Rosemary Harris Movies
Known for her stage work and solid supporting performances in film and television, Rosemary Harris has earned particular praise for her ability to skillfully portray formidable characters, despite a petite frame and delicate features that would normally belie such a strong aura of authority. Harris grew up in India and did not plan on pursuing a career in acting -- in fact, her original career choice was nursing. She would, however, change course and begin acting studies at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. By 1951, Harris made her U.S. stage debut with great success in a Broadway production of Moss Hart's Climate of Eden, and returned to England to participate in the British premiere of The Seven Year Itch.Harris continued to act -- both on-stage, on the small screen, and in the film world -- throughout the '50s and '60s, starring opposite some of the industry's most prominent figures, including Richard Burton, Jason Robards, Rex Harrison, Laurence Olivier, and Peter O'Toole. After winning a British Tony award in 1966, Harris impressed critics and audiences with her portrayal of a Jewish doctor's wife in the multi-Emmy award-winning television production of Holocaust in 1978, and again in 1979, when she played the matriarch of an 1844 Virginian pioneer family in The Chisholms. Holocaust wasn't Harris' introduction to the Emmys -- one of the actress' most celebrated performances was for her role in the 1975 Masterpiece Theatre production of The Notorious Woman, a portrait of flamboyant novelist George Sand.
Harris' 1954 film debut as the unrequited love interest of Stewart Granger in Beau Brummell was met exceedingly well; in fact, the actress was offered a variety of long-term roles from Hollywood, but she turned them down to pursue theater. Ten years later, however, Harris would return to the big screen for her supporting role in the thriller The Boys From Brazil (1978), and later co-starred in TV's The Ploughman's Lunch, a 1983 political drama. After performing at her typical standard in film and television, as well as traveling across continents for her theater career, Harris gave a volatile performance as renowned author T.S. Eliot's mother-in-law in Tom & Viv (1994) -- earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This, however, was only after earning critical praise for a series of mid-'90s theater roles, including those of a diabetic's mother in the 1991 tearjerker Steel Magnolias, an imposing grandmother in Lost in Yonkers (1992), and a troubled wife in An Inspector Calls (1994). After Harris' Oscar recognition, Kenneth Branagh felt it only appropriate to cast her as the Player Queen opposite Charlton Heston's Player King in Hamlet (1996). In 2002, Harris portrayed Peter Parker's aunt in Spider-Man, and reprised the role in Spider-Man 2 (2004). ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
A once-contented wife struggles to maintain her dignity when her husband abandons her for a younger woman in longtime television director Christopher Menaul's adaptation of Stevie Davies' acclaimed novel. For years, Jess (Brenda Blethlyn) and her husband, Jacob (Kevin Whately), shared a loving relationship in a scenic house by the river. Lovingly caring for Jacob's elder relatives who share the house with the couple, Jess is happy in her modest life until Jacob goes out for a drink one night and never returns. When Jess gets news that Jacob has left her for a younger woman, her heartbreak is compounded by her sense of duty as she attempts to come to terms with her new life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Directed by Rick McKay, who traveled across five continents during the documentary's production, Broadway: The Golden Age is both a celebration of current Broadway stars and a tribute to Broadway legends past. Through a plethora of interviews and vast amounts of archival footage, McKay presents a variety of factoids, anecdotes, and memories from over 100 Broadway actors, writers, and directors. The careers of Laurette Taylor, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Marlon Brando are all animatedly retold, as is some of the Broadway "lore of olde," such as Angela Lansbury's struggle to land a role in Mame and the shocked reaction to West Side Story on its opening night. In addition to footage and discussion regarding highly successful Broadway stars, a variety of actors recount their experiences and struggles in finding even a small amount of critical recognition. The cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bea Arthur, Edie Adams, Alec Baldwin, and Kaye Ballard, and many others. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edie Adams, Bea Arthur, (more)
- 1996
Filmed on location in Holland, the made-for-cable The Little Riders is set during the wartime Nazi occupation of that country. Living with her Dutch grandparents in the village of Kirkendam, American-born Joanne Hunter (Noley Thornton) is a helpless bystander in the real-life drama being played out between the locals and German occupational officer Captain Kessel (Malcolm McDowell). Grimly determined to break down any and all resistance to the Nazis, Kessel is prepared to destroy the villagers' most cherished possession: He intends to dismantle the six lead statues--or "little riders"--which revolve hourly on Kirkendam's 300-year-old clock tower, and melt them down for bullets. Intensifying the situation is the growing relationship between Joanne and Lt. Braun (Benedick Blythe), a conscience-stricken German officer billeted in her grandparents' home. Paul Scofieldheads the cast as the clock's caretaker, who also happens to be the head of the resistance movement--not to mention Joanne's grandfather. The Little Riders debuted March 24, 1996, over the Disney Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, Noley Thornton, (more)
