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Rex Harrison is a Actor and Associate Producer British born on 5 march 1908 at Huyton (United-kingdom)
Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor of stage and screen.
Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He won his first Tony Award for his performance as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days in 1949. He won his second Tony for the role of Professor Henry Higgins in the stage production of My Fair Lady in 1957. He reprised the role for the 1964 film version, which earned him a Golden Globe Award and Best Actor Oscar.
In addition to his stage career, Harrison also appeared in numerous films, including Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), and Doctor Dolittle (1967). In July 1989, Harrison was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1975, Harrison released his first autobiography. His second, A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy, was published posthumously in 1991.
Harrison was married a total of six times and had two sons: Noel and Carey Harrison. He continued working in stage productions until shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer in June 1990 at the age of 82.
In 1947, while married to Palmer, Harrison began an affair with actress Carole Landis. Landis committed suicide in 1948 after spending the evening with Harrison. Harrison's involvement in the scandal by waiting several hours before calling a doctor and police briefly damaged his career and his contract with Fox was ended by mutual consent.
In 1957, Harrison married the actress Kay Kendall. Kendall died of myeloid leukaemia in 1959. Terence Rattigan's 1973 play In 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." 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-born actress Rachel Roberts from 1962 to 1971. After a final attempt to win Harrison back proved futile, Roberts committed suicide in 1980.
Harrison then married Elizabeth Rees-Williams, divorcing in 1975, and finally in 1978, Mercia Tinker, who would become his sixth and final wife. Harrison's eldest son Noel Harrison became an olympic skier, singer and occasional actor; he toured in several productions including My 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 is a playwright and social activist.
Harrison's sister Sylvia was married to David Maxwell Fyfe, a lawyer, Conservative politician and judge who was successively the lead British prosecutor at Nuremberg, Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor (head of the English judiciary); after his death she married another Cabinet minister, Lord de la Warr.
Chronology of Harrison's six marriages:
Colette Thomas, 1934–1942 (divorced); one son, the actor/singer Noel Harrison, (29 January 1934 – 19 October 2013)
Lilli Palmer, 1943–1957 (divorced); one son, the novelist/playwright Carey Harrison
Kay Kendall, 1957–1959 (her death)
Rachel Roberts, 1962–1971 (divorced)
Elizabeth Harris, 1971–1975 (divorced); three stepsons, Damian Harris, Jared Harris, and Jamie Harris
Mercia Tinker, 1978–1990 (his death)
Grandchildren:
Granddaughters: Cathryn, Harriott, Chloe, Chiara, Rosie, Faith
Grandsons: Will, Simon, Sam
Harrison owned properties in London, New York and Portofino, Italy. His villa in Portofino was named San Genesio after the patron saint of actors.
(1964)
(Actor)
(1963)
(Actor)
(1967)
(Actor)
(1938)
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(1945)
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(1946)
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Source : Wikidata
Rex Harrison
Birth name Reginald Carey Harrison
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 5 march 1908 at Huyton (United-kingdom)
Death 2 june 1990 (at 82 years) at New York City (USA)
Awards Tony Award, Academy Award for Best Actor
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 5 march 1908 at Huyton (United-kingdom)
Death 2 june 1990 (at 82 years) at New York City (USA)
Awards Tony Award, Academy Award for Best Actor
Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor of stage and screen.
Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He won his first Tony Award for his performance as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days in 1949. He won his second Tony for the role of Professor Henry Higgins in the stage production of My Fair Lady in 1957. He reprised the role for the 1964 film version, which earned him a Golden Globe Award and Best Actor Oscar.
In addition to his stage career, Harrison also appeared in numerous films, including Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), and Doctor Dolittle (1967). In July 1989, Harrison was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1975, Harrison released his first autobiography. His second, A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy, was published posthumously in 1991.
Harrison was married a total of six times and had two sons: Noel and Carey Harrison. He continued working in stage productions until shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer in June 1990 at the age of 82.
