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Rex Harrison

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Rex Harrison
Harrison at his home in London in 1976, by Allan Warren
Born
Reginald Carey Harrison

(1908-03-05)5 March 1908
Huyton, Lancashire, England
Died2 June 1990(1990-06-02) (aged 82)
Resting placeAshes scattered in Portofino and Forest Lawn Memorial Park
EducationLiverpool College
OccupationActor
Years active1930–1990
Spouses
  • Noel Margery Colette-Thomas
    (m. 1934; div. 1942)
  • (m. 1943; div. 1957)
  • (m. 1957; died 1959)
  • (m. 1962; div. 1971)
  • Elizabeth Rees-Williams
    (m. 1971; div. 1975)
  • Mercia Tinker
    (m. 1979)
Children
RelativesCathryn Harrison (granddaughter)

Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play French Without Tears, in what was his breakthrough role. He won his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance as Henry VIII in the Broadway play Anne of the Thousand Days in 1949. He returned to Broadway portraying Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1956) where he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

In addition to his stage career, Harrison also appeared in numerous films. His first starring role was opposite Vivien Leigh in the romantic comedy Storm in a Teacup (1937). Receiving critical acclaim for his performance in Major Barbara (1941), which was shot in London during the Blitz, his roles since then included Blithe Spirit (1945), Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), My Fair Lady (1964), reprising his stage role as Henry Higgins which won him an Academy Award for Best Actor, and the titular character in Doctor Dolittle (1967).

In 1975, Harrison released his first autobiography. In June 1989, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He was married six times and had two sons: Noel and Carey Harrison. He continued working in stage productions until shortly before his death from pancreatic cancer in June 1990 at the age of 82. His second autobiography, A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy, was published posthumously in 1991.

Early life

[edit]

Reginald Carey Harrison was born on 5 March 1908 at Derry House in Huyton, Lancashire,[1] the son of Edith Mary (née Carey) and William Reginald Harrison, a cotton broker.[2] From the age of 10 he went by the name “Rex”, which he adopted for himself.[3] He was the youngest of three children and had two older sisters, Edith Marjorie Harrison (1900-1976) and Sylvia Sackville, Countess De La Warr, DBE (1903-1992).[4][5] He was educated at Birkdale preparatory school and Liverpool College.[3] After a bout of childhood measles, Harrison lost most of the sight in his left eye.[3] He showed an early desire to become an actor, with regular appearances in school plays, and visits to the Liverpool Playhouse.[3]

Stage career

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Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool where Harrison made his stage debut in 1924

Harrison first appeared on stage in 1924 in Thirty Minutes in a Street at the Liverpool Playhouse, when he was 16 years old. He remained there, playing small parts, until 1927 when he joined a touring production of Charley's Aunt. Six years of touring and repertory followed. He achieved critical acclaim for Heroes Don't Care in 1936. His West End debut in the same year was in Terence Rattigan's French Without Tears which proved to be his breakthrough stage role as a leading light comedian.[3] His acting career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the Royal Air Force (1942–1944), reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant.[6]

Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins alongside Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle in the musical My Fair Lady

He alternated appearances in London and New York in such plays as Bell, Book and Candle (1950), Venus Observed, The Cocktail Party, The Kingfisher and The Love of Four Colonels, which he also directed.[7] He won his first Tony Award for his appearance at the Shubert Theatre as Henry VIII in Maxwell Anderson's play Anne of the Thousand Days and international superstardom (and a second Tony) for his portrayal of Henry Higgins in the 1956 stage musical My Fair Lady, where he appeared opposite Julie Andrews.

Later appearances included a 1984 appearance at the Haymarket Theatre with Claudette Colbert in Frederick Lonsdale's Aren't We All?, and one on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre presented by Douglas Urbanski, at the Haymarket in J. M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton with Edward Fox. He returned as Henry Higgins in the revival of My Fair Lady directed by Patrick Garland in 1981.

