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, All Movie Guide
This film of Ira Levin's novel The Boys from Brazil wastes no time in establishing the fact that several seemingly unrelated men have been mysteriously murdered. Elderly Jewish Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman (Laurence Olivier), brought into the case when the clues seem to point to a neo-fascist plot, traces the trail of evidence to Paraguay. Here he finds an unregenerate Auschwitz doctor, patterned on Joseph Mengele and played by -- of all people -- Gregory Peck. Lieberman discovers that the murdered men had all fathered sons who were identical -- the results of a cloning experiment, designed to create a race of incipient Hitlers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosemary Harris, Louis Jourdan, (more)
- 1963
This version of Chekov's classic play was recorded at the 1963 Chichester Festival. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- 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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Elizabeth Taylor, (more)