Biography
Harrison was six times married. In 1942, he divorced his first wife, Colette Thomas, and married actress Lilli Palmer the next year; they later appeared together in numerous plays and films, including The Four Poster.In 1947, while married to Palmer, Harrison began an affair with actress Carole Landis. Landis committed suicide in 1948 after spending the evening with Harrison. Harrison's involvement in the scandal by waiting several hours before calling a doctor and police briefly damaged his career and his contract with Fox was ended by mutual consent.
In 1957, Harrison married the actress Kay Kendall. Kendall died of myeloid leukaemia in 1959. Terence Rattigan's 1973 play In 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." 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-born actress Rachel Roberts from 1962 to 1971. After a final attempt to win Harrison back proved futile, Roberts committed suicide in 1980.
Harrison then married Elizabeth Rees-Williams, divorcing in 1975, and finally in 1978, Mercia Tinker, who would become his sixth and final wife. Harrison's eldest son Noel Harrison became an olympic skier, singer and occasional actor; he toured in several productions including My 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 is a playwright and social activist.
Harrison's sister Sylvia was married to David Maxwell Fyfe, a lawyer, Conservative politician and judge who was successively the lead British prosecutor at Nuremberg, Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor (head of the English judiciary); after his death she married another Cabinet minister, Lord de la Warr.
Chronology of Harrison's six marriages:
Colette Thomas, 1934–1942 (divorced); one son, the actor/singer Noel Harrison, (29 January 1934 – 19 October 2013)
Lilli Palmer, 1943–1957 (divorced); one son, the novelist/playwright Carey Harrison
Kay Kendall, 1957–1959 (her death)
Rachel Roberts, 1962–1971 (divorced)
Elizabeth Harris, 1971–1975 (divorced); three stepsons, Damian Harris, Jared Harris, and Jamie Harris
Mercia Tinker, 1978–1990 (his death)
Grandchildren:
Granddaughters: Cathryn, Harriott, Chloe, Chiara, Rosie, Faith
Grandsons: Will, Simon, Sam
Harrison owned properties in London, New York and Portofino, Italy. His villa in Portofino was named San Genesio after the patron saint of actors.
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Filmography of Rex Harrison (46 films)
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, 3h15Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Historical
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about psychiatry, Films about disabilities
Actors Amy Irving, Olivia de Havilland, Rex Harrison, Jan Niklas, Omar Sharif, Angela Pleasence
Roles Grand Duke Cyril Romanov
Rating65%
The film starts in December, 1916, just before the Russian Revolution, then moves to 1917's February Revolution, the family's forced move to Siberia in summer, 1917 after Nicholas II's forced abdication in March, the late-1917 Bolshevik takeover and start of the Russian Civil War and the July, 1918 mass shooting of the family. Afterwards, it revolves around Anna Anderson, who believes that she is Anastasia Romanov, daughter of Nicholas II of Russia. Anna first tells her story in the 1920s when she is an inmate in a Berlin asylum after her suicide attempt. Her story of escape from the Bolsheviks who killed the rest of her family in 1918 seems so vivid that many Russian expatriates are willing to believe her. She slowly gains more trust, but the Romanov family is very resistant to believe her tale and publicly denounces her as an impostor. The movie culminates in 1938 with Anna deciding to sue the Romanovs in Germany's courts to force them to recognize her as Anastasia, but it never reveals if Anna really is Anastasia. The ending epilogue narration says that she eventually moved back to the U.S. and settled in Charlottesville, Virginia where she died in 1984.
A Time To Die (1982)
, 1h31Directed by Matt Cimber
Genres Drama, Crime
Actors Rod Taylor, Rex Harrison, Edward Albert, Raf Vallone, Lucie Visser, Linn Stokke
Roles Van Osten
Rating42%
The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
, 1h56Directed by Ken Annakin
Origin Austria
Genres Swashbuckler, Action, Adventure, Historical
Themes Films about families, Politique, Political films, Films about royalty
Actors Sylvia Kristel, Ursula Andress, Beau Bridges, Cornel Wilde, Ian McShane, Alan Hale Jr.
