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Rex Harrison

 
Who2 Biography: Rex Harrison, Actor
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  • Born: 5 March 1908
  • Birthplace: Huyton, England
  • Died: 2 June 1990 (pancreatic cancer)
  • Best Known As: Professor Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady

Name at birth: Reginald Carey Harrison

Sir Rex Harrison was a star of stage and screen for sixty years, known best for his role as Professor Henry Higgins in the musical play and film My Fair Lady, a role that brought him a Tony (1957) and and Oscar (1965). Harrison began on the English stage in the 1920s and appeared in his first film in 1930. By the end of the '30s he was a leading man, especially good as a witty sophisticate in British black-tie comedies. After World War II -- Harrison was a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force -- he began making movies in America as well as in Britain, including Blithe Spirit (1945, directed by David Lean), Anna and the King of Siam (1946) and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947, with young Natalie Wood). He was also a hit on Broadway and won a Tony in 1949 for his portrayal of King Henry VIII in the play Anne of the Thousand Days. He became an international star by the early 1960s, thanks to the huge success of My Fair Lady on stage in New York and London (1958-62), an Oscar nomination for his role as Caesar in the Elizabeth Taylor film Cleopatra (1963) and an Oscar win for the film version of My Fair Lady (1964, co-starring Audrey Hepburn). His other films include Midnight Lace (1960, with Doris Day), The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965, starring Charlton Heston ) and Dr. Doolittle (1967).

My Fair Lady is based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion... Harrison was knighted in 1989.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Sir Rex Harrison
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(born March 5, 1908, Huyton, Lancashire, Eng. — died June 2, 1990, New York, N.Y., U.S.) British actor. He made his debut in films and on the London stage in 1930, later appearing in successful plays such as French Without Tears (1936). After World War II he returned to the screen as a suave leading man in films such as Blithe Spirit (1945) and Notorious Gentleman (1945). He made his U.S. film debut in Anna and the King of Siam (1946). His most famous role, as Prof. Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1956, Tony Award), won him equal acclaim in its film version (1964, Academy Award). He was an impressive Julius Caesar in Cleopatra (1963).

For more information on Sir Rex Harrison, visit Britannica.com.

American Theater Guide: [Reginald Carey] Rex Harrison
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Harrison, [Reginald Carey] Rex (1908–90), actor. The slim, suave, slightly reptilian English‐born leading man made his first American appearance as the witty friend Tubbs Barrow in Sweet Aloes (1936). The play was a failure, and Harrison did not return to the New York stage until after he had become a celebrated film star. He then starred as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days (1948), publisher Shepherd Henderson in Bell, Book and Candle (1950), the philandering Duke Hereward in Venus Observed (1952), and the evil spirit called the Man in The Love of Four Colonels (1953). But his greatest success came when he created the role of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1956). Walter Kerr wrote of his performance, “Mr. Harrison's slouch was a rhythmic slouch. His voice was a showman's voice—twangy, biting, confident beyond questioning. . . . But most of all Mr. Harrison was still an actor, believing every cranky, snappish, exhilarating syllable of the Alan Jay Lerner lyric he was rattling off, and a fourteen‐carat character simply crashed its way onto the stage.” He played the role for several years and revived it afterwards. Subsequent performances of note include the General in The Fighting Cock (1959), the crazed Emperor Henry IV (1973), the indifferent husband Sebastian Crutwell in In Praise of Love (1974), the aged lover Hawkins in The Kingfisher (1979), Captain Shotover in Heartbreak House (1983), Lord Gresham in Aren't We All? (1985), and Lord Porteous in The Circle (1989). Autobiography: Rex, 1974. Biography: The Incomparable Rex: The Last of the High Comedians, Patrick Garland, 1998.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Rex Harrison
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Harrison, Rex, 1908-90, English actor. Born Reginald Carey, he entered repertory theater at 16 as an apprentice. Harrison, noted for his suave, insouciant style, has appeared in many plays, including Anne of the Thousand Days (1949), Bell, Book, and Candle (1950), and In Praise of Love (1974). His performance in both the stage (1956) and film (1964) versions of My Fair Lady won enormous popular and critical acclaim. Harrison's other films include The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), The Fourposter (1952), and Cleopatra (1962).