- 1991
Middle class Victorians tended to get a lot of mileage out of their peccadillos -- first, by having scruples before engaging in them, then by feeling guilty during the act itself, and finally by endless self-castigation and self-analysis afterward. In this costume romance, Isobel Heatherington has come to the countryside with her three daughters while her husband continues to attend to business in the City (London). She is persuaded to be a model in a painter's landscape scene, and before long she and the painter are having an affair. When her husband joins the scene, the affair ends, but jealous fellow that he is, he can't help but notice that both parties are behaving in a decidedly peculiar, guilt-ridden fashion. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Saskia Reeves, David Patrick O'Hara, (more)
- 1990
Previously filmed (and truncated) in 1932, Eugene O'Neill's marathon 1928 Pulitzer-winning stage drama Strange Interlude was adapted for television in 1988. Broadcast in three 90-minute installments, the nine-act play covers some 25 years in the life of New England woman Nina Leeds (Glenda Jackson). When her fiance is killed in World War I, Nina becomes a nurse in a veterans hospital, where she makes the acquaintance of Dr. Ned Darrell (David Dukes) and farmer's son Sam Evans (Ken Howard). She chooses to marry the steadfast but dull Evans, then is advised by his mother (Rosemary Harris) that there is a streak of insanity in the family. Desperate for an heir, Nina sleeps with Dr. Darrell...and so it goes for the next quarter century, with Nina's secret admirer Charlie Marsden (Edward Petheridge) anguishing on the sidelines. The reason Strange Interlude takes 4 1/2 hours is because of O'Neill's "interior monologues," wherein the characters pause every so often to speak out their thoughts for the benefit of the audience (but not for each other). Strange Interlude was first telecast in the US on three consecutive segments of PBS' American Playhouse in January and February of 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
The time is the mid-1950s; the place is a small, conservative town in Australia. Brownie (Charlie Schlatter) and Lola (Kylie Minoque), both well under the age of consent, fall in love. Their parents are dead set against this relationship, and do everything in their power to break it up. Because no one will leave them alone, Brownie and Lola rebel against their elders and embark upon a life of petty crime. Delinquents is based on a novel by Criena Rohan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kylie Minogue, Charlie Schlatter, (more)
- 1986
Heartbreak House is a 1985 TV staging of the 1920 comedy by George Bernard Shaw. Rex Harrison stars as retired British sea captain Shotover, who tries vainly to maintain an even keel in his own household. The catalyst for the plot is Ellie (Amy Irving), a friend of Shotover's eldest daughter Heslone (Rosemary Harris). Having set her cap for a self-made industrialist (George Martin), Ellie is talked out of the union by Heslone, whereupon the younger girl claims she's taken up with an elusive and highly suspect stranger. As Shotover watches helplessly, the social structure that he has honored all his life crumbles before him--a symbol, claim Shaw's disciples, of the collapse of "proper" European society after World War I. This videotaped version of Heartbreak House premiered over the Showtime Cable service on April 16, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rex Harrison, Amy Irving, (more)
Like the Virginia Woolf novel which it interprets, this 1983 BBC production has three parts: "The Window," "Time Passes," and "The Lighthouse." The first focuses on one day in the life of the Ramsay family -- the father and mother, their eight children, and four guests -- while they vacation on the Cornwall peninsula in remote southwestern England. In conversations in the summer house, at the beach, during strolls, and at cricket and wrestling matches, the characters reveal their beliefs, their prejudices, and their longings in an era when old traditions are dying and new traditions are quickening. James, six -- a brat to his father but a dear to his mother -- repeatedly asserts his wish to visit a lighthouse on an island within easy rowing distance. His father Michael Gough refuses to go (and, thus, no one goes) because the weather isn't right. In a moment of dramatic irony, the self-centered father scolds the boy for always thinking only of himself. Self-effacing Mrs. Ramsay (Rosemary Harris) comforts the child. She also sees to the needs of other family members and guests, who have lighthouses of their own -- metaphorical ones -- to preoccupy them. Her daughter, Prue, for example, anticipates her coming marriage while visitor Lily Briscoe looks forward to her career as a painter. In defiance of social convention, Briscoe chooses to remain unmarried. The film depicts the second part of the novel, "Time Passes," with transitional scenes showing changes of season over ten years. During this period, Mrs. Ramsey dies, and Mr. Ramsey laments her death in a weeping spell, saying she never really understood that he loved her. In the final part, "The Lighthouse," James finally gets his wish when he, his father, and other members of the family row out to the towering beacon. On the shore, meanwhile, Lily Briscoe finishes a painting of Mrs. Ramsey. ~ Mike Cummings, Rovi