Roles Colbert
Rating53%
Le roi Louis XIV a à son insu un frère jumeau, Philippe, mais quand il est dit, il verrouille immédiatement son frère à la Bastille. Le roi veut augmenter sa popularité et met en scène un assassinat contre lui-même où Philippe est habillé comme roi Louis. Mais Philippe parvient à échapper à l'assassinat et tout le monde le croit le vrai roi ...
Ashanti (1979)
, 1h58Directed by Richard Fleischer
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Films set in Africa, Films about slavery, Films about sexuality, Transport films, Erotic films, Films about prostitution, Films about automobiles, Road movies, Erotic thriller films, Chase films
Actors Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov, Akosua Busia, Kabir Bedi, Eric Pohlmann, Beverly Johnson
Roles Brian Walker
Rating54%
Ashanti is an action adventure film, set against the background of modern day slave trading, with a man who determinedly takes on a perilous journey in order to find his beautiful wife, who has been kidnapped by brutal slave traders. David and Anansa Linderby (Caine and Johnson respectively) are doctors with the World Health Organization. On a medical mission carrying out an inoculation programme, they visit a West African village. While David takes photographs of tribal dancers, Anansa goes swimming alone. She is attacked and abducted by slave traders led by Suleiman (Peter Ustinov), who mistake her for an Ashanti tribeswoman. The police can do nothing to find her and David has almost given up hope when he hears rumours that Anansa has been kidnapped by Sulieman to be sold to Arab Prince Hassan (Omar Sharif). The African authorities deny that the slave trade even exists. So David must find help in a shadowy world where the rescuers of slaves are just as ruthless as the traders themselves. As David tracks her across Africa and the Sahara desert, he is helped by a member of the Anti-Slavery League (Rex Harrison), a mercenary helicopter pilot (William Holden), and Malik (Kabir Bedi) a tribesman who is seeking revenge on Suleiman.
Shalimar (1978)
Directed by Krishna Shah
Genres Action, Crime
Actors Dharmendra, Rex Harrison, Zeenat Aman, John Saxon, Sylvia Miles, Shammi Kapoor
Roles Sir John Locksley
Rating62%
On the run from the police, S.S. Kumar, a thief, comes across a private invitation to the island of Sir John Locksley addressed to Raja Bahadur Singh. When the Raja is shot, Kumar takes him to a nearby hospital, dons a Sikh's turban, poses as the Raja's son and goes to the private island of Sir John. Also attending are K.P.W. Iyengar aka Romeo, Dr. Dubari, Colonel Columbus, and Countess Sylvia Rasmussen. A stunned Kumar finds out that all of these invitees are master criminals and thieves. Kumar's guise does not fool anyone, including his former sweetheart, Sheila Enders (Zeenat Aman), nevertheless Sir John permits him to stay on, as he feels that Kumar's career, though an amateur, is consistent with those already present. The reason why John has invited them is to find a successor to take his place as he is dying of cancer. He feels that one of his invitees can be trusted to take his place and for this he has arranged for them to steal a ruby (Shalimar) worth 135 crores of rupees. This gem is placed in a secure room within his palace, which is alarmed, and guarded by armed men 24 hours a day. The ruby itself is located within a display case of bulletproof glass and surrounded by a minefield. He challenges one of them to steal the shalimar - but if anyone fails then they are killed by the security system. Pitted against such veterans, it looks like Kumar has got himself into a bind that he may not come out of alive.
