This Is Your Life: Richard Harris

Richard HARRIS (1930-2002)

The only occasion that a subject has been greeted by two ex-spouses, who in this case, sit either side of him!

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Richard Harris, actor, was surprised by Michael Aspel during the curtain call of the Pirandello play Henry IV at the Wyndham's Theatre in London.

Richard, who was born and raised in Limerick, Ireland, studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the mid 1950s, and later joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. He made his film debut in the 1959 film Alive and Kicking, and appeared in small roles in various films during the early 1960s including The Guns of Navarone.

His big break came in 1963 with the lead role in This Sporting Life for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. His role as King Arthur in the 1967 film Camelot earned him a Golden Globe, and led to him starring in a revival of the stage musical on which the film was based. Other notable film appearances include Cromwell, The Molly Maguires and A Man Called Horse.

"Oh my god! I'd have said no to Wogan!"

programme details...

Edition No: 788
Subject No: 777
Broadcast date: Wed 14 Nov 1990
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Sat 15 Sep 1990
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 31
Edition: 4
Code name: Tweed

on the guest list...

cast members of Henry IV
Elizabeth - ex wife
Ann Turkel - ex wife
Jared - son
Jamie - son
Mike Van Bloemen
Sheila Van Bloemen
Bob Lennard
Fiona Fullerton
Terry James
Dr Karl Mullen
Ella - granddaughter
Damian - son
Annabel Brooks - daughter-in-law
Vanessa Redgrave
Franco Nero
Bo Derek
John Hurt
Jo Dalton
Sacha Hurt
Father Panuska
Peter Power
John Coyne

production team...

Researchers: Tom Wettengel, Ian Brown
Writer: Roy Bottomley
Directors: Brian Klein, Terry Yarwood
Associate Producer: John Graham
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

Timeline

the show's fifty year history

The Great Survivor - Michael Aspel

Birmingham Evening Mail interview with Michael Aspel

My Life in Their Hands

The Mirror interviews Michael Aspel

Screenshots of Richard Harris This Is Your Life

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

Michael Aspel had good reason to feel extra nervous as he waited for the curtain to fall on the production of Pirandello's Henry IV at Wyndham's Theatre on 15 September 1990. As the cast took their curtain calls, Michael was scheduled to walk out from the wings and surprise the play's star – an actor of international stature who had told friends and colleagues, 'Never let them near me with that Big Red Book.'

And former rugby-playing, hell-raising Richard Harris is not an actor to be messed with. When Michael approached him, with the audience going wild, Richard flung up his arms, flopped down on Henry's throne and blurted, 'I always said I'd run. But now I'm too old!'

Back at Teddington Studios we had a surprise that was unique for the Life – both Richard's ex-wives walked on, and sat one on either side of him. He looked delighted, as who wouldn't be with Elizabeth Harris on one side and Hollywood actress Ann Turkel on the other, both cultured beauties straight from the pages of Vogue? Both had told us they wouldn't miss the evening for anything, and Ann flew in specially from New York.

Elizabeth, mother of their three sons, had met Richard when they were at drama school. Ann was a schoolgirl when she saw Camelot and compiled a scrapbook of the show. Never did she think that one day she would marry King Arthur.

Co-stars of the 1967 film, Vanessa Redgrave (who played Guinevere) and Franco Nero (Lancelot) greeted Richard from Hollywood.

The play in which Richard was currently appearing – from which Isla Blair, Edward de Souza and John Savident joined us – had a special significance for him. As one of five brothers who all won rugby caps for the same province, he had gone to Dublin from Limerick to see Ireland play Scotland. After the game he popped into the Gate Theatre to see a play: Pirandello's Henry IV. When the curtain came down he decided there and then he would become an actor.

Attractive, dark-haired, immaculately groomed researcher Elizabeth Ross became our own 'James Bond girl' when we started building up our surprise guest list for the Life of Richard Harris.

007 himself, Sean Connery, had been a great pal of Richard's for years. When Elizabeth telephoned Sean's wife Micheline, at their home in Spain, she was confident Sean would like to contribute to the programme.

Elizabeth established he was playing golf at Gleneagles, was suitably briefed by our own 'M' (producer Malcolm Morris) and given instructions to rendezvous with a camera crew in Scotland. The idea was that as soon as she made contact with Connery, all she had to say was, 'It will only take a few moments and I've got the crew here all ready to go.'

As it turned out, it wasn't possible for Elizabeth to do a SMERSH operation at the all-male Gleneagles. She couldn't get in. But, as the camera crew waited eagerly, she did get through to Connery on the club telephone. 'Don't you people ever give up?' barked the urbane Bond.

'Then he told me where I could go in no uncertain terms,' said the extremely well-brought up Elizabeth. Ah well, he might have changed his mind had he actually seen her. Or maybe his back swing was really off that day.

Hollywood nearly got in the works on the Life of Richard Harris. Frank Sinatra's office sent him a telegram congratulating Richard on his Life.

Unfortunately it was sent the day before the programme. Fortunately the message went to the wrong theatre, and finally caught up with Richard the day after.

'If I'd got that I'd have pulled out,' said Harris. And Ol' Blue Eyes would have caused a few tears at the Life, too.

Series 31 subjects