In Dame Edna Everage, Australian actor and comedian Barry Humphries created a cultural icon whose international fame would rapidly outstrip his own.
Later in life, Humphries — who has died, aged 89 — would appear on stage as himself, but it was the fictitious Melbourne housewife in a wisteria-pink wig who most often soaked up the limelight.
In interviews, Humphries would refer to Dame Edna as a separate person.