Having retired from films after A Time to Die in 1983, Harrison continued to act on Broadway and the West End until the end of his life, despite suffering from glaucoma, painful teeth, and a failing memory.[8] Later roles included Julius Caesar in Caesar and Cleopatra, and General Burgoyne in a Los Angeles production of The Devil's Disciple. He was nominated for a third Tony Award in 1984 for his performance as Captain Shotover in the revival of George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House. He followed with two successful pairings with Claudette Colbert, The Kingfisher in 1985 and Aren't We All? in 1986. In 1989, he appeared with Edward Fox in The Admirable Crichton in London. In 1989/90, he appeared on Broadway in The Circle by W. Somerset Maugham, opposite Glynis Johns, Stewart Granger, and Roma Downey.[9] The production opened at Duke University for a three-week run followed by performances in Baltimore and Boston before opening 14 November 1989 on Broadway.[10][11]

Film career

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Harrison's film debut was in The Great Game (1930) and he had a bit part in The School for Scandal (1930).

He had support roles in Get Your Man (1934), Leave It to Blanche (1934), and All at Sea (1935), and a better part in Men Are Not Gods (1936) as a reporter in love with Miriam Hopkins; this was the first time Harrison worked for Alexander Korda.

Leading man

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Harrison's first starring role was in the romantic comedy Storm in a Teacup (1937), opposite Vivien Leigh, for Korda.[12] He starred in School for Husbands (1937) then reteamed with Leigh in St. Martin's Lane (1938).

Harrison had a key support role in The Citadel (1938) for MGM and starred in a comedy for Korda, Over the Moon (1939) alongside Merle Oberon. He starred in some thrillers: The Silent Battle (1939), Ten Days in Paris (1940) and Night Train to Munich (1940), the latter directed by Carol Reed and co starring Margaret Lockwood.

Harrison played Adolphus in Major Barbara (1941)—filmed in London during The Blitz of 1940, a role for which he received critical acclaim, and a success at the British box office. He was then absent from screens due to war service (1942–1944).[6]

Harrison returned to films as the lead in Blithe Spirit (1945), from the play by Noël Coward, directed by David Lean. Coward described him as "The best light comedy actor in the world—except for me."[13]

Harrison appeared opposite Anna Neagle in I Live in Grosvenor Square (1945) which was another big hit. Also popular was The Rake's Progress (1946), directed by Sidney Gilliat.

20th Century Fox

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Harrison received an offer from 20th Century Fox to star in Anna and the King of Siam (1946) in Hollywood. Harrison signed a long term contract with Fox.

Anna was popular, as was The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) with Gene Tierney and The Foxes of Harrow (1947) with Maureen O'Hara. Escape (1949) reunited Harrison with Joseph L. Mankiewicz who had made Ghost and Mrs Muir.

Return to England

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Back in England, he appeared in The Long Dark Hall (1951) opposite his then wife Lilli Palmer. They co-starred in an adaptation of The Four Poster (1952).

In Hollywood, he made his first action film, the medieval epic King Richard and the Crusaders (1954) playing Saladin.

In England, Harrison was in The Constant Husband (1955) for Sidney Gilliat and British Lion. It was a hit at the box office.

America

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Harrison was offered top billing in MGM's The Reluctant Debutante (1958) alongside his wife Kay Kendall.

He co-starred opposite Doris Day in Midnight Lace (1960) and Rita Hayworth in The Happy Thieves (1961).

Harrison as Julius Caesar in Cleopatra (1963) for which he was nominated for an Academy Award

Harrison received an offer from Joseph L. Mankiewicz to play Julius Caesar in the 20th Century Fox epic Cleopatra (1963).

In 1964 Harrison reprised his 1956 stage performance as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor.

He was one of several stars in the popular The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), and played the Pope opposite Charlton Heston in Fox's The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), for Carol Reed.

Harrison starred in 1967's Doctor Dolittle. At the height of his box office fame after the success of My Fair Lady, Harrison proved a temperamental force during production, demanding auditions for prospective composers after musical playwright Leslie Bricusse was contracted[14] and demanding to have his singing recorded live during shooting, only to agree to have it rerecorded in post-production.[15] He also disrupted production by engaging in incidents with his then wife, Rachel Roberts, and through other deliberate misbehaviour, such as intentionally moving his yacht in front of cameras during shooting in St Lucia and refusing to move it out of sight, all prompted by contract disputes.[16] Harrison was at one point temporarily replaced by Christopher Plummer, until he agreed to be more cooperative.[17] Harrison was not by any objective standards a singer and the talking on pitch style he used in My Fair Lady was adopted by many other classically trained actors with limited vocal ranges; the music was written to allow for long periods of recitative, or "speaking to the music". Nevertheless "Talk to the Animals", which Harrison performed in Doctor Dolittle, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1967. In a rare coincidence the very next year his son Noel Harrison sang the song that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, The Windmills of Your Mind.

