Deborah Kerr, the British film actress who starred in "The King and I'' and kissed Burt Lancaster as they rolled in the surf in "From Here to Eternity,'' has died. She was 86.
Kerr, who had Parkinson's disease, died Oct. 16 in Suffolk, England, her agent said.
She was nominated six times for an Academy Award as best actress but never won. In 1994, Kerr was given an honorary Oscar and received two standing ovations.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences cited Kerr as "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance.''
Kerr appeared in more than 40 films, including her six Oscar-nominated roles in "Edward, My Son'' (1950) with Spencer Tracy; "From Here to Eternity'' (1953), which also starred Frank Sinatra; "The King and I'' (1956) with Yul Brynner; "Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison'' (1957) with Robert Mitchum; "Separate Tables (1958) with Rita Hayworth and David Niven; and "The Sundowners,'' (1960) also co-starring Mitchum.
Mark Schoifet of Bloomberg news reports that Kerr was born Sept. 30, 1921, in Helensburgh, Scotland, to a Navy captain, Arthur Kerr-Trimmer, and Kathheen Rose. She was trained as a ballet dancer but soon switched to acting, appearing in London's West End and in Europe.
Kerr quit the movie business in the late 1960s, shortly after appearing in the James Bond espionage spoof "Casino Royale'' (1967). She continued to act on television into the mid- 1980s, reported Bloomberg news.
Kerr is survived by her husband, Peter Viertel, two daughters and three grandchildren.
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