Sir Leslie Colin "Les" Patterson (born 1 April 1942) is a fictional character created and portrayed by Australian comedian
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film pr ...
. Obese,
lecherous
Lascivious behavior is sexual behavior or conduct that is considered crude and offensive, or contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. In this sense "lascivious" is similar in meaning to "lewd", "indecent", "lecherous", ...
and offensive, Patterson is
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, t ...
's exact opposite: she is female, refined,
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
and from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
; he is male,
uncouth,
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
and from
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
.
Character origins
By Humphries' own account, the character of Patterson first appeared in a one-man show that he performed at the
St. George leagues club in Sydney in January 1974.
[Humphries, Barry. ''A Nice Night's Entertainment'', pp. 178–83.] Appearing in the guise of the boorish, loud-mouthed and uncultured Patterson, Humphries claimed to be that club's own entertainments officer as he introduced the next act, Dame Edna Everage. As Humphries recalled, "I understood later that many members of the audience thought Les was genuinely a club official, which says a lot for his charm and sincerity".
Later that same year, the character (by now identified as Australia's
cultural attaché
A cultural attaché is a diplomat with varying responsibilities, depending on the sending state of the attaché. Historically, such posts were filled by writers and artists, giving them a steady income, and allowing them to develop their own creat ...
to the Far East) was revived in a two-week
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...
appearance that Humphries performed at the
Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong. In Humphries' words, "The English
merchant bank
A merchant bank is historically a bank dealing in commercial loans and investment. In modern British usage it is the same as an investment bank. Merchant banks were the first modern banks and evolved from medieval merchants who traded in commodi ...
ers and
commodity broker
A commodity broker is a firm or an individual who executes orders to buy or sell commodity contracts on behalf of the clients and charges them a commission. A firm or individual who trades for his own account is called a trader. Commodity contra ...
s and Australian accountants there all recognised Les as someone they knew in the Australian diplomatic corps, and took him to their hearts."
Patterson went on to play an even larger role in Humphries' next one-man show in London, ''Housewife, Superstar!'' (1976), delivering a lengthy monologue that was included on the original cast album.
Humphries (who gave up alcohol in the 1970s) said in 2016 that "in Les I can release my alcoholism". He found that of all his characters Sir Les caused the most offence Down Under, as Australians are "deeply conventional" and "like being bossed around".
Stage, film and TV appearances
On stage
For more than 30 years, the character of Sir Les Patterson has been a regular feature in Barry Humphries' solo theatrical appearances in Australia and the United Kingdom, during which he performs a monologue and frequently bursts into song. Some of Patterson's specific monologues (as documented in the theatre programmes for Humphries' various shows) include the following:
* "The Yartz", from ''Isn't it Pathetic at His Age?'' (Australian tour, 1978–79) and ''A Night with Dame Edna''; (UK tour, 1978–79)
* "Peter and the Shark", from ''The Last Night of the Poms'' (London, 1981) and ''Song of Australia'' (Melbourne and Sydney, 1983)
* "Les looking good", from ''An Evening's Intercourse with Barry Humphries'' (Australian tour, 1981; UK tour, 1982)
* "Les Patterson presents his broad-based package", from ''Tears Before Bedtime'' (Australian tour, 1985–86) and ''Back with a Vengeance'' (UK tour, 1987–88)
* "Les Patterson gets an Audience", from ''Look at Me When I'm Talking to You'' (Australian and UK tours, 1994–95)
* "Address to the nation", from ''Back to My Roots (and Other Suckers'' (Australian tour, 2003)
* "My Sacred Trust", from ''Back with a Vengeance: A New Effort'' (Australian tour, 2006–07)
During the Australian tour of ''Remember You're Out!'' (1999), it was stated that Patterson would not appear for fear of offending Humphries' more genteel fans; the character nevertheless made an appearance (as a scripted but seemingly unexpected
gate crashing) during the show's second act.