Bibliography

See his autobiography.

Dictionary: Harrison,
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Sir Reginald Carey (Known as "Rex.") 1908-1990.

British actor best remembered for his portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in the Broadway musical and film versions of My Fair Lady, for which he was awarded a Tony (1956) and an Academy Award (1964).


Quotes By: Rex Harrison
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Quotes:

"Exhilaration is that feeling you get just after a great idea hits you, and just before you realize what's wrong with it."

"Tomorrow is a thief of pleasure."

Actor: Rex Harrison
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  • Born: Mar 05, 1908 in Huyton, England
  • Died: Jun 02, 1990 in New York City, New York
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '30s-'60s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: The Agony and the Ecstasy, Unfaithfully Yours, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
  • First Major Screen Credit: Men Are Not Gods (1936)

Biography

Debonair and distinguished British star of stage and screen for more than 50 years, Sir Rex Harrison is best remembered for playing charming, slyly mischievous characters. Born Reginald Carey in 1908, he made his theatrical debut at age 16 with the Liverpool Repertory Theater, remaining with that group for three years. Making his British stage and film debut in 1930, Harrison made the first of many appearances on Broadway in Sweet Aloes in 1936. He became a bona fide British star that same year when he appeared in the theatrical production French Without Tears, in which he showed himself to be very skilled in black-tie comedy. He served as a flight lieutenant in the RAF during World War II, although this interruption in his career was quickly followed by several British films. Harrison moved to Hollywood in 1945, where his career continued to prosper. Among his many roles was that of the king in the 1946 production of Anna and the King of Siam. Harrison was perhaps best known for his performance as Professor Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady, a character he played on Broadway from 1956-1958 (winning a Tony award in 1957) and again in its 1981 revival, as well as for a year in London in the late '50s; in 1964, he won an Oscar for his onscreen version of the role. He had previously received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Julius Caesar in Cleopatra (1963). Harrison continued to act on both the stage and screen in the 1970s and into the '80s. He published his autobiography, Rex, in 1975, and, four years later, edited and published an anthology of poetry If Love Be Love. Knighted in 1989, he was starring in the Broadway revival of Somerset Maugham's The Circle (with Stewart Granger and Glynis Johns) until one month before he died of pancreatic cancer in 1990. Three of Harrison's six marriages were to actressesLilli Palmer, Kay Kendall, and Rachel Roberts. ~ All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Rex Harrison
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Rex Harrison

Rex Harrison pictured in 1947
Born Reginald Carey Harrison
5 March 1908(1908-03-05)
Huyton, Lancashire, England
Died 2 June 1990 (aged 82)
New York City, New York,
United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1930–1982
Spouse(s) Colette Thomas (1934-1942)
Lilli Palmer (1943-1957)
Kay Kendall (1957-1959)
Rachel Roberts (1962-1971)
Elizabeth Harris (1971-1975)
Mercia Tinker (1978-1990)

Sir Reginald “Rex” Carey Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won both an Academy Award and a Tony Award.

Contents

Youth and stage career

Harrison was born in Huyton, then part of Lancashire, and educated at Liverpool College.[1] After a bout of childhood measles, Harrison lost most of the sight in his left eye which on one occasion caused some on-stage difficulty.[2] He first appeared on the stage in 1924 in Liverpool. Harrison's acting career was interrupted during World War II whilst he served in the Royal Air Force, reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant.[3] He acted in various stage productions until 11 May 1990. He acted in the West End of London when he was young, appearing in the Terence Rattigan play French Without Tears, which proved to be his breakthrough role.