Harrison reunited with Mankiewicz in The Honey Pot (1967), a modern adaptation of Ben Jonson's play Volpone. Two of his co-stars, Maggie Smith and Cliff Robertson, were to become lifelong friends. Both spoke at his New York City memorial at the Little Church Around the Corner when he died in 1990.

Harrison made two more films for 20th Century Fox, both expensive play adaptations that failed at the box office: A Flea in Her Ear (1968), and Staircase (1969).[18]

Later film career

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After a break from screen acting, Harrison appeared in The Prince and The Pauper (1977) and a Hindi film, Shalimar, alongside Indian Bollywood stars Dharmendra and Zeenat Aman. He had small roles in Ashanti (1979), The Fifth Musketeer (1979) and A Time to Die (shot 1979), his last film.

Personal life

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Alexander Walker wrote: "in looks and temperament, Rex went back to the Elizabethans. They would have called him 'a man of passionate parts'. His physique and looks were far more striking once middle age had literally stretched too smooth and callow a youthful face into a long, saturnine physiognomy, whose hooded eyes and wide mouth had satyr-like associations for some people."[19]

Harrison was married six times. In 1942, he divorced his first wife, Noel Margery Colette Thomas, and married actress Lilli Palmer the next year; they later appeared together in numerous plays and films, including The Four Poster.[20] Whilst married to Palmer, he built a villa at Portofino, San Genesio, where over the years he hosted showbiz royalty including Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud and real ex-royalty in the Duke of Windsor and his wife.

In 1947, while married to Palmer, Harrison began an affair with actress Carole Landis. Landis took her own life in 1948 after spending the evening with Harrison.[21] Harrison's involvement in the scandal by waiting several hours before calling a doctor and police[22] briefly damaged his career and his contract with Fox was ended by mutual consent.[23]

In 1955, Harrison starred opposite Kay Kendall in The Constant Husband, and they had an affair.[24] When he learned that Kendall had been diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia, he and Palmer agreed to divorce so that he could marry Kendall and provide for her care.[25] Harrison and Palmer divorced in 1957 and he married Kendall the same year. Kendall died of myeloid leukaemia in 1959.[26] Terence Rattigan's 1973 play In Praise of Love was written about the end of this marriage, and Harrison appeared in the New York production playing the character based on himself. Rattigan was said to be "intensely disappointed and frustrated" by Harrison's performance, as "Harrison refused to play the outwardly boorish parts of the character and instead played him as charming throughout, signalling to the audience from the start that he knew the truth about [the] illness."[27] Critics, however, were quite pleased with the performance and although it did not have a long run it was yet another of Harrison's well-plotted naturalistic performances.

He was subsequently married to Welsh actress Rachel Roberts from 1962 to 1971. Harrison then married Elizabeth Rees-Williams, divorcing in 1975; finally, in 1978, he married Mercia Tinker, his sixth and final wife.[28] In 1980, despite his having married twice since their divorce, Roberts made a final attempt to win Harrison back, which proved to be futile; she took her own life that same year.[29]

Harrison's elder son, Noel Harrison, became an Olympic skier, singer and occasional actor; he toured in several productions including My Fair Lady in his father's award-winning role; Noel died suddenly of a heart attack on 19 October 2013 at age 79. Rex's younger son, Carey Harrison, is a playwright and social activist.

Harrison's sister Sylvia was married to the 1st Earl of Kilmuir (better known to history as Sir David Maxwell Fyfe), a lawyer, Conservative politician and judge who was successively the lead British prosecutor at Nuremberg, Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor (head of the English judiciary); after his death she married another Cabinet minister, the 9th Earl De La Warr.

