Rolf Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rolf Harris
Harris in November 2010
Born	(1930-03-30)30 March 1930 Bassendean, Western Australia
Died	10 May 2023(2023-05-10) (aged 93) Bray, Berkshire, England
Cause of death	Neck cancer
Alma mater	University of Western Australia Claremont Teachers' College
Occupation	Musician singer-songwriter composer comedian television personality presenter actor broadcaster painter
Years active	1953–2013
Spouse(s)	Alwen Hughes ​ (m. 1958)​
Children	1

Rolf Harris (born March 30, 1930 – died May 10, 2023) was a famous Australian entertainer. He was a musician, singer, songwriter, and painter. He was also a well-known television personality. Rolf Harris was known for using unusual instruments. He played the didgeridoo and the stylophone. He also helped create the wobble board.

As a teenager, Harris was a top swimmer. He started his career in the 1950s. He released popular songs like "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" and "Two Little Boys". He became a successful TV star in the UK. He hosted shows like Rolf's Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital. In 2005, he painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. He lived in Bray, Berkshire, England, for over 60 years.

Early Life and Talents

At 14, he swam the fastest time, swimming from scratch, in the "Swim through Bassendean" handicap race, 27 January 1945.

Rolf Harris was born on March 30, 1930. This was in Bassendean, Western Australia. It is a suburb of Perth, Australia. His parents, Agnes and Cromwell Harris, came from Cardiff, Wales. He grew up in Wembley, Western Australia. He was named after an Australian writer. People in Australia often called him "the boy from Bassendean." As a child, he had a dog named Buster Fleabags. He later wrote a book about this dog.

Harris went to Bassendean State School. He also attended Perth Modern School. He later earned a degree from the University of Western Australia. He also got a teaching diploma. When he was only 16, his self-portrait was chosen to be shown. It was displayed at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This was for the 1947 Archibald Prize. He painted another portrait for the 1948 Archibald Prize. This was of Sir James Mitchell. In 1949, he won a prize for his landscape painting. It was called "On a May Morning, Guildford."

As a young person, Harris was a champion swimmer. In 1946, he was the Australian Junior 110-yard Backstroke Champion. He also won state swimming titles in Western Australia. This was between 1948 and 1952.

Career in Entertainment

Starting in the 1950s

Harris moved to England in 1952. He was 22 years old. He studied art at the City and Guilds of London Art School. In 1953, he started working in television. He had a cartoon drawing part on a BBC children's show. It was called Jigsaw. He drew cartoons with a puppet named "Fuzz." He also drew for another show in 1956. In 1954, Harris was on a BBC show called Whirligig. He had a character named "Willoughby." This character came to life on a drawing board.

Harris then met Hayward Veal. He was an Australian impressionist painter. Veal became his teacher. He taught Harris about impressionism. This helped Harris with his portrait painting. At this time, Harris also played his piano accordion. He performed every Thursday night at a club. It was called the Down Under. Many Australians and New Zealanders went there. Harris improved his entertainment skills there. He eventually wrote his famous song, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport."

Harris worked for both the BBC and ITV. He was the only entertainer to do so. On the BBC, he used his character Willoughby. He drew Willoughby on a special board. Willoughby would then talk to Harris. Harris would draw cartoons of Willoughby's funny actions. On ITV, he created Oliver Polip the Octopus. He drew this character on the back of his hand. He then drew Oliver's adventures on large cards.

On March 1, 1958, Harris married Alwen Hughes in London. She was a Welsh sculptor. They were both art students. Their dog was even a bridesmaid at their wedding.

Harris returned to Perth, Australia, in 1959. Television was new there. He was asked to work for TVW-7. He made and starred in a children's show. He also had his own weekly evening show. During this time, he recorded "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport." He used just one microphone in the TV studio.

The song was sent to EMI in Sydney. It was released as a record. It became his first number one song. The song was also a big hit in the UK. Harris offered four musicians 10% of the song's earnings. But they chose to take a small fee instead. They did not think the song would be a hit. The song used the unique sound of the "wobble board."

One verse of the song became controversial later. It used a word that was seen as a racial slur. This verse was removed from later versions. In 2006, Harris said he regretted the original lyric.