In an effort to specifically satisfy fans of Les Patterson's earthy humour, Humphries performed two one-man shows entirely in Patterson's guise: one in London, entitled ''Les Patterson Rampant in
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...
'' (June–July 1996) and another in New York, entitled ''Les Patterson Unzipped'' (Zipper Theater, 2 May 2005). The London performance was recorded and has since been released both as an audio tape and a video tape, under the title ''Live and Rampant: Les Patterson has a Stand-Up''.
Film and television
On television, Patterson presented a documentary about the
transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong
Sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China (PRC) at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony. Hong Kong was established as a special admin ...
, entitled ''Sir Les and the Great Chinese Takeaway'' (1997). He has appeared as a special guest on the following:
* ''Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage'' (1984)
* ''
Dame Edna's Christmas Experience'' (1987)
* ''The Dame Edna Satellite Experience'' (1989)
* ''A Late Lunch with Les'' (1991)
* ''Les Patterson and the Great Chinese Takeaway'' (1997)
* ''Barry Humphries' Flashbacks'' (1999)
* ''Aussies: Who Gives a
XXXX'' (2001)
* ''
The Dame Edna Treatment
''The Dame Edna Treatment'' is a British talk show created by Barry Humphries and starring his fictional characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. It aired on ITV at various times. The theme tune was written and performed by Robin Gib ...
'' (five episodes, 2007).
Barry Humphries has been interviewed in Patterson's guise on numerous TV talk shows, including ''
Parkinson'' (1982),
Clive James
Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.[Clive Anderson
Clive Stuart Anderson (born 10 December 1952) is an English television and radio presenter, comedy writer, and former barrister. Winner of a British Comedy Award in 1991, Anderson began experimenting with comedy and writing comedic scripts durin ...]
's ''All Talk'' (1995), ''
The Panel'' (2003) and ''
Rove Live
''Rove'', also titled ''Rove Live'', was an Australian television variety show that featured live music performances and interviews with local and international celebrity guests. The program premiered on the Nine Network on 22 September 1999, bef ...
'' (2005).
In 1987, Sir Les Patterson was the basis of an ambitious full-length feature film, ''
Les Patterson Saves the World
''Les Patterson Saves the World'' is a 1987 Australian comedy film starring Barry Humphries as his stage creations Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage.
Plot
The uncouth Sir Les Patterson teams up with Dame Edna Everage (both played by Ba ...
'', which was a critical and commercial failure.
Other appearances in character
Personal appearances
In 1983, the
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debati ...
held a spoof ceremony in which they purported to award Les Patterson an
honorary Doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
of
Letters
Letter, letters, or literature may refer to:
Characters typeface
* Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet.
* Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alpha ...
. This reportedly caused some anxiety amongst Cambridge dons, who were worried that the public might mistakenly believe that
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
had awarded the degree to Sir Les. The Cambridge Union is not chartered as a
degree awarding body.
In 1986, Humphries as Patterson was awarded the
Douglas Wilkie Medal for doing the least for football in the best and fairest manner. His dislike for the game of
Australian rules football was illustrated when he coated a leather football in cream cake, and fed it to a camel.
Depictions in art
In 1999, expatriate Australian photographer
Polly Borland
Polly Borland (born 1959) is an Australian photographer who formerly resided in England from 1989 to 2011, and now lives in Los Angeles, United States. She is known both for her editorial portraits and for her work as a photographic artist.
Bi ...
created a memorable image of Sir Les Patterson (seated on a toilet, waving an Australian flag) as part of a series entitled ''Australians'', which was exhibited at the respective National Portrait Galleries
in London (2000) and
Canberra (2001).
In 2000, a portrait of Humphries as Patterson by painter
Bill Leak
Desmond Robert "Bill" Leak (9 January 1956 – 10 March 2017) was an Australian editorial cartoonist, caricaturist and portraitist.
Raised in Condobolin and Beacon Hill, Sydney, Leak attended Julian Ashton Art School during the 1970s. His cart ...
won the
Packing Room Prize at the
Archibald Prize
The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor ...