The Prince and the Pauper (1977)
, 1h53Directed by Olivier Assayas, Richard Fleischer, Laurent Perrin
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about children, Films about families
Actors Mark Lester, Ernest Borgnine, Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch, Rex Harrison
Roles The Duke of Norfolk
Rating61%
In 16th Century London, a pauper called Tom Canty reads to a group a children but is attacked and threatened by his cruel father John Canty to steal five shillings by suppertime or get beaten. Tom goes into the city square and steals a purse from a rich man, but drops it after bumping into another man. Thinking that Tom still has the purse, the rich man and other men chase Tom through the streets of London. Tom escapes by climbing up a wall and through a window, where he falls into a palace garden in front of King Henry VIII, who sets the guards on him. However, Tom outruns them by going to the roof of the castle and hiding in a chimney. In the grounds, Henry VIII orders for The Duke of Norfolk to be arrested during the masked ball that evening.
Staircase (1969)
, 1h40Directed by Stanley Donen
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama
Themes Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Films based on plays, Children's films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, Cathleen Nesbitt, Beatrix Lehmann, Stephen Lewis, Shelagh Fraser
Roles Charles Dyer
Rating53%
Charlie et Harry, 2 homosexuels, vivent en couple. Harry se fait des cheveux blancs parce qu'il en perd tout en dorlotant cette vieille rosse frustrée de Charlie. Ce dernier est en outre d'humeur massacrante car il est menacé de comparaître devant le tribunal pour délit de travesti et incitation à la débauche. Harry et Charlie finiront pourtant par comprendre qu'ils ne peuvent pas vivre l'un sans l'autre.
A Flea In Her Ear (1968)
, 1h34Directed by Jacques Charon
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Théâtre, Films based on plays
Actors Rex Harrison, Rosemary Harris, Louis Jourdan, Rachel Roberts, John Williams, Grégoire Aslan
Roles Victor Chandebisse / Poche
Rating55%
Gabrielle (Rosemary Harris) is convinced her attorney husband Victor (Rex Harrison) is seeing another woman because of his inattention to her amorous needs. Gabrielle sets up a meeting with her husband at a bordello-hotel, and he is completely unaware that the woman he is going to meet will be his own wife.
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
, 2h32Directed by Richard Fleischer
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about animals, Seafaring films, Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Films about birds, Musical films, Children's films
Actors Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Richard Attenborough, Geoffrey Holder, Muriel Landers
Roles Dr. John Dolittle
Rating60%
In early Victorian England, Matthew Mugg (Anthony Newley) takes his young friend Tommy Stubbins (William Dix) to visit eccentric Doctor John Dolittle (Rex Harrison). Dolittle, a former physician, lives with an extended menagerie, including a chimpanzee named Chee-Chee (Cheeta), a dog named Jip, and a talking parrot named Polynesia (the uncredited voice of Ginny Tyler). Dolittle claims that he can talk to animals. In a flashback, he explains that he kept so many animals in his home that they created havoc with his human patients, who took their medical needs elsewhere. His sister, who served as his housekeeper, demanded that he dispose of the animals or she would leave; he chose the animals. Polynesia taught him that different animal species can talk to each other, prompting Dolittle to study animal languages so that he could become an animal doctor.
The Honey Pot (1967)
, 2h6Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Crime
Themes Films based on plays
Actors Rex Harrison, Susan Hayward, Cliff Robertson, Capucine, Edie Adams, Maggie Smith
Roles Cecil Fox
Rating67%
Struggling actor William McFly (Cliff Robertson) is hired by wealthy Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) to play his personal secretary for a practical joke. Pretending to be on his deathbed, Fox invites three former lovers to his Venetian palazzo for a final visit: penniless Princess Dominique (Capucine), fading movie star Merle McGill (Edie Adams), and Texas millionairess Mrs. Lone Star Crockett Sheridan (Susan Hayward). Accompanying Mrs. Sheridan is her spinster nurse, Sarah Watkins (Maggie Smith). By chance, each of the women brings Fox a timepiece as a present.
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
, 2h18Directed by Carol Reed, Robert D. Webb
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Historical
Themes Peinture, Films about religion, Children's films
Actors Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews, Alberto Lupo, Adolfo Celi
Roles Papa Giulio II
Rating70%
Michelangelo Buonarroti, a sculptor from Florence, is first commissioned to craft the Pope's tomb in Rome. Instead, Pope Julius II orders him to paint frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling depicting the Twelve Apostles. After his first attempt at painting the Apostles, he destroys his work and flees to Carrara to quarry Carrara marble. He evades the pope's guard and flees into the mountains, where he becomes inspired.