Chronology of Harrison's six marriages:

  • Noel M Colette-Thomas, 1934–1942 (divorced); one son, the actor/singer Noel Harrison, (29 January 1934 – 19 October 2013)
  • Lilli Palmer, 1943–1957 (divorced); one son, the novelist/playwright Carey Harrison (born 19 February 1944)
  • Kay Kendall, 1957–1959 (her death)
  • Rachel Roberts, 1962–1971 (divorced)
  • Elizabeth Rees-Williams, 1971–1975 (divorced)
  • Mercia Tinker, 1978–1990 (his death)

Grandchildren:

  • Granddaughters: Cathryn, Harriott, Chloe, Chiara, Rosie, Faith
  • Grandsons: Will, Simon, Sam

Harrison owned properties in London, New York City and Portofino, Italy. His villa in Portofino was named San Genesio after the patron saint of actors.[30]

Death

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Harrison died from the effects of pancreatic cancer at his home in Manhattan, New York City, on 2 June 1990 at the age of 82. He had been diagnosed with the disease only a short time before. The stage production in which he was appearing at the time, The Circle, came to an end upon his death.[31]

His body was cremated, some of his ashes being subsequently scattered in Portofino, and the rest being scattered at his second wife Lilli Palmer's grave at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in the Commemoration section, Map 1, Lot 4066, Space 2.[32]

Harrison's second autobiography, A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy, was published posthumously in 1991.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1930 The Great Game George
The School for Scandal Bit Part Uncredited
1934 Get Your Man Tom Jakes
Leave It to Blanche Ronnie
1935 All at Sea Aubrey Bellingham
1936 Men Are Not Gods Tommy Stapleton
1937 Storm in a Teacup Frank Burdon
School for Husbands Leonard Drummond
1938 Sidewalks of London, Harley Prentiss aka St. Martin's Lane
The Citadel Dr. Frederick Lawford
1939 Over the Moon Dr. Freddie Jarvis
The Silent Battle Jacques Sauvin
1940 Ten Days in Paris Bob Stevens
Night Train to Munich Gus Bennett / "Dickie Randall"
1941 Major Barbara Adolphus Cusins
1945 Blithe Spirit Charles Condomine
I Live in Grosvenor Square Major David Bruce
Journey Together Guest Uncredited
The Rake's Progress Vivian Kenway
1946 Anna and the King of Siam King Mongkut
1947 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Captain Daniel Gregg
The Foxes of Harrow Stephen Fox
1948 Escape Matt Denant
Unfaithfully Yours Sir Alfred De Carter
1951 The Long Dark Hall Arthur Groome
1952 The Four Poster John Edwards
1953 Main Street to Broadway Himself
1954 King Richard and the Crusaders Emir Hderim Sultan Saladin
1955 The Constant Husband William Egerton
1958 The Reluctant Debutante Jimmy Broadbent
1960 Midnight Lace Anthony "Tony" Preston
1961 The Happy Thieves Jimmy Bourne
1963 Cleopatra Julius Caesar
1964 My Fair Lady Professor Henry Higgins
The Yellow Rolls-Royce Lord Charles Frinton – The Marquess of Frinton
1965 The Agony and the Ecstasy Pope Julius II
1967 The Honey Pot Cecil Sheridan Fox
Doctor Dolittle Dr. John Dolittle
1968 A Flea in Her Ear Victor Chandebisse / Poche
1969 Staircase Charles Dyer
1977 Crossed Swords The Duke of Norfolk
1978 Shalimar Sir John Locksley
1979 Ashanti Brian Walker
The Fifth Musketeer Colbert
1982 A Time to Die Van Osten

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1952 Omnibus Henry VIII Episode: The Trial of Anne Boleyn
1953 The United States Steel Hour Raymond Dabney Episode: The Man in Possession
1957 DuPont Show of the Month Mr. Sir Episode: Crescendo
1960 Dow Hour of Great Mysteries Cyril Paxton Episode: The Dachet Diamonds
1971–1973 Play of the Month Mikhail Platonov, schoolmaster
Don Quixote
2 episodes
1974 Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love Host, himself Pilot-Television film
1983 The Kingfisher Cecil Television film
1985 Heartbreak House Captain Shotover Television film
1986 Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna Grand Duke Cyril Romanov Television film, (final film role)

