Who was Richard Harris and what was his cause of death?
RICHARD Harris played many roles over his illustrious career - but landed a whole new generation of fans playing Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies.
Here's what we know about the Irish actor, whose career spanned six decades.
Who was Richard Harris?
Richard Harris, born as Richard St John Francis Harris, was an Irish actor and singer.
He was born on October 1, 1930, in Limerick, Ireland and died on October 25, 2002, in London at the age of 72.
Harris studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
He was nominated twice for a Best Actor Oscars - in 1963 for This Sporting Life and in 1991 for The Field.
However he did win the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for the former.
He won a Golden Globe for Camelot in 1968, and even scooped a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording in 1973.
What movies did Richard Harris star in?
Harris starred in 63 movies throughout his career.
He is best known for his roles as King Arthur in the 1967 film Camelot, Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator (2000), and Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies (2001 and 2002).
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The actor turned down his role in the Harry Potter movies three times before accepting it because his granddaughter threatened never to speak to him again if he didn’t take the part.
Other notable films include:
- The Guns Of Navarone (1961)
- Mutiny On The Bounty (1962)
- This Sporting Life (1963)
- The Molly Maguires (1970)
- A Man Called Horse (1970)
- Cromwell (1970)
- Orca: The Killer Whale (1977)
- The Wild Geese (1978)
- The Field (1990)
- Unforgiven (1992)
Next to being on the big screen, Harris performed at the London theatre scene and in a few TV productions.
His final TV appearance was in Julius Caesar which was released in 2003 after his death.
Was Richard Harris married?
Harris was married twice.
His first marriage was to Elizabeth Rees-Williams in 1957.
After twelve years of marriage Harris and Rees-Williams divorced in 1969.
He then married American actress Ann Turkel in 1974, however the pair divorced in 1982.
Did Richard Harris have any children?
Harris had three children, Jared, Jamie and Damian with his first wife.
His sons followed his pathway and are working as actors and director.
Richard's eldest son Damian was born on August 2, 1958.
He is a film director and screenwriter, known for The Rachel Papers, and The Wilde Wedding.
Born on August 24, 1961, Jared has starred in Ocean's Twelve, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, and as Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows.
His TV work includes Mad Men, Sherlock, The Crown and Chernobyl.
Jamie, born on May 15, 1963, is best known for his recurring characters in TV shows Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Carnival Row.
What was Richard Harris' cause of death?
In August 2002, Harris was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer.
Two months after his diagnosis he died at University College Hospital in Bloomsbury, London.
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His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Bahamas, where he had a house.
Harry Potter director Chris Columbus said in an interview that he visited Harris before his death and promised him not to recast his role, since both of them were confident he would recover.