Richard Harris was an acclaimed Irish actor and singer who became an icon of the British New Wave film movement.
After studying at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he received critical acclaim and numerous prestigious accolades throughout his illustrious career.
Harris’ most notable achievements include winning the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Grammy Award.
He was named Ireland’s third most outstanding film actor in 2020, according to a list compiled by The Irish Times.
contour
- Full name: Richard St. John Francis Harris
- Stage name: Richard Harris
- Date of birth: October 1, 1930
- Age: 72 years old
- Date of death: October 25, 2002
- Bloomsbury, London, UK
- Birthplace: Limerick, Ireland
- Nationality: Irish
- Occupation: Irish actor and singer
- Height: 1.85m
- Parents: Evan John Harris and Mildred Josephine Harty Harris
- Brothers and Sisters: James Charles, Edward Harris, Harriet Mary, Hamey Harris, Audrey Mary Harris, Patrick Ivan, Harris, Noel William Michael Harris, Diamid Gerard, Dermot Harris, William George Harris
- Spouses: Elizabeth Rhys-Williams (m. 1957-1969), Ann Turkle (m. 1974-1982)
- Children: Damian Harris, Jared Harris and Jamie Harris
- Relationship: Divorced
- Net worth: $28.4 million
early life and education
Richard St John Francis Harris was born on October 1, 1930 in Limerick, Ireland. He was the fifth child of Evan John Harris and Mildred Josephine Hardy Harris. He had seven brothers and sisters – James Charles Edward Harris, Harriet Mary Harme Harris, Audrey Mary Harris, Patrick Evan Harris, Noel William Michael ·Harris, Diamid Gerald Dermot Harris and William George Harris.
Harris attended Crescent Academy, a Jesuit school, where he became an outstanding football player and developed a passion for literature.
After completing her studies, Harris studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Richard Harris was an Irishman and a Christian.
Profession
Harris began his acting career in the late 1950s and quickly gained recognition for his intense and often troubled roles. In 1959, he made his film debut, playing a small role in the film “Alive and Kicking”.
Later that year he starred in the West End production of The Ginger Man. Harris had another small role in the 1959 film Shake Hands with the Devil, supporting James Cagney.
Director Michael Anderson was so impressed by Harris’ performance that he cast him in the 1959 film The Wreck of the Mary Deare.
In 1960, Harris played an IRA volunteer alongside Robert Mitchum in the film Horrible Beauty. The following year he had a memorable role as an Australian pilot in The Guns of Navarone.
Harris had a larger role in 1961’s The Long and the Short and the Tall, although he clashed with co-stars Laurence Harvey and Richard Todd during filming.
Despite being relatively unknown, Harris still ranked his role in the 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty as third best, behind actor he greatly admired, Marlon Brando.
For a change of pace, Harris played the romantic lead in Doris Day’s 1967 spy comedy Caprice. Later that year, he played King Arthur in the film adaptation of the musical Camelot.
In 1970, Harris starred as detective James McParland in “Molly Maguire” opposite Sean Connery. In 1971, Harris starred in the critically acclaimed BBC television film Snow Goose, which won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a BAFTA Award and an Emmy Award.
That same year, he made his film directorial debut with Bloomfield and starred in the revisionist western “Man in the Wild.” In addition to her acting work, Harris also has a successful music career.
He released several albums in the 1960s and 1970s, including “I, In the Ghetto” and “The Richard Harris Collection.” In 1968, he recorded the song “MacArthur Park” which became a hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Harris also recorded several music albums. One of his albums, A Tramp Shining, included the hit song “MacArthur Park” written by Jimmy Webb.
The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the top-selling song in Europe in 1968. “MacArthur Park” sold over 1 million copies and won a Gold Disc Award.
Harris later released another album, The Yard Went on Forever, which was composed entirely of songs written by Jimmy Webb. In a 1973 television special starring Burt Bacharach,
Harris explained that as an untrained singer, he approached the songs more as an actor, focusing on lyrics and emotion, rather than as a technical singer. He then performed “If I Could Go Back,” a song from the Lost Horizon soundtrack.
Awards and nominations
Richard Harris is a well-known Irish actor and singer who has had an illustrious career, receiving numerous honors and prestigious awards.
Academy Awards:
- 1964: Nominated for Best Actor for “This Sporting Life”
- 1991: Nominated for Best Actor for “The Field”
Grammy Awards:
- 1974: Wins Best Spoken Word Recording for “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”
- 1975: “The Prophet” nominated for Best Spoken Word Recording
Golden Globe Awards:
- 1968: Won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for “Camelot”
- 1971: Nominated for English Foreign Language Film for “Bloomfield”
- 1991: Nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for “The Field”
social media
Richard Harris does not have any active social media accounts.
personal life
Richard Harris is a famous Irish actor who was married twice in his life. In 1957, Harris married Elizabeth Rhys Williams, the daughter of Baron Ogmore.
They have three children together: director Damian Harris, actor Jared Harris and actor Jamie Harris. Harris and Rhys-Williams divorced in 1969, and Elizabeth later married actor Rex Harrison.
Harris’ second marriage was to American actress Ann Turkel in 1974. Their marriage lasted for eight years before divorcing in 1982.
In August 2002, 72-year-old Harris was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease after being hospitalized with pneumonia. Sadly, he died on 25 October 2002 at University College London Hospital.
film chronology
Movie
- Camelot(1967)
- Horse Man(1970)
- Cromwell(1970)
- Molly Maguire(1970)
- Field(1990)
- Unforgiven(1992)
- Gladiator(2000)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
- Telemark Heroes(1965)
- Major Dundee(1965)
- Hawaii(1966)
- Cassandra Crossing (1976)
- Dayan(1978)
- The Count of Monte Cristo(2002)
discography
album
- Camelot (soundtrack) (1967)
- Shining Tramp(1968)
- Forever Yard(1968)
- Richard Harris Love Album (1970)
- My Boy(1971)
- Slideshow(1972)
- Tommy(1972)
- His greatest performance (1973)
singles
- “Here in My Heart” (theme from “This Sporting Life”) (1963)
- “How to Treat Women (from Camelot)” (1968)
- “MacArthur Park” (1968)
- “Aren’t we?” (1968)
- “The Yard Goes On Forever” (1968)
- “The Beehive” (1969)
- “A Better Thing” (1969)
- “Fill the World with Love” (1969)
- “Horse Song” (1970)
- “Another Morning of JFK Mourning” (1970)
net worth
The famous Irish actor Richard Harris had an impressive net worth of $28.4 million at the time of his death in 2002.
This vast wealth has been accumulated primarily through his successful and prolific career in the film, television, and theater industries.
Harris is widely recognized for her iconic roles in a variety of critically acclaimed productions, including The Guns of Navarro, Camelot and the Harry Potter film series.