Theatre

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Date[33] Production Role Venue
4–25 March 1936 Sweet Aloes Tubbs Barrow
6 November 1936 French Without Tears Alan Howard
8 December 1948 – 8 October 1949 Anne of the Thousand Days Henry
14 November 1950 – 2 June 1951 Bell, Book and Candle Shepherd Henderson
13 February – 26 April 1952 Venus Observed Hereward
15 January – 16 May 1953 The Love of Four Colonels The Man
15 March 1956 – 29 September 1962 My Fair Lady Henry Higgins
8 December 1959 – 20 February 1960 The Fighting Cock The General
28 March – 28 April 1973 The Living Mask Henry IV
10 December 1974 – 31 May 1975 In Praise of Love Sebastian Cruttwell
1976 Monsieur Perichon's Travels Eugène Labiche & Edouard Martin
24 February – 5 March 1977 Caesar and Cleopatra Julius Caesar
6 December 1978 – 13 May 1979 The Kingfisher Cecil
18 August – 29 November 1981 My Fair Lady Henry Higgins
7 December 1983 – 5 February 1984 Heartbreak House Captain Shotover
29 April – 21 July 1985 Aren't We All? Lord Grenham
20 November 1989 – 20 May 1990 The Circle Lord Porteous

Radio

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Year Title Role Notes
1951 The Private Files of Rex Saunders Main Role
1952 Philip Morris Playhouse Episode: The Gioconda Smile[34]
1952 Theatre Guild on the Air Episode: An Ideal Husband[35]
1953 Star Playhouse No Time for Comedy[36]
1953 Star Playhouse Twentieth Century[37]

Honours and legacy

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1963 Academy Awards Best Actor Cleopatra Nominated [38]
1964 My Fair Lady Won [39]
1965 British Academy Film Awards Best British Actor Nominated [40]
1965 David di Donatello Awards Best Foreign Actor Won [41]
1984 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Actor in a Play Heartbreak House Nominated [42]
1985 Special Award Won [43]
1963 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Cleopatra Nominated [44]
1964 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy My Fair Lady Won
1966 World Film Favorite – Male Nominated
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama The Agony and the Ecstasy Nominated
1968 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Doctor Dolittle Nominated
1963 National Board of Review Awards Best Actor Cleopatra Won [45]
1946 New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor Anna and the King of Siam Nominated [46]
1964 My Fair Lady Won
1949 Tony Awards Best Actor in a Play Anne of a Thousand Days Won [47]
1957 Best Leading Actor in a Musical My Fair Lady Won [48]
1969 Special Tony Award Won [49]
1984 Best Leading Actor in a Play Heartbreak House Nominated [50]

Recognition

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Seth MacFarlane, creator of the animated series Family Guy, modelled the voice of the character Stewie Griffin after Harrison, after seeing him in the film adaptation of My Fair Lady.[53][54]

Ex-CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez stated in 2019 that a mask of Harrison was used by multiple CIA agents for covert work. The moulds of his face were larger and so could fit over a smaller agents face. The moulds were made from aluminium and bought from Hollywood film facilities. She mentioned that his likeness was "taking part in a lot of operations".[55] According to Mendez, Rex Harrison's aluminium facial props mould was used as a baseline for over-the-head masks that the agency would create and use operationally. The masks came in small, medium and large sizes, with Rex's mould becoming the agency's standard "large" size. Subsequently, many undercover operatives' real identities were disguised by masks bearing Rex's facial features.[55]

