Rex Harrison | |
|---|---|
 Harrison at his home in London in 1976, byAllan Warren | |
| Born | Reginald Carey Harrison (1908-03-05)5 March 1908 Huyton, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 2 June 1990(1990-06-02) (aged 82) New York City, US |
| Resting place | Ashes scattered inPortofino andForest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Education | Liverpool College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1924-1990 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | |
| Relatives | Cathryn Harrison (granddaughter) |
Sir Reginald CareyHarrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage at theLiverpool Playhouse in 1924. He made hisWest End debut in 1936 appearing in theTerence Rattigan playFrench Without Tears, in what was his breakthrough role. He won his firstTony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance asHenry VIII in theBroadway playAnne of the Thousand Days in 1949. He returned to Broadway portraying Professor Henry Higgins inMy Fair Lady (1956) where he won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
In addition to his stage career, Harrison also appeared in numerous films. His first starring role was oppositeVivien Leigh in the romantic comedyStorm in a Teacup (1937). Receiving critical acclaim for his performance inMajor Barbara (1941), which was shot in London duringthe Blitz, his roles since then includedBlithe Spirit (1945),Anna and the King of Siam (1946),The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947),Cleopatra (1963),My Fair Lady (1964), reprising his stage role as Henry Higgins which won him anAcademy Award for Best Actor, and thetitular character inDoctor Dolittle (1967).
In 1975, Harrison released his first autobiography. In June 1989, he was knighted byQueen Elizabeth II. He was married six times and had two sons:Noel andCarey Harrison. He continued working in stage productions until shortly before his death frompancreatic cancer in June 1990 at the age of 82. His second autobiography,A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy, was published posthumously in 1991.
Reginald Carey Harrison was born on 5 March 1908 at Derry House inHuyton, Lancashire,[1] the son of Edith Mary (née Carey) and William Reginald Harrison, a cotton broker.[2] From the age of 10 he went by the name “Rex”, which he adopted for himself.[3] He was the youngest of three children and had two older sisters, Edith Marjorie Harrison (1900-1976) andSylvia Sackville, Countess De La Warr, DBE (1903-1992).[4][5] He was educated atBirkdale preparatory school andLiverpool College.[3] After a bout of childhoodmeasles, Harrison lost most of the sight in his left eye.[3] He showed an early desire to become an actor, with regular appearances in school plays, and visits to theLiverpool Playhouse.[3]
Harrison first appeared on stage in 1924 inThirty Minutes in a Street at theLiverpool Playhouse, when he was 16 years old. He remained there, playing small parts, until 1927 when he joined a touring production ofCharley's Aunt. Six years of touring and repertory followed. He achieved critical acclaim forHeroes Don't Care in 1936. HisWest End debut in the same year was inTerence Rattigan'sFrench Without Tears which proved to be his breakthrough stage role as a leading light comedian.[3] His acting career was interrupted byWorld War II, during which he served in theRoyal Air Force (1942–1944), reaching the rank ofFlight Lieutenant.[6]
He alternated appearances in London and New York in such plays asBell, Book and Candle (1950),Venus Observed,The Cocktail Party,The Kingfisher andThe Love of Four Colonels, which he also directed.[7] He won his firstTony Award for his appearance at theShubert Theatre asHenry VIII inMaxwell Anderson's playAnne of the Thousand Days and international superstardom (and a second Tony) for his portrayal of Henry Higgins in the 1956 stage musicalMy Fair Lady, where he appeared oppositeJulie Andrews.
Later appearances included a 1984 appearance at theHaymarket Theatre withClaudette Colbert inFrederick Lonsdale'sAren't We All?, and one on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre presented byDouglas Urbanski, at the Haymarket inJ. M. Barrie'sThe Admirable Crichton withEdward Fox. He returned as Henry Higgins in the revival ofMy Fair Lady directed byPatrick Garland in 1981.
