Sir Peter Jackson mourns death of Barry Humphries

Sir Peter Jackson says the world is a "poorer place" without Barry Humphries, the iconic Australian performer who died this weekend, aged 89.

• This story was first published on RNZ

Humphries was best-known for his character Dame Edna Everage, whom he inhabited on stage and screen for more than 60 years.

But his work with Sir Peter saw him taking on a much less glamorous role - that of The Hobbit's Great Goblin.

"It was our honour to count Barry as a friend and a colleague," Sir Peter wrote on social media on Sunday, a day after Humphries' passing.

"We were overjoyed when he agreed to play the Great Goblin in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - not one of his most glamorous roles, but one which he tackled with enthusiasm and disarming authenticity."

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was the first in the Hobbit trilogy, released in 2012.

While it had mixed reviews, Humphries' performance - voice and via motion capture - was warmly received, many reviewers comparing the grotesque villain to Star Wars' Jabba the Hutt.

Celebrities from Australia and around the world mourned Humphries on social media, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called him a "great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Humphries a "a comic genius who used his exuberant alter egos, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, to say the otherwise unsayable".

"To say Barry was beloved is an understatement," added Sir Peter.

"His ability to spread laughter, whilst making astute and telling observations, was unrivalled. Barry always had a twinkle in his eye - undoubtedly because his marvellous mind was up to some kind of mischief.

"He was truly a scholar, a gentleman and one glorious Dame. We will miss you, Barry."