Richard Harris — biography, films, roles and trivia

Biography

Richard St. John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He performed on stage and appeared in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert, Frank Machin in This Sporting Life, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and as King Arthur in the 1967 film Camelot, as well as in the 1981 revival of the stage musical.

He played an English aristocrat captured by the Sioux in A Man Called Horse (1970), Oliver Cromwell in Cromwell (1970), a besieged Irish farmer in Jim Sheridan's The Field (for which he received a second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor), English Bob in Clint Eastwood's revisionist Western Unforgiven (1992), Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator (2000), The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) as Abbé Faria, and Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), the latter of which was his final film role. Harris had a number one hit in Australia, Jamaica, and Canada, as well as a top ten hit in the UK, Ireland, and the US with his 1968 recording of Jimmy Webb's song "MacArthur Park". In 2020, he was ranked 3rd in The Irish Times list of the greatest Irish film actors.

Filmography

1

2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Albus Dumbledore

Interesting facts

4

1
In August 2002, Harris was diagnosed with cancer. He died on 25 October 2002 in hospital, surrounded by his family. According to his wishes, the actor's ashes were scattered over the Bahamas, where he had lived in recent years.
2
He was the fifth of nine children in the family.
3
Full name is Richard St. John Harris.
4
His children are actors Jared Harris, Jamie Harris, and director Damian Harris.