. In 2014,
Tim Storrier's full-length painting, ''The Member, Dr Sir Leslie Colin Patterson KCB AO'', also won the Packing Room Prize.
Fictional biography
Early life and education
Sir Leslie Colin Patterson , was born on 1 April 1942, in
Taren Point
Taren Point is a small suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire.
Surrounded by the suburbs o ...
, Southern Sydney.
[Curriculum Vitae for Sir Les Patterson, presented during Humphries' ''Back to My Roots (and Other Suckers)'' (2005)] In later life, he claimed descent from a certain Ebenezer Patterson, who had been sent to
Australia as a convict in the nineteenth century.
[Patterson, Les, ''The Traveller's Tool'' (1985).] Little is known of Patterson's present-day family beyond from the fact that he has a sister whose name is either Lois or Noreen (sources differ) and a brother named Gerard, who became a clergyman and later served as an Advisor on Religious Affairs to the
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...
Chamber of Commerce. In a brief memoir published in 2006, Father Gerard Patterson described his brother Les as "the archetypical Australian scallywag", who had been their mother's favourite.
[Patterson, Gerard. "My Brother... Les Patterson", in theatre programme for ''Barry Humphries: Back with a Vengeance'' (2006)] Father Patterson further recalled that his brother had a "rough and ready education".
Through the influence of their uncle Leo, both brothers were sent to Melbourne to attend the prestigious
Xavier College
Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Classes started in 1878.
...
, although Les remained there for only 1½ terms. Returning to Sydney, he attended Our Lady of Dolours' Boys School and completed his
Intermediate Certificate at
Parramatta High School
, motto_translation = The torch of the mind lights the path to glory
, logo = Parramatta logo.gif
, established =
, type = Government-funded co-educational dual modality partially aca ...
.
Patterson commenced tertiary study at the
Kogarah
Kogarah () is a suburb of Southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres (9 miles) south-west of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George, New South ...
TAFE.
Prior to his appointment as Cultural Attaché, he completed what he described as a "five-day crash course in World Culture" at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...
.
Only a few years later, he would receive an honorary doctorate in Australian Studies.
[Bio for Les Patterson, in theatre programme for Barry Humphries' ''Look at Me When I'm Talking to You'' (1995)]
Personal life
Although Father Gerard Patterson noted that he and Les had "drifted apart" after he had entered the priesthood, he would later officiate at his brother's wedding to Gwenneth Lorraine Dolan, a former
hand model
A hand model is a person who models (poses or displays) their hand or hands for the purposes of art, fashion, products or advertising. Hand models are used in advertising where advertisers want close ups of the product being handled. Most hands ...
.
She was a film buff who enjoyed
Disney films and, by Sir Les' own account, they had met at a matinée screening of ''
Fantasia''. They subsequently had two children, Karen and Craig. Members of the Patterson family have occasionally assisted Sir Les in his business ventures. When he founded the
Thursday Island
Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately north of Cape ...
Film Commission in 1978, his wife Lady Gwenneth was appointed as director, his daughter Karen as secretary, and his sister Lois as creative liaison co-ordinator.
[Patterson, Les, ''Les Patterson's Australia'' (1978)] According to Father Gerard Patterson, Karen later took a position at Our Lady of Dolours School for Ridiculously Slow Learners, in South Sydney, while her brother Craig was employed for the
Australian Wheat Board, where, in 2008, his work had "recently attracted
unfair publicity".
In 1976, Les Patterson received a knighthood "for services to Australian culture" as part of the
New Year's Honours List
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark thi ...
. Sources differ, however, in regard to its precise designation. The sleeve notes to Patterson's 1985 LP, ''12 Inches of Les'', identify him a KBE (
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire), while his own signature, as seen in the preface to his book ''The Traveller's Tool'', identifies him as a KCB (
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...
