Deborah Kerr Dies in England

Critics say she may never have given a performance that was less than adequate

Deborah Kerr in "From Here to eternity"

(SUFFOLK, England) - Deborah Kerr, the British actress who was immortalized in the 1953 film "From Here to Eternity," has died at the age of 86. She had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time. She died Tuesday in Suffolk, England, according to her agent.

Deborah Kerr was the eldest child and only daughter of Captain Arthur Kerr-Trimmer, a naval architect, and his wife, Kathleen Rose, Deborah Jane Kerr-Trimmer was born in Glasgow, Scotland. She had a younger brother, Edward, who became a journalist and died in a road-rage incident in 2004.

She originally trained as a ballet dancer, first appearing on stage at Sadler's Wells in 1938. After changing careers, she soon found success as an actress. Her first acting teacher was her aunt, Phyllis Smale, who ran the Hicks-Smale Drama School in Bristol.

Deborah Kerr holds the record for most Best Actress Oscar nominations without a win that number is 6, which is all the more impressive considering that she quit the movie business in 1968, after expressing her dislike for the excessive sex and violence in films.

She appeared in only one theatrical film after 1969, concentrating instead on stage and TV roles. But before she left, she gifted us with some very special performances. In fact, she may never have given a performance that was less than adequate, say critics, and most were quite memorable.

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