Short Biography
Rolf Harris was born on 30-03-1930 in Perth, Australia. He is an Australian Comedian, Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Television Personality, Film Actor, Painter, Swimmer, Television Presenter & Broadcaster.
Rolf Harris Complete Bio & Career
Harris attended Perth Modern School in Subiaco and the University of Western Australia.In 1952, Harris left Australia for Europe. He studied at the City and Guilds Art School in 1953 and after two years, slightly disillusioned as an art student, he met with Australian artist Hayward Veal - who he had long admired. Veal invited him on a two-week course at Heatherly's Art School in London. He was to become his mentor.
In the mid-1950s, Harris's paintings were exhibited in the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy for two consecutive years. His television career also started to take off around this time as he worked on children's television programmes such as Playbox, Small Time and Musical Box in the late 1950s.
He became an established television personality when his series The Rolf Harris Show began airing in 1967, which continued to run in various formats throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. He endeared himself to millions as the host of successful BBC television show Animal Hospital in the mid-1990s, which followed the day-to-day running of the RSPCA Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital in north London. The show won The National Television Awards most popular factual entertainment show five times.
Harris is also a successful musician and has enjoyed chart hits with singles including Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Sun Arise, Two Little Boys, and Stairway to Heaven. He creates his inimitable style with the use of instruments such as the Wobble Board, stylophone and didgeridoo.
In 2010 a new national exhibition tour entitled A Life In Art was established to mark his 80th birthday and to celebrate his contribution to the art world over half a century.