His father was an affluent construction manager. Barry was a very intelligent boy who attended Melbourne University. There, he began in revues and doing some impersonations. He moved to London around 1960 and began his TV career. He has created numerous characters, including Dame Edna Everidge and Sir Les Patterson.
His fourth wife, Lizzie Spender, is the daughter of the poet Sir Stephen Spender. In 2000, received a Special Tony Award for a Live Theatrical Presentation, for his one-person show titled "Dame Edna: The Royal Tour." Barry Humphries was one of the hosts at "The Royal Pop Concert" in Buckingham Palace, London on June, 4th, 2002. He appeared as Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson and had the great honor to announce Queen Elizabeth II. Admitted to the Order of Australia in 1982 Honorary Doctorate of Griffith University (Australia) in 1994 Father of the actress Tessa Humphries, and Emily and Oscar Humphries. Pictured on a set of five 50¢ Australian postage stamps in the Australian Legends series, issued 20 January 2006. One stamp has a photograph of Humphries without makeup. The other stamps have a photo of his alter ego "Edna Everage", showing how the character has changed through the years.