- 1979
The Chisholms was a three-part miniseries adapted by Evan Hunter from his own novel. Covering the years 1842 through 1844, the dramatization follows the westward trek of the Chisholm family. Patriarch Robert Preston is driven from his midwestern homestead by a feud. Starting down the Ohio river, Preston and his family head for the greener pastures of Oregon. In Part Two, a romantic angle is introduced thanks to young lovers Stacey Nelkin and Charles Frank, while the Chisholms' safety is threatened by thieves and hostile lawmen. Several deaths impede the family's progress in Part Three, which brings the pilgrims to Wyoming. Spread out over four weeks (from March 29 through April 19, 1979), this miniseries version of The Chisholms served as the precursor to a weekly TV series, which did without the services of Robert Preston (who was unceremoniously knocked off in the first episode). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The now-legendary miniseries Holocaust first aired as a presentation in NBC's Big Event series. Written by Gerald Green, the story begins in the Germany of 1935. We are introduced to the family of Jewish doctor Joseph Weiss (Fritz Weaver) his wife Berta (Rosemary Harris), his brother Moses (Sam Wanamaker), his sons Rudi (Joseph Bottoms) and Karl (James Woods), and his daughter Anna (Blanche Baker). We also meet struggling lawyer Erik Dorf (Michael Moriarity), who is urged by his ambitious wife to join the SS. As the Nazis' persecution of the Jews is stepped up, most of the Weiss family is deported to the Polish ghetto--then to Auschwitz, which is overseen by Erik Dorf. Rudi and his Jewish girlfriend Helena (Tovah Feldsuh) witness the 1941 Baba Yar massacre, then join the Russian partisans in their battle against the Nazis. Also appearing in Holocaust is Meryl Streep as Karl Weiss' Christian wife Inga. The winner of eight Emmy awards, Holocaust was originally telecast in four parts on April 16, 17, 18, and 19, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fritz Weaver, Rosemary Harris, (more)
Based upon the 1927 George S. Kaufman-Edna Ferber stage hit, The Royal Family is about a famous, more than somewhat eccentric theater family that may bring to mind the real-life Barrymores. The Cavendish clan is headed by Fanny, a grande dame of the highest order. Although her best days are past her, she still dreams of making a glorious comeback. Fanny's daughter, Julie, is the family's current stage star, a celebrated and successful actress in her prime, but brother Tony has made quite a splash in Hollywood as a matinee idol. The family is rounded out with other brother Herbert and his wife Kitty, both about to become has-beens (although some would say they were "never weres"), and Julie's daughter Gwen, who can't decide whether to pursue a career on the stage or embark upon a safe marriage with a stock broker. Julie was herself in a similar situation in her youth, and she wonders if she made the right decision, as she now yearns for a simpler life. Julie also must contend with Fanny's increasing restlessness and desire to return to the stage, which could be disastrous, as well as the unexpected arrival of brother Tony, who is escaping a scandal involving a director he's accused of hitting, a woman with whom he's accused of dallying, and a large debt he's accused of accumulating. This version of The Royal Family, filmed for PBS, is based upon a mid-'70s production at Lincoln Center. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- 1974
The title character in this British historical miniseries was 19th century French novelist Aurore Dupin (1804-1876), who wrote under the nom de plume of George Sand. Audaciously adopting male clothing and scandalizing her contemporaries by talking and behaving in a mannish fashion, George Sand also conducted several high-profile romances with members of the opposite sex. Much of the series' running time was given over to the heroine's torrid nine-year affair with Polish composer Frederick Chopin. Although American actors Rosemary Harris (who won an Emmy Award for her performance) and George Chakiris starred as Sand and Chopin, the rest of the cast was largely comprised of Britons, including Alan Howard as novelist Prosper Merimee and Jeremy Irons as composer Franz Liszt. First telecast by the BBC in 1974, the four-part Notorious Woman was seen in America via the PBS anthology Masterpiece Theatre beginning November 16, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosemary Harris, George Chakiris, (more)
- 1968
