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Deborah Kerr

Deborah Kerr

Actor · Died October 16, 2007, aged 86 · Helensburgh, Scotland, UK

Oscar winner · 2 Golden Globes · BAFTA Award winner · 2 other major award bodies

Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 1921 – 16 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr, was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress. During her international film career, Kerr won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Anna Leonowens in the musical film The King and I (1956). Her other major and best known films and performances are The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Black Narcissus (1947), Quo Vadis (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Tea and Sympathy (1956), An Affair to Remember (1957), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), Separate Tables (1958), The Sundowners (1960), The Innocents (1961), The Grass Is Greener (1960), and The Night of the Iguana (1964). In 1994, having already received honorary awards from the Cannes Film Festival and BAFTA, Kerr received an Academy Honorary Award with a citation recognizing her as "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance".

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 30, 1921
Died
October 16, 2007 (aged 86)
From
Helensburgh, Scotland, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
43 on MovieCove · 56 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

What are Deborah Kerr's films like?

Across their 42 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 40 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 12 · Dark 16

A split, not a type: Grounded 21 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 4

Gentle 8 · Charged 22 · Intense 10

Steady 17 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced 27 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 3

Slow burn 26 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 1

Casual 14 · Engaged 22 · Full focus 4

Easy watch 11 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 13

Resolved 27 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 5

Roles they play

37 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 12 of 37 analyzed roles.

Hero
12 of 37
Ally
9 of 37
Shapeshifter
6 of 37
Mentor
5 of 37
Threshold guardian
3 of 37
Herald
2 of 37
Show the 37 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
26
Melancholic
26
Romantic
14
Warm
11
Bittersweet
8
Other
29

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic5
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Deborah Kerr's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 43 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Subscription and free streaming for Deborah Kerr's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

56 credits, 43 with a MovieCove page; 28 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff(2010)

    as Sister Clodagh (archive footage) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • Hold the Dream(1986)

    Show 4 episodes · as Emma Harte

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows
  • Ann and Debbie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Ann

  • The Assam Garden (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Helen

  • Reunion at Fairborough (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Sally Wells Grant

  • A Woman of Substance(1984)

    Show 3 episodes · as Older Emma Harte

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
  • Witness for the Prosecution(1982)

    as Nurse Plimsoll

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • A Song At Twilight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Carlotta Gray

  • Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Carlotta Gray

  • The Arrangement(1969)

    as Florence Anderson

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
  • The Gypsy Moths(1969)

    as Elizabeth Brandon

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
  • Prudence and the Pill(1968)

    as Prudence Hardcastle

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
  • Casino Royale(1967)

    as Agent Mimi

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
  • Eye of the Devil(1966)

    as Catherine de Montfaucon

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
  • Marriage on the Rocks(1965)

    as Valerie Edwards

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
  • Uncertain Verification (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    as (archive footage)

  • The Night of the Iguana(1964)

    as Hannah Jelkes

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • The Chalk Garden(1964)

    as Miss Madrigal

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • The Innocents(1961)

    as Miss Giddens

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
  • The Naked Edge(1961)

    as Martha Radcliffe

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
  • The Grass Is Greener(1960)

    as Hilary Rhyall

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
  • The Sundowners(1960)

    as Ida Carmody

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
  • Beloved Infidel(1959)

    as Sheilah Graham

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
  • Count Your Blessings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Grace Allingham

  • The Journey(1959)

    as Diana Ashmore

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
  • Separate Tables(1958)

    as Sibyl Railton-Bell

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Bonjour Tristesse(1958)

    as Anne Larson

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • An Affair to Remember(1957)

    as Terry McKay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison(1957)

    as Sister Angela

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
  • Tea and Sympathy(1956)

    as Laura Reynolds

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
  • The King and I(1956)

    as Anna Leonowens

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
  • The Proud and Profane(1956)

    as Lee Ashley

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
  • The End of the Affair(1955)

    as Sarah Miles

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • From Here to Eternity(1953)

    as Karen Holmes

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • Dream Wife(1953)

    as Effie

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
  • Julius Caesar(1953)

    as Portia

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
  • Young Bess(1953)

    as Catherine Parr

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
  • Thunder in the East(1952)

    as Joan Willoughby

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
  • The Prisoner of Zenda(1952)

    as Princess Flavia

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Miss Plimsoll

  • Quo Vadis(1951)

    as Lygia

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • King Solomon's Mines(1950)

    as Elizabeth Curtis

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • Please Believe Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Alison Kirbe

  • Edward, My Son(1949)

    as Evelyn Boult

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • If Winter Comes(1947)

    as Nona Tybar

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
  • The Hucksters(1947)

    as Kay Dorrance

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
  • Black Narcissus(1947)

    as Sister Clodagh

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • I See a Dark Stranger(1946)

    as Bridie Quilty

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
  • Vacation from Marriage(1945)

    as Catherine Wilson

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
  • The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp(1943)

    as Edith Hunter / Barbara Wynne / Angela "Johnny" Cannon

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • The Avengers(1942)

    as Kari Alstad

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
  • Hatter's Castle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Mary Brodie

  • Penn of Pennsylvania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Gulielma Maria Springett

  • Love on the Dole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Sally

  • Major Barbara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Jenny Hill

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 56 titles from 1941 to 2024; peak year 2024.

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19412024

Peak 2024 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 22 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 2 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting56 of 56: 56 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score74th

By decade

1940s12 · acting1950s21 · acting1960s13 · acting1970s1 · acting1980s7 · acting2010s1 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 44% of 32 roles
41515661

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

an Oscar, 2 Golden Globes, a BAFTA Award and 1 other major award from 19 major nominations, 1950–1994.

WinNomination
  1. 1994
    • Oscar, won
  2. 1991
    • BAFTA Award, won
  3. 1985
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special
  4. 1984
    • Cannes award, won
  5. 1965
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Actress
  6. 1962
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Actress
  7. 1961
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
  8. 1959
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · World Film Favorite - Female
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actress - Drama
Show 5 earlier years
  1. 1958
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actress - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Actress
  2. 1957
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
  3. 1956
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Actress
  4. 1954
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
  5. 1950
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actress

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Deborah Kerr's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 41; across their 40 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 40

Approval · how many liked their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 40

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 40

Midcredits score across 43 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 43 titles divides audiences: 24 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Crowd Pleaser24
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed6

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 40 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Deborah Kerr's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles15–54 · median 25 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles7–24 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles0–21 · median 2 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles12–47 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles25–61 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Deborah Kerr work with?

People who share at least 2 of Deborah Kerr's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Niven shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles