Harris, Rosemary [Ann] (b. 1930), actress. The beautiful, stately English‐born actress, who has artfully combined elegance and warmth, made her American debut in The Climate of Eden (1952) and returned to New York as a member of the Old Vic to play Shakespeare's Cressida in 1956. Among her subsequent American appearances were several important roles with the Association of Producing Artists, including Alice in You Can't Take It with You and Lady Teazle. Her many memorable performances included Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter (1966), hassled actress Julie Cavendish in The Royal Family (1975), flamboyant Hesione Hushabye in Heartbreak House (1983), the worried wife Barbara Jackson in Pack of Lies (1985), dizzy West End star Judith Bliss in Hay Fever (1985), the guilty Mrs. Birling in An Inspector Calls (1994), the questioning wife Agnes in A Delicate Balance (1996), and the retired actress May Davenport in Waiting in the Wings (1999). Harris has also appeared in leading roles with numerous important American regional theatres.
The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.