). However, since the Order of the Bath is mostly bestowed on military and civil service personnel, a KBE is most likely to be the correct knighthood conferred as that is keeping with actual practice.
In various published sources, Les Patterson has listed his hobbies as "
pocket billiards
Pool is a classification of cue sports played on a table with six pockets along the , into which balls are deposited. "Pool billiards" is sometimes hyphenated and/or spelled with a singular "billiard". The WPA itself uses "pool-billiard" in ...
and sauna construction in Thailand" (according to a 1995 programme bio)
and "wine tasting and infidelity" (according to a 2005 CV).
Professional life
Over a career of more than four decades, Sir Les Patterson has held numerous positions in the public and private sector, including the following:
* Employee in the Office of Custom and Excise (Literature Division) (1960s)
* Minister for Shark Conservation (1960s)
* Minister for Drought under the
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the ...
administration (early 1970s)
* Cultural Attaché to the Far East (1974)
* Cultural Attaché to the
Court of St James's (1975–76)
* Minister for Inland Drainage and Rodent Control
* Chairman and Treasurer of the Thursday Island Film Commission (by 1978)
* Member of the Government Select Committee into the High Incidence of Transvestism in the Yartz (arts) (by 1978)
* Chairman of the Australian Cheese Board (by 1978)
* Chairman of the Australian Chapter of the International Cheese Board (by 1985)
* Chairman of the
Australian Fillum Facility (by 1985)
* Emeritus Vice-Chancellor of the London School of Australian Studies (by 1985)
* Founder of the Sir Les Patterson School of Etiquette (by 1993)
[Advert in theatre programme for Barry Humphries's ''Look at me when I'm Talking to you'' (1995)]
* Food and Beverage consultant,
Sydney Institute (by 2003)
* Etiquette and protocol advisor to the Australian Federal Government (by 2003)
* Member of
Australian Peacekeeping Mission to Baghdad (by 2003)
* Cultural ambassador to the United States (by 2005)
* Minister for Sport with special responsibility to keep sports rampantly heterosexual and "blokey"
*
Minister for the "Yartz"
Published works
Since the 1970s, Barry Humphries has released a number of books and recordings under the guise of Sir Les Patterson.
Books
* ''Les Patterson's Australia'', Melbourne: Sun Books, 1978.
* ''The Traveller's Tool'', London: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd, 1985.
* ''The Enlarged and Extended Tool'', (reported to be 'in preparation', 2005)
Filmography
* ''Live and Rampant: Les Patterson has a Stand Up'' (1996)
* ''
Les Patterson Saves the World
''Les Patterson Saves the World'' is a 1987 Australian comedy film starring Barry Humphries as his stage creations Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage.
Plot
The uncouth Sir Les Patterson teams up with Dame Edna Everage (both played by Ba ...
'' (1987)
Discography
Albums
Singles
Appearances on other recordings
* ''Song of Australia: An Educational Sonorama'' (original 1983 Australian cast); Bilarm Music BAC26 (2006)
* ''Barry Humphries: Dada Days (Moonee Ponds Muse Volume 2''; Raven Records RVCD-34 (1993)
* ''The Dame Edna Party Experience''; Epic Records 463235 1 (1988)
* ''World Expo 88: The Songs''; EMI Records, EMP 8801 (1988)
* ''LP: The Les Patterson Long Player'' (music and dialogue from ''Les Patterson Saves The World''); WEA Records 254779.1 (1987)
* ''Dame Edna Everage: The Last Night of the Poms''; EMI Records EMC2742/3 (1981)
* ''Barry Humphries presents Housewife Superstar!'' (original London cast); Charisma Records 9124 004 (1976)
References
External links
*
Sir Les Patterson: Google Groups
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Sir Les
Comedy theatre characters
Theatre characters introduced in 1974
Male characters in theatre
Douglas Wilkie Medal winners
Fictional diplomats
Fictional knights
Fictional people from New South Wales
Fictional politicians
Barry Humphries
Cultural attachés