Internationally acclaimed comedian Barry Humphries wins Fred Parsons Award for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Comedy at 49th Annual AWGIE Awards

17 October, 2016

Barry Humphries, one of Australia’s most well-known writers, comedians, actors and satirists, has been presented with the 2016 Fred Parsons Award for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Comedy at the Australian Writers’ Guild 49th Annual AWGIE Awards in Sydney.Humphries, best known for his outrageous and beloved alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, was honoured in recognition of the invaluable contribution he has made to Australian and international comedy writing over a career that has spanned more than 60 years.Acclaimed Australian director Bruce Beresford presented Humphries with the Award on the night. Long-time friends and colleagues, Humphries and Beresford first worked together on Beresford’s first feature film, The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, which starred Barry Crocker as the titular character and Barry Humphries in several roles, including Aunt Edna Everage. The film, based on the comic strip by Humphries, was co-written by Beresford and Humphries and became the first Australian film to surpass $1 million at the national box office.Humphries has been awarded numerous accolades over his career, including a Laurence Olivier Award in 1979 for A Night with Dame Edna and a Special Tony Award in 2000 for Dame Edna: The Royal Tour, and has received national honours in Australia and the United Kingdom, including being made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1982 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007.The Fred Parsons Award has been presented by the Australian Writers’ Guild since 1988 to honour individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to Australian comedy through writing. Previous recipients include Andrew Denton, Chris Lilley, Bill Harding, Hugh Stuckey, John Doyle & Greg Pickhaver and Gina Riley & Jane Turner.For all media enquiries and interview requests with Barry Humphries, please contact:Michael Salmon on 0417 495 018 For all media enquiries and interview requests with any AWGIE Award winners, please contact:NIX Co | Nicholas Cheetham | Communications Manager + 61 2 8399 0626