Rosemary Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rosemary Harris
Harris in 2007 at the Tribeca Film Festival in promotion of Spider-Man 3
Born	Rosemary Ann Harris (1927-09-19) 19 September 1927 (age 97) Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England
Years active	1948–present
Spouse(s)	Ellis Rabb ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1967)​ John Ehle ​ ​ (m. 1967; died 2018)​
Children	Jennifer Ehle

Rosemary Ann Harris, born on September 19, 1927, is a famous English actress. She has won many important awards, like an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. She was also nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In 1986, she joined the American Theater Hall of Fame. Later, in 2017, she received a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement for her amazing work in theater.

Rosemary Harris started acting on stage in 1948. Her first big show in New York City was in 1952. She has won four Drama Desk Awards for her stage work in New York. She was also nominated for nine Tony Awards. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for playing Eleanor of Aquitaine in the play The Lion in Winter in 1966.

She also won an Emmy Award for playing George Sand in the TV show Notorious Woman in 1976. In 1978, she won a Golden Globe Award for her role in the miniseries Holocaust. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the movie Tom & Viv (1994). Many people know her as May Parker, Peter Parker's kind aunt, in the Spider-Man movies from 2002 to 2007.

Early Life and Training

Rosemary Harris was born on September 19, 1927, in Ashby De La Zouch, England. Her parents were Enid Maude Frances and Stafford Berkeley Harris. Her father was in the Royal Air Force. Because of his job, Rosemary lived in India when she was a young child. She went to schools run by nuns. Later, from 1951 to 1952, she studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which is a very famous acting school.

Her Acting Journey

Starting Her Career (1948–1965)

John Williams, Maurice Evans, and Harris in the 1958 NBC production of Dial M for Murder

Rosemary Harris started her acting career in English theater groups. In 1948, she performed in plays like Kiss and Tell. She then trained at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her first time acting in New York City was in 1951 in a play called Climate of Eden. After that, she went back to Britain. She made her debut in London's West End in The Seven Year Itch, which ran for a whole year.

Harris then acted in many classic plays with famous theater companies like the Bristol Old Vic and the Old Vic. In October 1963, she played Ophelia in Hamlet. This was for the very first show of the National Theatre Company. She acted alongside Peter O'Toole, who played Hamlet. Critics had different opinions, but some called her "the most real and touching Ophelia."

Harris with Richard Burton in the CBS television production of Wuthering Heights (1958)

Her first movie was Beau Brummell in 1954. She acted with Stewart Granger and Elizabeth Taylor. She then returned to Broadway with the Old Vic company. There, she met Ellis Rabb, who wanted to start his own theater company. In 1955, she played Desdemona in a TV version of William Shakespeare's Othello. In 1957, she appeared in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1958, she was in the TV movie Dial M for Murder. That same year, she played Catherine Linton in a TV show of Wuthering Heights with Richard Burton. In 1959, she and Ellis Rabb got married.

In 1962, she went back to Britain to act at the Chichester Festival Theatre. She played Elena in a famous play called Uncle Vanya. She also appeared in the 1963 movie version of Uncle Vanya. In 1964, she was Ophelia again in Hamlet for the new Royal National Theatre. She also acted in Broadway plays like Herakles and You Can't Take It with You.

Theater Success and Awards (1966–1999)

Harris at the Chichester Festival Theatre, 1962

Rosemary Harris became very well-known for her work with the APA theater group. She played Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter on Broadway. She won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for this role. In 1967, she played Natasha in War and Peace. That same year, she and Ellis Rabb divorced. Soon after, she married the American writer John Ehle.

In 1968, she was in the movie A Flea in Her Ear. She was nominated for more Tony Awards for her roles in Old Times (1971) and The Royal Family (1975). During this time, she also played Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1973). She also played Portia in The Merchant of Venice (1973).

In 1974, Harris starred in the BBC TV show Notorious Woman. She won an Primetime Emmy Award for this role in 1976. She also won a Golden Globe Award in 1978 for the miniseries Holocaust. This show also starred Meryl Streep. In 1978, she acted in the movie The Boys from Brazil with Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier.

From 1979 to 1980, she starred in the TV miniseries The Chisholms. In 1983, she played Mrs. Ramsay in the TV movie To the Lighthouse. A critic from The New York Times said her performance was "luminous" and "flawless." She also appeared in the movie The Ploughman's Lunch (1983). She acted in other films like Crossing Delancey (1988) and The Delinquents (1989). She returned to Broadway in the play Lost in Yonkers (1991).

For her role in the movie Tom & Viv (1994), she won an award from the National Board of Review. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for this role. She acted with Willem Dafoe in this film. In 1996, she was nominated for another Tony Award for the play A Delicate Balance. She also had a small role in the 1996 movie Hamlet. In 1999, Rosemary Harris and her daughter, Jennifer Ehle, played the same character at different ages in the movie Sunshine. They had done this before in the TV show The Camomile Lawn (1992). In 1999, she also starred in the movie My Life So Far.

Recent Roles (2000–Present)

Rosemary Harris became very famous for playing Aunt May Parker in the Spider-Man movies. She played this role in the first movie (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider-Man 3 (2007). These movies were very popular and successful. She acted alongside Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man.

During this time, she also appeared in other movies. These included the scary movie The Gift (2000) and the comedy Blow Dry (2001). In 2004, she was in the movie Being Julia. In 2007, she received the North Carolina Award for fine arts. Her husband, John Ehle, had won the same award earlier for literature. Also in 2007, she acted in the crime movie Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

Harris took on fewer movie roles in later years. She was in the drama Is Anybody There? with Michael Caine. She also appeared in the romantic comedy This Means War (2012). In 2015, she was in the musical drama The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music. In 2010, she had a guest role in the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In September 2018, she took over the role of Mrs. Higgins in the Broadway show My Fair Lady. More recently, she appeared in the TV show The Undoing (2020) and Search Party (2022).

Personal Life

Rosemary Harris was married to actor and director Ellis Rabb from 1959 to 1967. In 1967, she married writer John Ehle. They lived in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Their daughter, Jennifer Ehle, was born there in 1969. Jennifer also became a well-known actress, following in her mother's footsteps. Rosemary Harris's old scripts, photos, and other items are kept at the Harry Ransom Center.

Acting Credits

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theater Roles

Video Game Roles

Awards and Nominations

Film and Television Awards

Theater Awards

See also

In Spanish: Rosemary Harris para niños