Success from the 1960s to 1980s

In late 1960, Harris toured Australia. He sang his hit song. He also did huge paintings on stage. He used Dulux paints. While painting, he often asked, "Can you tell what it is yet?" Only at the end would the full picture appear. Sometimes, he even turned the board around. After returning to England, he visited Perth often. He toured Australia with his band. In 1964, he and Alwen had a daughter. Her name was Bindi. She was named after a town in Australia.

After returning to the UK in 1962, he met George Martin. Martin re-recorded Harris's songs. This included a new version of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport." It became a huge hit in the US. He also recorded "Sun Arise." This song was inspired by Aboriginal culture. It reached number two in the UK charts. Harris met and worked with the Beatles. He hosted their Christmas shows in London in 1963. Harris sang "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" with the Beatles. They sang the backing vocals. He even wrote special lyrics for the Beatles' version.

Harris hosted Hi There and Hey Presto it's Rolf in 1964. By 1967, The Rolf Harris Show was very popular. It was on BBC One until 1974. He was also the commentator for the UK in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest.

Harris created his famous character, Jake the Peg, in the 1960s. But his biggest song success was in 1969. This was with his version of "Two Little Boys." It was an American Civil War song. Harris later found out the song was special to him. It was like the story of his father and uncle in World War I. His uncle died in France in 1918. "Two Little Boys" was the Christmas Number One song in the UK for six weeks. It sold over one million copies.

Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, his BBC TV shows were very popular. His last show was Rolf on Saturday OK?. On his TV shows, Harris painted pictures on large boards. He painted quickly and sometimes sang silly songs. He would ask, "Can you tell what is it yet?" The full picture would only appear at the end. Sometimes, he even turned the board. These shows led to TV series about his art. These included Rolf's Cartoon Time (1979–1989) and Rolf's Cartoon Club (1989–1993). In the early 1980s, he also had his own show in Australia. It was called The Rolf Harris Show. He painted Australian bush scenes on the show.

He was featured on This Is Your Life in December 1971. He was surprised in London. In 1973, Harris performed the first concert. It was at the new Sydney Opera House. On his 1974 song "Papillon," he played the autoharp. He also sang. He played the didgeridoo on two albums by Kate Bush. These were The Dreaming (1982) and Aerial (2005). He also sang on some songs on Aerial. Harris was on This Is Your Life again in September 1995. He was surprised in Edinburgh, Scotland. He also appeared on the Australian version of the show twice.

Later Career Highlights

In the late 1980s, Harris toured Australia. He was asked to sing his own version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." He performed it for a TV show. A version was released as a single in the UK. It reached number seven in the charts. This led to him performing at the Glastonbury Festival in 1993. Harris performed at six more Glastonbury festivals. A wobble board he used is now in the National Museum of Australia. In 2000, Harris released a dance song called "Fine Day." It reached the top 30 in the UK charts. He also performed "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" with the Wiggles.

From 1994 to 2003, Harris hosted Animal Hospital. This TV show followed a British veterinary practice. While hosting, he adopted an abandoned English Bull Terrier named "Dolly." Harris hosted 19 series of Animal Hospital. The show won awards five times. Harris decided to leave the show after many years.

In 2001 and 2004, Harris presented Rolf on Art. This TV series showed the work of his favorite artists. These included van Gogh, Degas, and Monet. In 2002, London's National Gallery showed a collection of Harris's art.

On September 26, 2004, Harris led a project. They recreated John Constable's The Hay Wain painting. 150 people each painted a small part. All the parts were put together on live TV. This was for Rolf on Art: The Big Event. Also in 2004, Harris traveled to Lapland. He designed a Christmas card for charity.

Harris hosted three series of Star Portraits with Rolf Harris. This was a BBC art program. The first two series aired in 2004 and 2005. An exhibition of his portraits toured after the first series. Harris had always wanted to be a portrait painter. His grandfather had been one.

Harris was asked to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. This was for her 80th birthday. He painted it at Buckingham Palace. He unveiled it there on December 19, 2005. The painting was also featured on Rolf on Art. Harris said he was very nervous. The public later voted it the second most-liked portrait of the Queen.

In September 2006, the Royal Australian Mint launched new coins. Harris designed the first coin. In January 2007, a documentary about Harris's art was shown. It was called A Lifetime in Paint.

