Dame Edna Everage

Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, the gladiolus ("gladdies"); and her boisterous greeting "Hello, Possums!" As Dame Edna, Humphries has written several books, including an autobiography, My Gorgeous Life; appeared in several films; and hosted several television shows (on which Humphries has also appeared as himself and other alter-egos).
Humphries has regularly updated Edna. Starting as a drab Melbourne housewife satirising Australian suburbia, the character has adopted an increasingly outlandish wardrobe after performances in London in the 1960s, through which she grew in stature and popularity.
Edna is known for her outlandish spectacles. Humphries has claimed that they were inspir…