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Rex Harrison

Sir Reginald Carey Harrison was a British theater and film actor. He was born in Huyton, Lancashire, England. He died in New York City of pancreatic cancer.

He first appeared on the stage in 1924 in Liverpool. He acted in various stage productions until May 11 of the year in which he died. He acted in the West End of London when he was young, appearing in the Terrence Rattigan play French Without Tears, which proved to be his breakthrough role.

In 1942 he divorced his first wife, Marjorie Thomas, and married actress Lilli Palmer the next year; the two later appeared in numerous plays and films. After several years in film, he achieved wide success starring in the adaptation of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (1945). He followed that with his first major American film, starring as King Mongkut in Anna and the King of Siam.

The scandal of his affair with young actress Carole Landis, which led to her suicide, almost derailed his career. Harrison and Palmer divorced in 1957, and he was soon remarried to actress Kay Kendall.

Harrison was best known for his portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady, based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, especially after he reprised the role in the 1964 film version. He also starred in 1967's Doctor Dolittle.

Kay Kendall died in 1959, and in 1962 Harrison married actress Rachel Roberts, whom he divorced in 1971. He would marry twice more, his final marriage lasting until his death.

In 1989 he was knighted.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2004.

Rex Harrison Facts

Birth NameSir Reginald Carey Harrison
OccupationActor
BirthdayMarch 5, 1908
SignPisces
BirthplaceHuyton, England, United Kingdom
Date of deathJune 2, 1990 (age 82)
Height6' 1" (1m85)  How tall is Rex Harrison compared to you?
Awards1966 Academy Awards: Best Actor (for My Fair Lady)
1965 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical (for My Fair Lady)

Selected Filmography

My Fair Lady
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Bad Men of Deadwood
Doctor Dolittle
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Cleopatra
Doris Day: The Essential Collection
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