Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey "
Rex"
Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage 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 earned him the
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.
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