He alternated appearances in London and New York in such plays as Bell, Book and Candle (1950), Venus Observed, The Cocktail Party, The Kingfisher, and The Love of Four Colonels, which he also directed.[4] He won his first Tony Award for his appearance as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days and international superstardom (and a second Tony Award) for his Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady. Later appearances included 's Pirandello's Enrico IV, a 1984 appearance at the Haymarket Theatre with Claudette Colbert in Frederick Lonsdale's Aren't We All?, and one on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre presented by Douglas Urbanski, at the Haymarket in J. M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton with Edward Fox. He returned as Henry Higgins in a highly paid revival of My Fair Lady in 1981, cementing his association with the plays of George Bernard Shaw which included a Tony nominated performance as Shotover in Heartbreak House, Julius Caesar in Caesar and Cleopatra, and General Burgoyne in a Los Angeles production of The Devil's Disciple.

In film

Harrison as Julius Caesar in the film Cleopatra, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

Harrison's film debut was in The Great Game (1930), and other notable early films include The Citadel (1938), Night Train to Munich (1940), Major Barbara (1941), Blithe Spirit (1945), Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), and The Foxes of Harrow (1947). He was best known for his portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady, based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, especially after he reprised the role in the 1964 film version, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar. The 1956 cast album set sales records at the time. He revived the role on stage in the early 1980s. He also starred in 1967's Doctor Dolittle. Harrison was not by general terms a singer; thus, the music was generally written to allow for long periods of recitative, generally identified as "speaking to the music".

Although excelling in comedy (Noël Coward described him thus: "the best light comedy actor in the world-except for me."),[5] he attracted favourable notices in dramatic roles such as his portrayal of Julius Caesar in Cleopatra (1963) and as Pope Julius II in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), opposite Charlton Heston as Michelangelo. He also appeared as an aging homosexual man opposite Richard Burton as his lover in Staircase.[6] He also acted in a Hindi movie Shalimar alongside Indian Bollywood star Dharmendra.

Personal life

Harrison was married six times. In 1942 he divorced his first wife, Colette Thomas, and married actress Lilli Palmer the next year; the two later appeared together in numerous plays and films, including The Fourposter.[7]

In 1947, while married to Palmer, Harrison began an affair with actress Carole Landis. Landis committed suicide in 1948 after spending the night with Harrison.[8] Harrison's involvement in the scandal surrounding Landis' death damaged his career and his contract with FOX was ended by mutual consent.[9]

Harrison and Lilli Palmer divorced in 1957. That same year, Harrison married actress Kay Kendall. Kendall died of leukemia in 1959.[10] He was subsequently married to Welsh-born Rachel Roberts from 1962 to 1971 (Roberts committed suicide in 1980).[11] Harrison then married Elizabeth Rees-Williams and, finally, Mercia Tinker, who would become his widow in 1990.[12]

Chronology of Harrison's six marriages
Grandchildren (all by Noel Harrison)
  • Granddaughters: Cathryn, Harriott and Chloe
  • Grandsons: Will and Simon

Death

Having retired from films in the late 1970s, Harrison continued to act on Broadway until the end of his life, despite suffering from glaucoma, painful teeth, and a failing memory.[13] In 1989 he appeared on Broadway in The Circle by W. Somerset Maugham, opposite Glynis Johns and Stewart Granger,[14] when he fell ill. He died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Manhattan on 2 June 1990 at the age of 82.[15]

Harrison's autobiography, A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy (ISBN 0553073419), was published posthumously in 1991.

Honours

On 25 July 1989 Harrison was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. An orchestra played the music of songs from My Fair Lady.

Rex Harrison has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6906 Hollywood Boulevard for his contribution to motion pictures, and another at 6380 Hollywood Boulevard for his contribution to the television industry.

