Les Patterson: The Outrageous Character Created by Barry Humphries

Introduction

Les Patterson looked like a politician.

He sounded like one too.

But he was completely fictional.

Sir Les Patterson was a comedy character created and performed by Australian entertainer Barry Humphries. The character appeared on stage, television, recordings and film for decades.

He was loud. Very loud.

His messy clothes, bad teeth, rude comments and questionable manners became part of the act. Humphries used him to poke fun at politicians, diplomats and certain Australian stereotypes.

Here is the real story.

Quick Facts About Les Patterson

Fact	Detail
Full character name	Sir Leslie Colin Patterson
Known as	Sir Les Patterson
Type	Fictional comedy character
Creator	Barry Humphries
Performer	Barry Humphries
First public appearance	1974
First appearance location	St George Leagues Club, Sydney
Character nationality	Australian
Fictional birthplace	Taren Point, Sydney
Fictional birth date	1 April 1942
Famous fictional role	Australian Cultural Attaché
Famous film	Les Patterson Saves the World
Character status	Fictional
Creator Barry Humphries died	22 April 2023

Who Was Les Patterson?

Les Patterson was one of Barry Humphries’ famous stage characters.

Basically, Patterson was written as an Australian public official with almost no sense of proper behaviour.

That was the joke.

He claimed to represent Australia overseas while behaving in ways no serious diplomat should.

Humphries played the character with messy hair, stained clothing, poor teeth and an often drunken appearance.

The character was intentionally excessive.

Very excessive.

Patterson would smoke, drink, speak badly and make awkward comments while acting completely confident in himself.

That contrast made the character memorable.

Was Les Patterson a Real Person?

No.

Les Patterson was not a real politician, diplomat or government minister.

He was fictional.

Barry Humphries created the character and played him publicly for many years.

This point matters because many details attached to Patterson sound like normal personal facts.

They were not.

His supposed marriage, children, political positions and government titles were written as part of the comedy.

Who Created Les Patterson?

Barry Humphries created Sir Les Patterson.

Humphries was an Australian comedian, actor, writer and satirist.

He also created other famous characters, especially Dame Edna Everage.

Patterson gave Humphries another type of character.

Dame Edna was glamorous and socially ambitious.

Les Patterson was almost the opposite.

He was rough, badly dressed and proudly inappropriate.

That contrast worked well.

When Did Les Patterson First Appear?

Les Patterson first appeared publicly in 1974.

The early appearance took place at St George Leagues Club in Sydney.

Humphries presented Patterson as an entertainment officer.

The character later developed into something much bigger.

Soon, Patterson was being presented as Australia’s Cultural Attaché to the Far East.

Of course, that position was fictional.

Still, it became one of the character’s best-known identities.

Why Did Barry Humphries Create Him?

Patterson allowed Humphries to make fun of Australian public life.

Politics was part of it.

Diplomacy too.

So were drinking culture, masculinity, bad manners and national stereotypes.

Patterson often acted as though he represented Australia perfectly.

He clearly did not.

That tension made the character work.

Humphries could put Patterson into serious-looking situations and then let him behave in the worst possible way.

Simple idea.

Strong comic effect.

Les Patterson’s Appearance

The visual style mattered a lot.

Patterson usually appeared with messy grey hair, visibly poor teeth and a tired-looking suit.

His clothing often looked stained.

His tie could be loud.

His behaviour was even louder.

He was frequently shown smoking or drinking.

Humphries also changed his posture, voice and facial movements to make Patterson feel like a separate person.

People instantly knew the character.

Les Patterson’s Fictional Birth Details

Within the fictional story, Patterson’s full name was Sir Leslie Colin Patterson.

His fictional birth date was given as 1 April 1942.

His fictional birthplace was Taren Point in southern Sydney.

These details belong to the character.

They are not facts from Barry Humphries’ real personal life.

That difference should stay clear.

Les Patterson’s Fictional Family

Humphries built a surprisingly detailed family story around Patterson.

His fictional wife was named Gwenneth Lorraine Dolan.

Patterson was also described as having two children:

• Craig Patterson
• Karen Patterson

His fictional family background also included a brother named Gerard Patterson.

Some character material refers to sisters named Lois or Noreen.

The details were not always consistent.

That happened often with Humphries’ characters because the stories could change depending on the performance, book or joke.

