Richard Harris Biography

The films 'Camelot' and 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' were released more than 30 years apart, yet they both endeared Richard Harris to their own movie audiences.

Richard was born in Limerick and as a child his favourite subjects were literature and rugby. Having learnt his craft in theatre he left Ireland for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Graduating from here, he moved on to Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. By the 1960, Richard discovered his love of films.

But after more than two decades at the top, this Hollywood giant became better known for his off-screen antics. He developed a reputation for simply, raising hell. In fact, Harris joined screen legends Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole as one of the great hell raisers of their time. He could disappear for days downing one glass of vodka after another and still show up on the set of a film days later delivering one of the greatest movie performances of our time.

But this bad boy reputation led to less than great film offers in the 1970's and 80's. He once described that period as "drifting from one piece of crap to another."

During that period, Richard found salvation on the stage with the touring company of 'Camelot'. But, in 1990, Irish writer and director Jim Sheridan sent Richard a script for a movie he was casting called ‘The Field’. Sheridan offered Harris a minor role as the priest but after reading the script, Richard wanted the leading role of Bull McCabe, a farmer fighting for land his family had worked for generations. It took convincing but, Richard Harris got the part.

Hollywood was electrified by Harris' performance in ‘The Field’. He received his second Academy Award nomination and the movie offers started pouring in, once again.

Richard's career was back in high gear with more than twenty films to follow before he would become the Hogwart-tutoring wizard in the first two Harry Potter films.

Richard Harris died in 2002 of Hodgkins Disease at the age of 72. His career was a long one and however they were received, no one could call his performances dull.