Harris sketches a "Rolfaroo" self-portrait in 2008

In 2007, Harris was on the BBC Wales show Coming Home. He talked about his Welsh family history. In December 2007, a new DVD called Rolf Live! was released. Rolf on Art: Beatrix Potter was also shown on BBC One. Harris appeared in a Churchill Insurance ad in 2009. He also hosted the quiz show Have I Got News for You.

Harris narrated the 2010 Australian documentary series Penguin Island. It was about the life of the little penguin. From September to October 2010, he taught art on Jamie's Dream School. He also appeared on the Christmas special of My Family.

Harris performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2010. He also appeared at the Bestival Festival. On August 5, 2011, Harris played at Wickham Festival. He also appeared on the Wiggles' 2011 DVD. He sang and performed with his wobble board. In 2011, Harris was a guest on BBC One's The Magicians. On November 5, 2011, Harris was on Piers Morgan's Life Stories. He spoke about a time when he felt very sad. He said he regretted missing much of his daughter's childhood.

In December 2011, Harris's portrait of Bonnie Tyler was valued at £50,000. This was on BBC's The Antiques Roadshow. From May 19 to August 12, 2012, a major show of Harris's paintings was held. It was called "Rolf Harris: Can You Tell What It Is Yet?" It was at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. The opening day was the busiest ever.

On May 2, 2012, Harris was on The One Show. He described his art style as "impressionistic." On June 4, 2012, he performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert. This was outside Buckingham Palace.

In October 2012, Harris started hosting a show on Channel 5. It was called Rolf's Animal Clinic. It was based at Liverpool University's Veterinary School. In 2013, the show was renamed Ben Fogle's Animal Clinic. Ben Fogle replaced Harris as host.

Music and Instruments

Harris playing the accordion in 2008

Rolf Harris released 30 studio albums. He also released two live albums and 48 singles. In 1960, his song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" was number 1 in Australia. In 1969, "Two Little Boys" was number 1 in Ireland and the UK. His 1992 album Rolf Rules OK? was nominated for an ARIA Music Award.

Harris is known for inventing the wobble board. It is a simple homemade instrument. Besides his beatboxing, Harris used many unusual instruments. These included the didgeridoo and the Jew's harp. Later, he used the stylophone. He even appeared in ads for the stylophone.

His version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was very popular. It featured the didgeridoo and wobble board. It reached the UK top ten in 1993. Harris also recorded a version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." He performed the Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" with only his wobble board. He also recorded an Australian Christmas song. It was called "Six White Boomers." It was about a baby kangaroo. It described Santa Claus using six large male kangaroos instead of reindeer. In 2008, Harris announced he would re-record "Two Little Boys." He was joined by the Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir. This was to mark 90 years since World War I ended. Money from the song went to the Poppy Appeal. Harris was inspired after learning about his father and uncle's experiences in the war. Their story was like the song's lyrics.

Later Years and Passing

In October 2022, it was reported that Harris was unwell. He was suffering from neck cancer. He was unable to talk and needed to be fed through a tube. He also required care 24 hours a day.

Rolf Harris passed away at his home in Bray, Berkshire, England. He died on May 10, 2023, at the age of 93. His death was announced publicly on May 23. His death certificate stated the cause was neck cancer and "frailty of old age."

Awards and Recognitions

Rolf Harris received many awards and honors during his career. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1968. He was later made an Officer (OBE) in 1977. In 2006, he became a Commander (CBE).

In 1986, Harris planted a tree in Kununurra's celebrity tree park. The plaque for the tree was stolen in 2014.

In 1989, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). He was made an Officer (AO) in 2012.

In 2001, he received the Centenary Medal. This was for his service to entertainment and charity. In 2014, the National Trust of Australia removed Harris from their "Australian National Living Treasures" list. He had been one of the first 100 Australians chosen for this honor in 1997.

Harris received two honorary doctorates. One was from the University of East London in 2007. The other was from Liverpool Hope University in 2010.

In 2008, Harris was added to the ARIA Hall of Fame. He performed with the Seekers. He sang "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" and did his "Jake the Peg" routine.

The same year, a survey was done about art. It placed Harris above the famous English artist Damien Hirst.

In 2011, Harris was named "Best Selling Published Artist." This was by the Fine Art Trade Guild. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2012.

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are yearly ceremonies. They celebrate great achievements in Australian music. They started in 1987.

Film and TV Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Rolf Harris para niños