Les Patterson’s Fictional Education

Patterson was also given a comic education history.

Character material linked him with institutions including Xavier College, Parramatta High School, Kogarah TAFE and the University of Sydney.

These claims formed part of his fake résumé.

They should not be treated as real qualifications.

Humphries often used official-sounding details to make Patterson’s story funnier.

The more impressive the title sounded, the more ridiculous Patterson seemed.

Les Patterson as Cultural Attaché

This became his signature role.

Patterson was presented as Australia’s Cultural Attaché to the Far East.

Honestly, that title made the joke even sharper.

He was supposed to represent culture.

Yet his behaviour was deeply uncultured.

He lacked basic diplomatic manners.

He drank heavily.

He spoke carelessly.

He often embarrassed everyone around him.

And still, he acted proud of his position.

Les Patterson’s Fictional Political Career

Humphries kept adding strange government jobs to Patterson’s story.

The titles changed over time.

Some fictional appointments included roles linked with drought, shark conservation, drainage, rodents, sport and the arts.

One famous joke involved Patterson acting as a minister for the arts while pronouncing it as “the Yartz.”

The titles were intentionally ridiculous.

They were never real government appointments.

Minister for Drought

One of Patterson’s best-known fake jobs was Minister for Drought.

It sounded official.

But that was the point.

Humphries liked giving Patterson government portfolios that sounded absurd once you stopped and thought about them.

The character’s career became a parody of bureaucracy itself.

Minister for Inland Drainage and Rodent Control

Another memorable fictional title was Minister for Inland Drainage and Rodent Control.

Very specific.

Very strange.

And exactly the type of title that suited Patterson.

Humphries used long government-style names to make Patterson look important while keeping the joke obvious.

The Thursday Island Film Commission

Patterson was also connected with a fictional Thursday Island Film Commission.

The story became even more absurd because family members were placed in roles around the organisation.

Again, this was part of the character’s invented world.

It should never be presented as a real Australian institution connected to Patterson.

Australian Cheese Board

Patterson was also linked with fictional positions involving cheese organisations.

That included stories about him holding senior roles in an Australian Cheese Board.

The joke was simple.

Humphries kept giving Patterson important-sounding positions.

Patterson then behaved like the last person who should hold them.

Les Patterson on Stage

Stage performance was a big part of the character’s life.

Humphries used Patterson across several live shows.

By the 1970s, the character had already become part of Humphries’ regular performance material.

Patterson later received more attention in productions built heavily around him.

Housewife, Superstar!

Patterson appeared in Barry Humphries’ London stage production Housewife, Superstar! during the 1970s.

This helped give the character greater visibility outside Australia.

Humphries’ audience was becoming international.

Patterson went with him.

Les Patterson Rampant in Whitehall

In 1996, Humphries presented Les Patterson Rampant in Whitehall.

The show gave Patterson a much bigger role.

He was no longer just appearing around other Humphries characters.

He could carry major sections himself.

Material from this period was also released in recorded form.

Les Patterson Unzipped

Humphries kept performing Patterson many years after the character first appeared.

In 2005, he performed Les Patterson Unzipped in New York.

That says a lot about the character’s staying power.

Patterson had already been around for more than 30 years.

Audiences still knew him.

Les Patterson on Television

Patterson appeared many times on television.

He turned up in Barry Humphries programmes, Dame Edna productions, interviews and comedy specials.

These appearances helped take the character beyond theatre audiences.

TV made his look instantly recognisable.

Messy suit.

Bad teeth.

Drink nearby.

Big opinions.

That was Patterson.

Television Appearances

Programs connected with Patterson included productions such as:

• Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage
• Dame Edna’s Christmas Experience
• The Dame Edna Satellite Experience
• A Late Lunch with Les
• Barry Humphries’ Flashbacks
• The Dame Edna Treatment

Humphries sometimes appeared in full Patterson character during interviews too.

The Mike Walsh Show Appearance

A Patterson appearance on The Mike Walsh Show is preserved by Australia’s National Film and Sound Archive.

The footage shows many of the character’s familiar features.

Drinking.

Smoking.

Bad manners.

Bold clothing.

That performance is useful for understanding how physical the character was.

Humphries did not just tell Patterson jokes.

He became Patterson.

Sir Les and the Great Chinese Takeaway

In 1997, Patterson appeared in Sir Les and the Great Chinese Takeaway.