According to Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane, the character Stewie Griffin is based on an "evil version" of Harrison.[16][17]

Quotes about Harrison

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1930 The Great Game George
School for Scandal Bit part Uncredited
1934 Get Your Man Tom Jakes
Leave It to Blanche Ronnie
1935 All at Sea Aubrey Bellingham
1936 Men Are Not Gods Tommy Stapleton
1937 Storm in a Teacup Frank Burdon
School for Husbands Leonard Drummond
1938 Sidewalks of London Harley Prentiss Alternative title: St. Martin's Lane
The Citadel Dr. Frederick Lawford
1939 The Silent Battle Jacques Sauvin Alternative title: Continental Express
Over the Moon Dr. Freddie Jarvis
1940 Ten Days in Paris Bob Stevens Alternative titles: Missing Ten Days
Spy in the Pantry
Night Train to Munich Gus Bennett Alternative titles: Gestapo
Night Train
1941 Major Barbara Adolphus Cusins
1945 Blithe Spirit Charles Condomine
I Live in Grosvenor Square Major David Bruce Alternative title: A Yank in London
Journey Together Guest Uncredited
The Rake's Progress Vivian Kenway Alternative title: Notorious Gentleman
1946 Anna and the King of Siam King Mongkut
1947 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Captain Daniel Gregg
The Foxes of Harrow Stephen Fox
1948 Escape Matt Denant
Unfaithfully Yours Sir Alfred De Carter
1951 The Long Dark Hall Arthur Groome
1952 The Four Poster John Edwards
1954 King Richard and the Crusaders Emir Hderim Sultan Saladin
1955 The Constant Husband William Egerton Alternative title: Marriage a la Mode
1958 The Reluctant Debutante Jimmy Broadbent
1960 Midnight Lace Anthony "Tony" Preston
1962 The Happy Thieves Jimmy Bourne
1963 Cleopatra Caesar
1964 My Fair Lady Professor Henry Higgins
The Yellow Rolls-Royce Lord Charles Frinton - The Marquess of Frinton
1965 The Agony and the Ecstasy Pope Julius II
1967 The Honey Pot Cecil Sheridan Fox Alternative titles: It Comes Up Murder
The Honeypot
Mr. Fox of Venice
Doctor Dolittle Dr. John Dolittle
1968 Fenomenal e il tesoro di Tutankamen A man in the street Uncredited
A Flea in Her Ear Victor Chandebisse/Poche
1969 Staircase Charles Dyer
1977 Crossed Swords The Duke of Norfolk Alternative title: The Prince and the Pauper
1978 Shalimar Sir John Locksley Alternative titles: Deadly Thief
Raiders of Shalimar
Raiders of the Sacred Stone
1979 Ashanti Brian Walker Alternative title: Ashanti, Land of No Mercy
The Fifth Musketeer Colbert Alternative titles: Behind the Iron Mask
The 5th Musketeer
1981 Titanic in a Tub: The Golden Age of Toy Boats Narrator
1982 A Time to Die Van Osten Alternative title: Seven Graves for Rogan
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1938 Villa for Sale Television movie
1950 The Chevrolet Tele-Theatre 1 episode
1952 Omnibus Henry VIII 1 episode
1953 The United States Steel Hour Raymond Dabney 1 episode
1957 DuPont Show of the Month Englishman 1 episode
1960 Startime Fred Cortin 1 episode
Dow Hour of Great Mysteries Cyril Paxton 1 episode
1971-1973 Play of the Month Mikhail Platonov, schoolmaster
Don Quixote		 2 episodes
1983 The Kingfisher Cecil Television movie
1985 Heartbreak House Captain Shotover Television movie
1986 Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna Grand Duke Cyril Romanov Television movie

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Film, series or play
1964 Academy Award Nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role Cleopatra
1965 Won My Fair Lady
1966 BAFTA Award Nominated Best British Actor My Fair Lady
1984 Drama Desk Award Nominated Outstanding Actor in a Play Heartbreak House
1985 Won Drama Desk Special Award
-
1964 Golden Globe Award Nominated Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama Cleopatra
1965 Won Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy My Fair Lady
1966 Nominated Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite - Male)
-
Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama The Agony and the Ecstasy
1968 Nominated Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy Dr. Doolittle
1964 Laurel Awards Nominated Top Male Dramatic Performance Cleopatra
1965 Nominated Male Star
-
Won Musical Performance, Male My Fair Lady
1966 Nominated Male Star
-
Dramatic Performance, Male The Agony and the Ecstasy
1963 National Board of Review Won Best Actor Cleopatra
1964 New York Film Critics Circle Awards Won Best Actor My Fair Lady
1949 Tony Award Won Best Actor (Dramatic) Anne of the Thousand Days
1957 Won Best Actor in a Musical My Fair Lady
1969 Won Special Tony Award
-
1984 Nominated Best Actor (Dramatic) Heartbreak House

