Humor writer and actor Barry Humphries, best known for being the man behind Dame Edna, the "housewife and international megastar," spoke to a packed audience about his life and career in the Kirkland Junior Common Room on Friday.

Sponsored by the Office for the Arts at Harvard as part of a series called "Learning From Performers," the event was moderated by ART resident dramaturg Gideon Lester.

In his irreverent style, Humphries ridiculed almost every possible group while managing to draw hysterical laughter from the crowd.

"The theater's strength lies in its uniqueness and effect on the audience," Humphries said. "Comedy is in the end nothing but a mix of effrontery with talent."

He pointed out that the new generation of theater students rarely go to theaters, because they aspire to act on-screen rather than onstage.

In an attempt to inspire the new generation, Humphries said that when he was young he got degrees in philosophy, law, and fine arts, not really knowing what avenue he wanted to pursue.

And despite initial setbacks--like playing a barking dog offstage in "Of Mice and Men"--Humphries still managed to find his niche.

"At a time when plays were set in New York, I decided that I could make the boring Australian suburb humorous," he said.