R.I.P. John Kerr of Tea And Sympathy and South Pacific

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Actor John Kerr has died, at the age of 81. Born into a theatrical family—both his parents, Geoffrey Kerr and June Walker, as well as his paternal grandfather, Frederick Kerr, appeared on Broadway and in films—Kerr made his Broadway debut in Bernadine when he was 21. The next year, he had perhaps the greatest success of his career when he co-starred with Deborah Kerr (no relation) in the original Broadway production of Robert Anderson’s Tea And Sympathy, the “troubled young man/older woman” romance that gave the world the much-imitated (and much-parodied) line, “Years from now, when you talk about this—and you will—be kind.” In 1956, both actors recreated their roles for the movie version, directed by Vincente Minnelli.