Having retired from films afterA Time to Die in 1983, Harrison continued to act onBroadway and theWest End until the end of his life, despite suffering fromglaucoma, painful teeth, and a failing memory.[8] Later roles includedJulius Caesar inCaesar and Cleopatra, and General Burgoyne in a Los Angeles production ofThe Devil's Disciple. He was nominated for a thirdTony Award in 1984 for his performance as Captain Shotover in the revival ofGeorge Bernard Shaw'sHeartbreak House. He followed with two successful pairings withClaudette Colbert,The Kingfisher in 1985 andAren't We All? in 1986. In 1989, he appeared withEdward Fox inThe Admirable Crichton in London. In 1989/90, he appeared on Broadway inThe Circle byW. Somerset Maugham, oppositeGlynis Johns,Stewart Granger, andRoma Downey.[9] The production opened atDuke University for a three-week run followed by performances in Baltimore and Boston before opening 14 November 1989 on Broadway.[10][11]
Harrison's film debut was inThe Great Game (1930) and he had a bit part inThe School for Scandal (1930).
He had support roles inGet Your Man (1934),Leave It to Blanche (1934), andAll at Sea (1935), and a better part inMen Are Not Gods (1936) as a reporter in love withMiriam Hopkins; this was the first time Harrison worked forAlexander Korda.
Harrison's first starring role was in the romantic comedyStorm in a Teacup (1937), oppositeVivien Leigh, for Korda.[12][13] He starred inSchool for Husbands (1937) then reteamed with Leigh inSt. Martin's Lane (1938).
Harrison had a key support role inThe Citadel (1938) forMGM and starred in a comedy for Korda,Over the Moon (1939) alongside Merle Oberon. He starred in some thrillers:The Silent Battle (1939),Ten Days in Paris (1940) andNight Train to Munich (1940), the latter directed by Carol Reed and co starring Margaret Lockwood.
Harrison played Adolphus inMajor Barbara (1941)—filmed in London duringThe Blitz of 1940, a role for which he received critical acclaim, and a success at the British box office. He was then absent from screens due to war service (1942–1944).[6]
Harrison returned to films as the lead inBlithe Spirit (1945), from the play byNoël Coward, directed by David Lean. Coward described him as "The best light comedy actor in the world—except for me."[14]
Harrison appeared oppositeAnna Neagle inI Live in Grosvenor Square (1945) which was another big hit. Also popular wasThe Rake's Progress (1946), directed bySidney Gilliat.
Harrison received an offer from 20th Century Fox to star inAnna and the King of Siam (1946) in Hollywood. Harrison signed a long-term contract with Fox.
Anna was popular, as wasThe Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) withGene Tierney andThe Foxes of Harrow (1947) withMaureen O'Hara.Escape (1949) reunited Harrison withJoseph L. Mankiewicz who had madeGhost and Mrs Muir.
Back in England, he appeared inThe Long Dark Hall (1951) opposite his then wife Lilli Palmer. They co-starred in an adaptation ofThe Four Poster (1952).
In Hollywood, he made his first action film, the medieval epicKing Richard and the Crusaders (1954) playing Saladin.
In England, Harrison was inThe Constant Husband (1955) for Sidney Gilliat and British Lion. It was a hit at the box office.
Harrison was offered top billing in MGM'sThe Reluctant Debutante (1958) alongside his wife Kay Kendall.
He co-starred oppositeDoris Day inMidnight Lace (1960) andRita Hayworth inThe Happy Thieves (1961).
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Harrison received an offer fromJoseph L. Mankiewicz to play Julius Caesar in the 20th Century Fox epicCleopatra (1963).
In 1964 Harrison reprised his 1956 stage performance as Henry Higgins inMy Fair Lady, for which he won anOscar forBest Actor.
He was one of several stars in the popularThe Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), and played the Pope oppositeCharlton Heston in Fox'sThe Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), for Carol Reed.
Harrison starred in 1967'sDoctor Dolittle. At the height of his box office fame after the success ofMy Fair Lady, Harrison proved a temperamental force during production, demanding auditions for prospective composers after musical playwrightLeslie Bricusse was contracted[15] and demanding to have his singing recorded live during shooting, only to agree to have it rerecorded in post-production.[16] He also disrupted production by engaging in incidents with his then wife,Rachel Roberts, and through other deliberate misbehaviour, such as intentionally moving his yacht in front of cameras during shooting in St Lucia and refusing to move it out of sight, all prompted by contract disputes.[17] Harrison was at one point temporarily replaced byChristopher Plummer, until he agreed to be more cooperative.[18] Harrison was not by any objective standards a singer and thetalking on pitch style he used inMy Fair Lady was adopted by many other classically trained actors with limited vocal ranges; the music was written to allow for long periods ofrecitative, or "speaking to the music". Nevertheless "Talk to the Animals", which Harrison performed inDoctor Dolittle, won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 1967. In a rare coincidence the very next year his sonNoel Harrison sang the song that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, "The Windmills of Your Mind."