The program was connected with the period surrounding Hong Kong’s transfer from British to Chinese rule.

Putting Patterson near serious international affairs fitted the comedy perfectly.

He was supposed to be a diplomatic figure.

Yet diplomacy was clearly not his strength.

Les Patterson Saves the World

Patterson reached cinema too.

Barry Humphries starred in Les Patterson Saves the World.

The film is generally dated to 1987, though some British records list 1988 around its release and classification.

Humphries played both Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage.

The film also featured performers including Pamela Stephenson, Andrew Clarke, Thaao Penghlis, Henri Szeps and Hugh Keays-Byrne.

The story pushed Patterson into an international comedy plot.

He was given the kind of global importance that made the character even more absurd.

Was Les Patterson Saves the World Successful?

The film did not become one of Humphries’ biggest successes.

His characters worked especially well on stage and television.

Film was a different format.

Still, Les Patterson Saves the World remains an important part of Patterson’s history because it gave the character his own major screen story.

Les Patterson Books

Patterson also moved into publishing.

Books associated with the character include:

Les Patterson’s Australia

Published in 1978, the book extended Patterson’s fake public personality into print.

Readers could hear the character’s voice through written jokes, opinions and commentary.

The Traveller’s Tool

Another Patterson book appeared in the 1980s.

It played with his supposed experience as a world traveller and diplomat.

Again, the advice was comic.

Patterson was not meant to be trusted.

That was half the fun.

Les Patterson Recordings

The character also appeared on comedy recordings.

Known titles include:

• 12 Inches of Les
• Live and Rampant: Les Patterson Has a Standup
• Les is More: Diplomatic Ditties for the Dysfunctional Family

These recordings gave audiences another way to hear Patterson outside theatre performances.

Songs Linked to Les Patterson

Patterson was also connected with comic songs.

Titles included:

• “Give Her One for Christmas”
• “G’Day”

Humphries regularly mixed spoken comedy, music and character performance.

Patterson fitted that format easily.

Les Patterson and Dame Edna

Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage came from the same performer.

Yet they felt completely different.

That was Barry Humphries’ skill.

Dame Edna wanted social status.

Patterson already believed he had it.

Dame Edna cared about appearances.

Patterson barely seemed to notice his.

Both characters could be rude.

But the style was different.

Patterson’s humour was rougher and more openly vulgar.

Connection With Barry McKenzie

Patterson also shared some DNA with Barry McKenzie, another Australian character linked with Humphries.

Barry McKenzie represented an exaggerated Australian male abroad.

Patterson pushed a related joke into politics and diplomacy.

Basically, Humphries took certain Australian stereotypes and placed them inside public institutions.

That gave him more material.

Humour and Controversy

Patterson’s comedy could be very offensive.

That was intentional.

The character used vulgar jokes, sexual comments, stereotypes and rude language.

Some material has aged badly for modern audiences.

That should be said clearly.

Humphries often built comedy around discomfort.

Patterson was meant to embarrass people.

Sometimes the joke targeted the character himself.

Sometimes the humour depended on ideas that many people now view differently.

Both facts can be true.

Les Patterson and Australian Satire

Patterson became part of a larger Australian comedy tradition.

He mocked authority.

He mocked social class.

He mocked national pride too.

Humphries turned the supposedly respectable image of a diplomat into something chaotic.

That gap drove much of the comedy.

The character also caught something recognisable about political ego.

Patterson always believed he was impressive.

Everyone else could see the problem.

Portrait by Bill Leak

Patterson also entered Australian portrait art.

Artist Bill Leak painted Barry Humphries as Sir Les Patterson.

The portrait won the Packing Room Prize connected with the Archibald Prize in 2000.

That is an unusual achievement for a fictional character.

The person in the painting was real.

The identity was not.

Tim Storrier Portrait

Artist Tim Storrier later painted Humphries as Patterson.

The work was titled The Member, Dr Sir Leslie Colin Patterson KCB AO.

It won the Packing Room Prize in 2014.

By then, Patterson had been around for about 40 years.

The character had clearly become part of Australian cultural memory.

Was Les Patterson Really Knighted?

No.

Patterson’s “Sir” title belonged to the fictional character.

The long titles attached to his name were part of the comedy.

They should not be confused with real honours awarded to Barry Humphries.

