's movements during rehearsals on the set.

Lived in Switzerland and Spain after retiring from acting, but returned to England to be with her family when her Parkinson's disease worsened.

Her signature in cement for Graumans Chinese Theater in Hollywood was actually cast on the set of Le roi et moi (1956) and not at the theater.

She has said that three of her films posed "special challenges" for her--Tant qu'il y aura des hommes (1953), Edouard, mon fils (1949) and Les Innocents (1961).

Is one of five Scottish actors to have received an Academy Award nomination. The others in chronological order are Mary Ure, Ian Bannen, Tom Conti and Sean Connery. As of 2017 Connery is the only one to have won an Academy Award (for his performance in Les Incorruptibles (1987)).

When she appeared in "The Corn Is Green" in 1985, she was suffering from a case of stage fright and, consequently received some of her most disappointing reviews.

At the start of her career, the studio promoted her as "Kerr, Rhymes with Star" to ensure that her surname was pronounced correctly.

Returned to work 4 months after giving birth to her daughter Melanie to begin filming La femme rêvée (1953).

Has two daughters from her marriage to Anthony C. Bartley: Melanie Jane Bartley (born December 27, 1947) and Francesca Anne Bartley (born December 18, 1951). Bartley was a WWII Royal Air Force squadron leader.

Her aunt Phyllis Smale, running the Hicks-Smale Drama School in Bristol, became her first acting coach.

Her singing voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon in Le roi et moi (1956).

Suffered a miscarriage in February 1961 while two months pregnant with her husband Peter Viertel's baby.

She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1998 Queen's New Year Honours List for her services to drama.

Similar to her losing streak at the Oscars, she was finally awarded a BAFTA "Special Award" in 1991 after being nominated four times. She did, however, win the New York Film Critics Award three times and the Golden Globe Award for Le roi et moi (1956).

In the film "Eye of the Devil," Kim Novak was originally cast in the role of Catherine de Montfaucon; however, when filming began in the fall of 1965 in France, after nearly all of her scenes had been shot, Novak fell from a horse and wasn't able to work. Production was suspended for two weeks, after which Novak attempted to return, but found she could not continue, claiming later she had fractured a vertebra. Deborah Kerr was hired to replace her, and nearly every scene that featured Novak had to be re-shot with Kerr, with the exception of only a few long shots.

Born to Arthur Charles Kerr-Trimmer, a World War I veteran pilot who became a naval architect and civil engineer, and his wife Kathleen Rose Smale, she was originally trained to be a ballet dancer.

Her maternal aunt, Phyllis Smale, taught drama and elocution and was the primary influence in her life in introducing her to the theatrical arts.

In addition to Le roi et moi (1956), her vocals in Elle et lui (1957) were also dubbed by Marni Nixon.

Starred in seven Oscar Best Picture nominees: Les mines du roi Salomon (1950), Quo Vadis (1951), Jules César (1953), Tant qu'il y aura des hommes (1953), Le roi et moi (1956), Tables séparées (1958) and Les horizons sans frontières (1960). From Here to Eternity is the only winner. She was also nominated for Best Actress in the last four of these.

She was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film culture.

Patron of the National Society of Clean Air and Enviromental Protection in Britain from 1992 until her death in 2007.

Soon after she'd changed agents the new one rang her and said that he'd heard that a film called From Here Eternity was being cast would she fancy doing it. He then went to Columbia and mention her name to Harry Coen who said it would be crazy but he'd pass her name onto director Fred Zinnerman who said yes.

Mother-in-law of John Shrapnel, who married her daughter Francesca Shrapnel. She is, thus, also the grandmother of writer Joe Shrapnel and actors Lex Shrapnel and Tom Shrapnel.

Was 5 months pregnant with her daughter Francesca when she completed filming Quand vient l'hiver (1947).

Was 1 month pregnant with her daughter Melanie when she completed filming Les mines du roi Salomon (1950).

Was chosen from about 700 applicants for the role of Edith Hunter in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's Colonel Blimp (1943).

Had three grandsons: Joe (b. 1976), Alexander (b. 1979) and Thomas Shrapnel (b. 1981), via her daughter Francesca.

Portrayed a governess in two films in succession: Les Innocents (1961), then Mystère sur la falaise (1964).

1 September 2021 - Weston Town Council with Weston-super-Mare Civic Society put up a blue plaque dedicated to actress Deborah Kerr CBE at 47 Elmsleigh Road, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK. This was her grandparents house, her family moved to Elmsleigh Road in 1937 where she became a pupil at Rossholme School. The plaque was unveiled by her grandsons Lex and Joe Shrapnel.

Returned to work 8 months after giving birth to her daughter Francesca to begin filming Edouard, mon fils (1949).

Daughter-in-law of Salka Viertel and Berthold Viertel.

She was educated at a boarding school where she was bullied and picked on.

Is one of 27 actresses to have received an Academy Award nomination for their performance in a musical; hers being Le roi et moi (1956). The others, in chronological order, are: Bessie Love (The Broadway Melody (1929)), Grace Moore (Une nuit d'amour (1934)), Jean Hagen (Chantons sous la pluie (1952)), Marjorie Rambeau (La madone gitane (1953)), Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones (1954)), Rita Moreno (West Side Story (1961)), Gladys Cooper (My Fair Lady (1964)), Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins (1964), La Mélodie du bonheur (1965) and Victor/Victoria (1982)), Debbie Reynolds (La reine du Colorado (1964)), Peggy Wood (La Mélodie du bonheur (1965)), Carol Channing (Millie (1967)), Kay Medford (Funny Girl (1968)), Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl (1968)), Liza Minnelli (Cabaret (1972)), Ronee Blakley (Nashville (1975)), Lily Tomlin (Nashville (1975)), Ann-Margret (Tommy (1975)), Lesley Ann Warren (Victor/Victoria (1982)), Amy Irving (Yentl (1983)), Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge (2001)), Queen Latifah (Chicago (2002)), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago (2002)), Renée Zellweger (Chicago (2002)), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls (2006)), Penélope Cruz (Nine (2009)), Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables (2012)), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods : Promenons-nous dans les bois (2014)), and Emma Stone (La La Land (2016)).

She is the great-aunt of Benjamin Viertel.

In Italy, almost all of her films were dubbed by either Lydia Simoneschi or Renata Marini. She was occasionally dubbed by Dhia Cristiani, Andreina Pagnani and once by Gemma Griarotti in Quo Vadis (1951).