Taken from the 1907 comedy play by Georges Feydeau, A Flea In Her Ear is a comedic sex romp about a wife suspicious of her husband's activities away from home. Gabrielle (Rosemary Harris) is convinced her attorney husband Victor (Rex Harrison) is seeing another woman because of his inattention to her amorous needs. Gabrielle sets up a meeting with her husband at a bordello-hotel, and he is completely unaware that the woman he is going to meet will be his own wife. She soon discovers just who is being unfaithful to their wives after meeting a number of lovers and both faithful and unfaithful husbands. Louis Jourdan and Rachel Roberts also star in this light situation comedy containing turn-of the-century-sensibilities that appear somewhat dated in 1968. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosemary Harris, Louis Jourdan, (more)
- 1963
This version of Chekov's classic play was recorded at the 1963 Chichester Festival. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1957
Season three of Alfred Hitchcock Presents gets under way with one of the series' best and most celebrated episodes -- and one which, surprisingly, is not directed by Alfred Hitchcock himself. As Jim Whitely (William Shatner) and his girlfriend Dorothy (Rosemary Harris) rummage through the possessions of Jim's late sister Julia (Jessica Tandy), they come across a curious item -- a large glass eye. In flashback, Jim recalls the history of this artefact, which stems back to the spinsterish Julia's infatuation with a mysterious, deep-voiced stage ventriloquist known as Max Collodi (Tom Conway). This brilliant episode earned an Emmy award for its director, prolific Alfred Hitchcock Presents contributor Robert Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1957
Previously filmed as a theatrical feature in 1939, Alec Coppel's semi-serious mystery play I Killed the Count was adapted 17 years later as Alfred Hitchcock Presents' only three-part episode. In part three, Inspector Davidson (John Williams) is no closer to solving the murder of Count Martoni than he was in parts one and two -- especially since no fewer than three people have come forward, confessing to the crime. Finally, Davidson is able to separate wheat from chaff and determine who is truly guilty...but he may be forced to free the miscreant on a legal technicality. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1957
Previously filmed as a theatrical feature in 1939, Alec Coppel's semi-serious mystery play I Killed the Count was adapted 17 years later as Alfred Hitchcock Presents' only three-part episode. In part two, Inspector Davidson (John Williams) has his hands full trying to determine who murdered the much-hated Count Martoni. No sooner has one suspect confessed to the crime than another suspect comes forward with another confession! Making matters worse for Davidson, there is not enough evidence to convict either one of the confessors. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1957
Based on a best-selling Australian novel by D'Arcy Niland, The Shiralee stars Peter Finch as an Aussie "swagman," or poacher, saddled with a faithless wife (Elizabeth Sellars). Concerned over the well-being of his young daughter (Dana Wilson), Finch takes her out of her hostile environment and hits the road. Against the breathtaking landscapes and panoramas of the Outback, Father and Daughter grow to love and understand one another on a deeper and more profound level than ever before. The storyline rambles more than does Peter Finch, but the relationship between the two main characters holds the film together. The Shiralee was remade as an Australian TV miniseries in 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Finch, Elizabeth Sellars, (more)
- 1957
This second presentation of the classic dramatic anthology Du Pont Show of the Month is a lavishly mounted adaptation of Mark Twain's historical novel The Prince and the Pauper. Although virtually every film version of this work has either cast twin boys in the roles of young Prince Edward and his ragamuffin lookalike Tom Canty, or has employed split-screen photography to convey the impression that one child actor is actually two different people, this production aired live and was unable to recruit twins at such short notice. Thus, Rex Thompson, best known for his portrayal of Prince Chulanlongkorn in The King and I, plays Edward, while the remarkably similar-looking Johnny Washbrook, previously the star of the TV series My Friend Flicka, plays Tom. Twain's familiar plot remains intact, with the royal Edward and the peasant Tom trading places, leading to all manner of complications for the high- and lowborn citizens of 16th century England. Heading what was advertised as "a cast of 60" is Christopher Plummer as Sir Miles Herndon, who while seeking revenge against the brother who betrayed him befriends the incognito Prince Edward; Hurd Hatfield as that evil sibling, Sir John; Rosemary Harris as the brothers' mutual sweetheart Lady Edith; and Sir Cedric Hardwycke as the scheming Earl of Hartford, who knows that the youngster claiming to be the Prince of England isn't anything of the kind. Also seen is a very young Patty Duke as Edward's sister Princess Elizabeth. "he Prince and the Pauper" was adapted for television by Leslie Slote, who spent much of the 1950s fronting for fellow writers who had been blacklisted. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christopher Plummer, Rosemary Harris, (more)
- 1954