Harrison reunited with Mankiewicz inThe Honey Pot (1967), a modern adaptation ofBen Jonson's playVolpone. Two of his co-stars,Maggie Smith andCliff Robertson, were to become lifelong friends. Both spoke at his New York City memorial at theLittle Church Around the Corner when he died in 1990.
Harrison made two more films for 20th Century Fox, both expensive play adaptations that failed at the box office:A Flea in Her Ear (1968), andStaircase (1969).[19]
After a break from screen acting, Harrison appeared inThe Prince and The Pauper (1977) and aHindi film,Shalimar, alongside IndianBollywood starsDharmendra andZeenat Aman. He had small roles inAshanti (1979),The Fifth Musketeer (1979) andA Time to Die (shot 1979), his last film.
Alexander Walker wrote: "in looks and temperament, Rex went back to the Elizabethans. They would have called him 'a man of passionate parts'. His physique and looks were far more striking once middle age had literally stretched too smooth and callow a youthful face into a long, saturnine physiognomy, whose hooded eyes and wide mouth had satyr-like associations for some people."[20]
Harrison was married six times. In 1942, he divorced his first wife, Noel Margery Colette Thomas, and married actressLilli Palmer the next year; they later appeared together in numerous plays and films, includingThe Four Poster.[21] Whilst married to Palmer, he built a villa atPortofino, San Genesio, where over the years he hosted showbiz royalty includingLaurence Olivier,Vivien Leigh andJohn Gielgud and royalty, theDuke of Windsor and his wifethe Duchess.
In 1947, while married to Palmer, Harrison began an affair with actressCarole Landis. Landis took her own life in 1948 after spending the evening with Harrison.[22] Harrison's involvement in the scandal by waiting several hours before calling a doctor and police[23] briefly damaged his career and his contract with Fox was ended by mutual consent.[24]
In 1955, Harrison starred oppositeKay Kendall inThe Constant Husband, and they had an affair.[25] When he learned that Kendall had been diagnosed withmyeloid leukaemia, he and Palmer agreed to divorce so that he could marry Kendall and provide for her care.[26] Harrison and Palmer divorced in 1957 and he married Kendall the same year. Kendall died of myeloid leukaemia in 1959.[27]Terence Rattigan's 1973 playIn Praise of Love was written about the end of this marriage, and Harrison appeared in the New York production playing the character based on himself. Rattigan was said to be "intensely disappointed and frustrated" by Harrison's performance, as "Harrison refused to play the outwardly boorish parts of the character and instead played him as charming throughout, signalling to the audience from the start that he knew the truth about [the] illness."[28] Critics, however, were quite pleased with the performance and although it did not have a long run it was yet another of Harrison's well-plotted naturalistic performances.
He was subsequently married to Welsh actressRachel Roberts from 1962 to 1971. Harrison then married Elizabeth Rees-Williams, divorcing in 1975; finally, in 1978, he married Mercia Tinker, his sixth and final wife.[29] In 1980, despite his having married twice since their divorce, Roberts made a final attempt to win Harrison back, which proved to be futile; she took her own life that same year.[30]
Harrison's elder son,Noel Harrison, became an Olympic skier, singer and occasional actor; he toured in several productions includingMy Fair Lady in his father's award-winning role; Noel died suddenly of a heart attack on 19 October 2013 at age 79. Rex's younger son,Carey Harrison, was a playwright and social activist. He died of a heart attack on 22 January 2025,[3] at age 80.
