Blue plaque to honour star’s West roots

AN actress who took her early steps on stage at a Westonsuper-Mare theatre before becoming a Hollywood legend has been recognised in the town where she grew up.

Deborah Kerr, who lived at her grandparents’ house at Elmsleigh Road in Weston as a child, first stepped onto the stage at the resort’s Knightstone Pavilion in 1937.

But it wasn’t long before the young actress was talent spotted leading her to become one of Britain’s most loved actresses – attracting international fame.

A blue plaque commemorating her link with the town has now been unveiled at her former home by her grandsons Lex and Joe Shrapnel. Deborah was born in Scotland in 1921 before moving to Elmsleigh Road, where she became a pupil at Rossholme School.

She studied drama and ballet and, with her aunt’s help, became a radio actress and got her first taste of the big stage in the play Harlequin And Columbine at Knightstone Pavilion.

Her big break came in 1939 when she was spotted by a talent scout at an open-air theatre in Regent’s Park, London.

Her first starring film role was in 1941’s Love on the Dole.

She was also cast in George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara and became a star of British cinema.

Deborah, pictured right in 1984, came to Hollywood’s attention after her role as a nun in Black Narcissus in 1947.

She also made film history when she melted in the arms of co-star Burt Lancaster amid breaking waves in From Here to Eternity.

The erotic charge in the scene was so hot it had to be censored.

Deborah also starred with Cary Grant in An Affair To Remember, Stewart Granger in King Solomon’s Mines and as a governess opposite Yul Brynner in The King and I.

In 1957, Deborah was named “the world’s most famous actress” by Photoplay magazine, appearing in 47 major films.

During her career she was nominated for a total of six Academy Awards, four Baftas and three Golden Globes.

Another major accolade was an Emmy nomination for TV’s A Woman of Substance in 1985.

In 1994 she finally collected an honorary Oscar for her life in film.

She died in Suffolk in 2007 aged 86 from Parkinson’s disease and is buried in Surrey.

The blue plaque in her honour was funded by Weston Town Council and Weston Civic Society.

A plaque for actor Bob Hope already exists in the town.

Hope, who died in 2003 aged 100, lived in the town as a child before moving to America aged four.

He became one of America’s most successful entertainers, performing on Broadway and as a stand-up comedian, singer and actor.

Councillor John Crockford-Hawley said: “We know what it is to have acting talent in Weston-super-Mare.

“The town is full of talent and we should be telling everyone.”