References

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  1. ^ Derry House, Huyton: Aaronson, Charles S, ed. 1969 International Television Almanac, Quigley Publications, New York City
  2. ^ "Rex Harrison, a Leading Man With Urbane Wit, Dies at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Harrison, Sir Reginald Carey [Rex]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39935.
  4. ^ "Sir Rex Harrison Geni profile". geni.com. 27 April 2022.
  5. ^ Pace, Eric (3 June 1990). "Rex Harrison, a Leading Man With Urbane Wit, Dies at 82". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Sir Rex Harrison Biography at". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  7. ^ "The Love of Four Colonels". ibdb.com. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  8. ^ (Wapshott 1991, p. 327)
  9. ^ Rich, Frank (21 November 1989). "Review/Theater; Rex Harrison Back on Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  10. ^ York, New (29 June 1989). "Coming Full 'Circle'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  11. ^ Treadwell, David (15 December 1989). "Column One : Culture in the South Rises Again". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  12. ^ Frank Miller. "Storm in a Teacup (1937)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 25 December 2011.[verification needed]
  13. ^ Smith, J. Y. (3 June 1990). "Rex Harrison, 82, Dies; Star of 'My Fair Lady'". The Washington Post. pp. c. 07.
  14. ^ (Harris 2008, p. 131)
  15. ^ (Harrison 1975, p. 155)
  16. ^ (Harrison 1975, pp. 242–243)
  17. ^ (Harrison 1975, pp. 133–134)
  18. ^ (Hadleigh 2001, p. 91)
  19. ^ "9780060152352: No Bells on Sunday: The Rachel Roberts Journals - AbeBooks - Rachel Roberts: 0060152354". www.abebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  20. ^ (Golden & Kendall 2002, p. 74)
  21. ^ (Fleming 2004, p. 223)
  22. ^ Mosby, Aline (6 July 1948). "Carole Landis Mystery Death Clues Hunted". Oakland Tribune. p. 1.
  23. ^ (Donnelley 2003, p. 445)
  24. ^ Demarest, Michael (21 September 1959). "A Blithe Spirit Is Gone". LIFE. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  25. ^ Golden, Eve (5 December 2013). The Brief, Madcap Life of Kay Kendall. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813146560.
  26. ^ (Parish 2007, p. 34)
  27. ^ "Terence Rattigan". www.terencerattigan.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013.
  28. ^ Pace, Eric (3 June 1990). "Rex Harrison, a Leading Man With Urbane Wit, Dies at 82". The New York Times. p. 2. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  29. ^ (Golden & Kendall 2002, p. 155)
  30. ^ (Golden & Kendall 2002, p. 75)
  31. ^ Pace, Eric (3 June 1990). "Rex Harrison, a Leading Man With Urbane Wit, Dies at 82". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  32. ^ "A Final Curtain Call: Rex Harrison (1908-1990)". 2 July 2014.
  33. ^ "Rex Harrison". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  34. ^ Kirby, Walter (13 April 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 48. Retrieved 11 May 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  35. ^ Kirby, Walter (30 March 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved 18 May 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  36. ^ Kirby, Walter (18 October 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 48. Retrieved 6 July 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  37. ^ Kirby, Walter (22 November 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 46. Retrieved 8 July 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  38. ^ "The 36th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  39. ^ "The 37th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  40. ^ "BAFTA in Film (1966)". British Academy Film Awards. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  41. ^ "My Fair Lady – David di Donatello Awards". David di Donatello. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  42. ^ "Nominees and Recipients – 1984 Awards". Drama Desk Awards. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  43. ^ "Nominees and Recipients – 1985 Awards". Drama Desk Awards. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  44. ^ "Rex Harrison". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  45. ^ "1963 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  46. ^ "Awards – New York Film Critics Circle". New York Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  47. ^ "1949 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  48. ^ "1957 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  49. ^ "1969 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  50. ^ "1984 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  51. ^ "A Knighthood Is Bestowed On Rex Harrison". The New York Times. 17 June 1989. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  52. ^ Johnston, Laurie (19 November 1979). "Theater Hall of Fame Enshrines 51 Artists" (PDF). The New York Times. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2018.
  53. ^ Dean, Josh (1 November 2008). "Seth MacFarlane's $2 Billion Family Guy Empire". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  54. ^ Franklin, Nancy (16 January 2006). "American Idiots". The New Yorker.
  55. ^ a b Wired (8 May 2019). Former CIA Chief of Disguise Breaks Down 30 Spy Scenes From Film & TV.

Sources

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Further reading

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  • Harrison, Rex (1991). A Damned Serious Business: My Life in Comedy. ISBN 0-553-07341-9
  • Garland, Patrick (1998). The Incomparable Rex. (1998) ISBN 0-333-71796-1
  • Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
  • Thomas, Nick (2011). Raised by the Stars: Interviews with 29 Children of Hollywood Actors. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6403-6. (Includes an interview with Harrison's son, Carey)
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