Harrison's sisterSylvia was married tothe 1st Earl of Kilmuir (better known to history as Sir David Maxwell Fyfe), a lawyer,Conservative politician and judge who was successively the lead British prosecutor atNuremberg,Home Secretary andLord Chancellor (head of the English judiciary); after his death she married another Cabinet minister,the 9th Earl De La Warr.
Chronology of Harrison's six marriages:
Grandchildren:
Harrison owned properties in London, New York City andPortofino, Italy. His villa in Portofino was namedSan Genesio after the patron saint of actors.[31]
Harrison died from the effects ofpancreatic cancer at his home inManhattan, New York City, on 2 June 1990 at the age of 82. He had been diagnosed with the disease only a short time before. The stage production in which he was appearing at the time,The Circle, came to an end upon his death.[32] His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered inPortofino.
Harrison's second autobiography,A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy, was published posthumously in 1991.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Omnibus | Henry VIII | Episode:The Trial of Anne Boleyn |
| 1953 | The United States Steel Hour | Raymond Dabney | Episode:The Man in Possession |
| 1957 | DuPont Show of the Month | Mr. Sir | Episode:Crescendo |
| 1960 | Dow Hour of Great Mysteries | Cyril Paxton | Episode:The Dachet Diamonds |
| 1971–1973 | Play of the Month | Mikhail Platonov, schoolmaster Don Quixote | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love | Host, himself | Pilot-Television film |
| 1983 | The Kingfisher | Cecil | Television film |
| 1985 | Heartbreak House | Captain Shotover | Television film |
| 1986 | Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna | Grand DukeCyril Romanov | Television film, (final film role) |
| Date[33] | Production | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4–25 March 1936 | Sweet Aloes | Tubbs Barrow | |
| 6 November 1936 | French Without Tears | Alan Howard | |
| 8 December 1948 – 8 October 1949 | Anne of the Thousand Days | Henry | |
| 14 November 1950 – 2 June 1951 | Bell, Book and Candle | Shepherd Henderson | |
| 13 February – 26 April 1952 | Venus Observed | Hereward | |
| 15 January – 16 May 1953 | The Love of Four Colonels | The Man | |
| 15 March 1956 – 29 September 1962 | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | |
| 8 December 1959 – 20 February 1960 | The Fighting Cock | The General | |
| 28 March – 28 April 1973 | The Living Mask | Henry IV | |
| 10 December 1974 – 31 May 1975 | In Praise of Love | Sebastian Cruttwell | |
| 1976 | Monsieur Perichon's Travels | Eugène Labiche & Edouard Martin | |
| 24 February – 5 March 1977 | Caesar and Cleopatra | Julius Caesar | |
| 6 December 1978 – 13 May 1979 | The Kingfisher | Cecil | |
| 16 September 1980 – 29 November 1981 | My Fair Lady | Henry Higgins | |
| 7 December 1983 – 5 February 1984 | Heartbreak House | Captain Shotover | |
| 29 April – 21 July 1985 | Aren't We All? | Lord Grenham | |
| 20 November 1989 – 20 May 1990 | The Circle | Lord Porteous |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | The Private Files of Rex Saunders | Main Role | |
| 1952 | Philip Morris Playhouse | Episode:The Gioconda Smile[34] | |
| 1952 | Theatre Guild on the Air | Episode:An Ideal Husband[35] | |
| 1953 | Star Playhouse | No Time for Comedy[36] | |
| 1953 | Star Playhouse | Twentieth Century[37] |
Seth MacFarlane, creator of the American animated seriesFamily Guy, modelled the voice of the characterStewie Griffin after Harrison, after seeing him in the film adaptation ofMy Fair Lady.[54][55]
Ex-CIA chief of disguiseJonna Mendez stated in 2019 that a mask of Harrison was used by multiple CIA agents for covert work. The moulds of his face were larger and so could fit over a smaller agent's face. The moulds were made from aluminium and bought from Hollywood film facilities. She mentioned that his likeness was "taking part in a lot of operations".[56] According to Mendez, Rex Harrison's aluminium facial props mould was used as a baseline for over-the-head masks that the agency would create and use operationally. The masks came in small, medium and large sizes, with Rex's mould becoming the agency's standard "large" size. Subsequently, many undercover operatives' real identities were disguised by masks bearing Rex's facial features.[56]