References

  1. ^ "(Sir) Rex Harrison". filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Ha-Hu/Harrison-Sir-Rex.html. 
  2. ^ Harrison, Rex (1975). Rex: An Autobiography. William Morrow. pp. 16, 122. ISBN 0-688-02881-0. http://books.google.com/books?ei=oMRHSpa6CozayQSB9NRA&client=firefox-a&id=tOAKAAAAMAAJ&dq=rex+harrison+blind&q=blind&pgis=1#search_anchor. 
  3. ^ Sir Rex Harrison Biography at Biography.com
  4. ^ "The Love of Four Colonels". ibdb.com. http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=2208. Retrieved 2009-10-01. 
  5. ^ Smith, J. Y. (3 June), "Rex Harrison, 82, Dies; Star of `My Fair Lady'", The Washington Post: c. 07 
  6. ^ Hadleigh, Boze (2001). The Lavender Screen: The Gay and Lesbian Films - Their Stars, Directors, and Critics (3 ed.). Citadel Press. pp. 91. ISBN 0-806-52199-6. 
  7. ^ Golden, Eve; Kendall, Kim Elizabeth (2002). The Brief, Badcap Life of Kay Kendall. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 74. ISBN 0-813-12251-1. 
  8. ^ Fleming, E. J. (2004). The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling, and the MGM publicity machine. McFarland. pp. 223. ISBN 0-786-42027-8. 
  9. ^ Donnelley, Paul (2003). Fade To Black: A Book Of Movie Obituaries (2 ed.). Omnibus Press. pp. 445. ISBN 0-711-99512-5. 
  10. ^ Parish, James Robert (2007). The Hollywood Book of Extravagance: The Totally Infamous, Mostly Disastrous, and Always Compelling Excesses of America's Film and TV Idols. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 34. ISBN 0-470-05205-8. 
  11. ^ Golden, Eve; Kendall, Kim Elizabeth (2002). The Brief, Badcap Life of Kay Kendall. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 155. ISBN 0-813-12251-1. 
  12. ^ Pace, Eric (1990-06-03). "Rex Harrison, a Leading Man With Urbane Wit, Dies at 82". The New York Times. pp. 2. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/03/obituaries/rex-harrison-a-leading-man-with-urbane-wit-dies-at-82.html?pagewanted=2. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  13. ^ Wapshott, Nicholas (1991). Rex Harrison: A Biography. Chatto & Windus. pp. 327. 
  14. ^ Rich, Frank (1989-11-21). "Review/Theater; Rex Harrison Back on Broadway". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/21/theater/review-theater-rex-harrison-back-on-broadway.html. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  15. ^ Pace, Eric (1990-06-03). "Rex Harrison, a Leading Man With Urbane Wit, Dies at 82". The New York Times. pp. 1. http://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/03/obituaries/rex-harrison-a-leading-man-with-urbane-wit-dies-at-82.html. Retrieved 2009-05-12. 
  16. ^ The Adam Carolla Podcast 3/17/09 in which Seth discusses the origin of various Family Guy Characters.
  17. ^ Behind-the-scenes Featurette, Family Guy Volume 1 DVD.
  18. ^ Gans, Eric Lawrence (2008). Carole Landis: A Most Beautiful Girl. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 168. ISBN 1-604-73013-7. 

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Who2 Biography. Copyright © 1998-2008 by Who2, LLC. All rights reserved. See the Rex Harrison biography from Who2.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rex Harrison".  Read more