As an actor, British film star Stewart Granger was very handsome, but this is all that is required of him in Beau Brummell. Granger plays the famed 18th-century dandy and social arbiter who rises from poverty to become the adviser and severest critic of the Prince of Wales (marvelously portrayed as a self-involved neurotic by Peter Ustinov). Secure in his station in life, Brummell goes one step too far when he jokes about the Prince's obesity. The future King George IV will forget the whole thing if Brummell will apologize, but the haughty trendsetter refuses to do so. Brummell is banished from court, losing everything -- including his chance at finding happiness with the aristocratic Elizabeth Taylor -- in the process. Filmed on location in England, Beau Brummell was based on the same war-horse play by Clyde Fitch that had served as the inspiration for the 1924 Brummell starring John Barrymore. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, (more)
- 2007
- R
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Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, and Marisa Tomei star in director Sidney Lumet's thriller concerning two brothers who hatch a plan to rob their parent's jewelry store. When the job goes awry, the entire family is set on a collision course with tragedy. Andy (Hoffman) is an overextended broker in desperate need of some cash. His brother, Hank (Hawke), isn't much better off, so when Andy hatches a plan to rob their parent's modest jewelry store, it seems like a foolproof way to make a quick buck. But Andy's trophy wife, Gina (Tomei), is secretly sleeping with libidinous younger brother Hank, and when the robbery proves a complete disaster it isn't long before loyalties start to shift. Now Andy and Hank's father, Charles (Finney), is determined to make the unidentified robbers pay for their crime. What's a father to do when he discovers that the ones he loves have become his worst enemies? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, (more)
A woman scorned unleashes her fury in this droll comedy based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham. Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is a famous and well-respected actress, but though her life in the limelight seems glamorous, things are not going well for her off-stage. Julia's husband (Jeremy Irons) is unfaithful to her (and not especially discreet about it), her son is angry with her, and she's afraid she's losing her looks and allure as she advances further into middle age. In the midst of this, Julia meets a handsome and dashing young American named Tom (Shaun Evans). Tom makes no secret of his attraction to Julia, and the feeling is mutual, leading the two into a torrid affair. But, while Julia at first dives into this adulterous romance with little care for how it could affect her reputation, she becomes livid with rage when she learns that Tom is also involved with a younger actress (Lucy Punch), and is only using Julia to advance himself. Julia then plots an elaborate revenge against Tom in a scheme that will help her win back the pride and confidence life has recently stripped from her. Being Julia also stars Michael Gambon and Bruce Greenwood. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, (more)
When the tiny burgh of Keighley lands the rights to host the annual British hairdressing championships, practically every city in the United Kingdom is represented in the competition -- except Keighley itself. It seems the event is team-oriented, and the only suitable local contestants had a huge falling out a decade ago. For Brian (Josh Hartnett), the son of two hairdressers, that falling out had personal consequences: His mother Shelley (Natasha Richardson) left his father Phil (Alan Rickman) to take up with Phil's hair model Sandra (Rachel Griffiths). Since then, former styling champ Phil has settled for training Brian to help run his lowly barber shop, while Shelley and Sandra have opened a salon of their own. But when Shelley learns that she has terminal cancer, she reaches out to her family in hopes that a reunion for the hairdressing contest might help them all find some sense of closure. To complicate matters, Phil's old arch-nemesis, Ray (Bill Nighy), is now a two-time champ looking for a three-peat, and he's brought along his beautiful American daughter Christina (Rachael Leigh Cook) to work on his team. Blow Dry also marks the screen debut of supermodel Heidi Klum. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, (more)
Supernatural horror meets character drama in this Sam Raimi-directed thriller. Set in Georgia, the film concerns a widowed mother named Annie (Cate Blanchett) who is blessed with the ability to have psychic visions. When Annie is asked to use her powers to investigate the murder of a rich society girl (Katie Holmes) who was engaged to a local high school principal (Greg Kinnear), she finds her "gift" is as destructive as it is helpful. Many of the townspeople have mixed regard for Annie's abilities, including an abusive husband (Keanu Reeves) and his brutalized wife (Hilary Swank) (the former threatens Annie and her children with taunts that she is a devil) as well as a deeply troubled auto mechanic (Giovanni Ribisi) who may hold a key to the events in question. The Georgia residents soon find themselves all suspects in the investigation, and Annie is forced to confront past demons while still trying to help solve the mystery. The Gift was co-written by Billy Bob Thornton, who appeared in another of Raimi's thrillers, A Simple Plan. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, (more)
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