Patterson was intentionally presented with grand titles because those titles made his behaviour even more ridiculous.

What Was Les Patterson’s Religion?

Some fictional character material describes Patterson as Roman Catholic.

That belongs to his invented backstory.

It should not be presented as information about Barry Humphries.

Les Patterson Height

There is no reliable official character height that should be presented as fact.

Patterson was physically portrayed by Barry Humphries.

Websites that give an exact independent height for Patterson may simply be treating the fictional character like a separate real person.

That can create bad information.

Les Patterson Weight

There is no trustworthy official weight for the character either.

Humphries used costume, makeup and performance to build Patterson’s appearance.

So an exact number would be misleading.

Les Patterson Net Worth

Les Patterson did not have a real net worth.

He was fictional.

Claims giving him a personal fortune should be treated with caution unless they are clearly part of a joke or fictional story.

Barry Humphries’ finances are a separate subject entirely.

Les Patterson Salary

Patterson did not earn a real government salary.

His public offices were fictional.

So claims about his official salary as a minister or diplomat are not genuine employment records.

Did Les Patterson Have Social Media?

There was no genuine personal social media account belonging to Patterson as an independent person.

He was a Barry Humphries character.

Any modern pages using the character’s name would need to be checked carefully before being described as official.

Is Les Patterson Dead?

Les Patterson does not have a normal real-world death date.

He was fictional.

Barry Humphries, the man who created and performed him, died on 22 April 2023.

That effectively ended Humphries’ own performances as Patterson.

Recordings, books, television footage and films remain.

So does the character’s place in Australian comedy.

Les Patterson After Barry Humphries’ Death

Patterson remains strongly linked with Humphries’ career.

Old performances are still preserved in television archives and film collections.

Portraits also keep the character visible.

For people studying Australian satire, Patterson offers a clear example of how comedians used exaggerated national stereotypes to mock public life.

He could be crude.

Sometimes painfully so.

Yet he became one of Humphries’ longest-running creations.

Why Is Les Patterson Still Remembered?

The character was easy to recognise.

That helped.

But there was more to it.

Patterson gave Humphries a way to make authority look foolish.

A grand job title meant nothing if the person holding it behaved terribly.

That joke stayed understandable across decades.

People could laugh at the outfit.

They could laugh at the language.

They could also see the political satire sitting underneath it.

Real Facts vs Fictional Character Details

Detail	Status
Created by Barry Humphries	Verified fact
Played by Barry Humphries	Verified fact
First appeared in 1974	Verified fact
Stage appearances	Verified fact
Television appearances	Verified fact
Les Patterson Saves the World	Verified fact
Born 1 April 1942	Fictional detail
Born in Taren Point	Fictional detail
Married Gwenneth Dolan	Fictional detail
Children Craig and Karen	Fictional detail
Australian Cultural Attaché	Fictional role
Government minister	Fictional role
Real net worth	Does not apply
Real government salary	Does not apply

Final Thought

Les Patterson was never a real Australian politician.

That fact needs to stay clear.

He was Barry Humphries’ fictional cultural attaché, minister and professional embarrassment.

The character started in 1974 and lasted for decades.

Patterson could be crude, messy and intentionally offensive. Yet he also gave Humphries a sharp way to mock political ego, government titles and Australia’s public image.

Basically, the joke was simple.

Les thought he looked important.

Everyone else saw the mess.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Les Patterson?

Les Patterson was a fictional Australian comedy character created and performed by Barry Humphries.

Was Les Patterson a real person?

No. Sir Les Patterson was not a real politician or diplomat.

Who played Les Patterson?

Australian entertainer Barry Humphries played the character.

When did Les Patterson first appear?

The character first appeared publicly in 1974.

Was Les Patterson really a cultural attaché?

No. Australia’s Cultural Attaché to the Far East was a fictional role created for the character.

Who was Les Patterson’s wife?

Within the fictional story, his wife was named Gwenneth Lorraine Dolan.

Did Les Patterson have children?

The fictional character was described as having two children, Craig and Karen.

What film featured Les Patterson?

Barry Humphries starred as the character in Les Patterson Saves the World.

Was Les Patterson really knighted?

No. His “Sir” title was part of the fictional character identity.

When did Les Patterson die?

The fictional character has no separate real-world death date. Barry Humphries died on 22 April 2023.

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