My Fair Lady (1964)
, 2h46Directed by George Cukor, David S. Hall
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Musical theatre, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films based on mythology, Théâtre, Musical films, Films based on Greco-Roman mythology, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals, Children's films, Films based on Greco-Roman mythology
Actors Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Marni Nixon, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Gladys Cooper
Roles Professor Henry Higgins
Rating76%
In Edwardian London, Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), a scholar of phonetics, believes that the accent and tone of one's voice determines a person's prospects in society. In Covent Garden one evening he boasts to a new acquaintance, Colonel Hugh Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White), himself an expert in phonetics, that he could teach any person to speak in a way that he could pass them off as a duke or duchess at an embassy ball. Higgins selects as an example a young flower seller, Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), who has a strong Cockney accent. Eliza's ambition is to work in a flower shop, but her thick accent makes her unsuitable. Having come from India to meet Higgins, Pickering is invited to stay with the professor. The following morning, Eliza shows up at Higgins' home, seeking lessons. Pickering is intrigued and offers to cover all expenses if the experiment should be successful.
The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)
, 2h4Directed by Anthony Asquith
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Transport films, Films about automobiles, Political films, Road movies
Actors Rex Harrison, Jeanne Moreau, Shirley MacLaine, Alain Delon, George C. Scott, Ingrid Bergman
Roles The Marquess of Frinton
Rating63%
On a flatbed lorry driven in the streets of London, a motor car is under a grey cover with the initials RR. The Rolls Royce is first purchased by Charles, Marquess of Frinton (Rex Harrison) as a 10th wedding anniversary present for his French wife, Eloise (Jeanne Moreau). Frinton is Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office. The marquess is a longtime horse owner who has his heart set on winning the Ascot Gold Cup. This year his horse, named 10 June (his wedding anniversary date; also the writer Terence Rattigan's birthday) is the favourite and does indeed win. Lord Frinton is presented the Gold Cup by King George V. However, his elation is blighted when he finds his wife with her lover, his underling John Fane (Edmund Purdom), in the back of the Rolls with the shades drawn. For appearance's sake, Lord Frinton will not divorce his wife, but he returns the car.
Cleopatra (1963)
, 4h8Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Darryl F. Zanuck, Rouben Mamoulian
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Biography, Historical, Peplum, Romance
Themes Films set in Africa, Politique, Political films, Films based on plays, Films based on works by William Shakespeare, Children's films, Films about royalty
Actors Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall, Martin Landau, Hume Cronyn
Roles Julius Caesar
Rating70%
After the Battle of Pharsalus where Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison) has defeated Pompey, Pompey flees to Egypt, hoping to enlist the support of the young Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII (Richard O'Sullivan) and his sister Cleopatra (Elizabeth Taylor). The Romans hold, and the armies of Mithridates arrive on Egyptian soil. The following day, Caesar passes judgment. He sentences Ptolemy's lord chamberlain to death for arranging an assassination attempt on Cleopatra. Cleopatra is crowned Queen of Egypt. She dreams of ruling the world with Caesar. When their son Caesarion is born, Caesar accepts him publicly, which becomes the talk of Rome and the Senate.
The Happy Thieves (1962)
, 1h28Directed by George Marshall
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Comedy thriller, Crime
Themes Heist films
Actors Rita Hayworth, Rex Harrison, Joseph Wiseman, Alida Valli, Grégoire Aslan, Virgílio Teixeira
Roles Jimmy Bourne
Rating52%
A painting belonging to Duchess Blanca is stolen from a castle in Spain by the clever Jim Bourne and his partner in crime, Eve Lewis. It is stolen from the thieves, however, by Dr. Munoz, the cousin of the duchess.