Rosemary Harris

Rosemary Ann Harris (born 19 September 1927) is an English actress. She is a 1986 American Theater Hall of Fame inductee.[1]

Rosemary Harris
Harris at the 2007 Spider-Man 3 premiere in Queens, New York
Born	Rosemary Ann Harris 19 September 1927 Ashby, Suffolk, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1948–present
Spouse(s)	Ellis Rabb ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1967)​ John Ehle ​ ​ (m. 1967; died 2018)​
Children	Jennifer Ehle

Harris began her stage career in 1948, before making her Broadway debut in 1952. For her New York stage work, she is a four-time Drama Desk Award winner and nine-time Tony Award nominee, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 1966 for The Lion in Winter. On television, she won an Emmy Award for the 1974 TV serial Notorious Woman, and a Golden Globe Award for the 1978 miniseries Holocaust. For the 1994 film Tom & Viv, she received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination. She is the mother of actress Jennifer Ehle. In 2002, she portrayed Peter Parker’s Aunt May in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, a role she reprised in 2004's Spider-Man 2 and 2007's Spider-Man 3.

Early life

Harris was born in Ashby, Suffolk, the daughter of Enid Maude Frances (née Campion) and Stafford Berkeley Harris.[2][3] One of her grandmothers was from Kronstadt in the Habsburg Empire (today Romania).[4][5] Her father was in the Royal Air Force and, as a result, Harris' family lived in India during her early childhood.[6][7][8] She attended convent schools, and later studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1951 to 1952.[9][10]

Career

Early in her acting career, she gained experience in English repertory theatre. In 1948, she acted in Kiss and Tell at Eastbourne with Tilsa Page and John Clark and later with Anthony Cundell's company at Penzance, where she played the mother in Black Chiffon. She went from Penzance to train at RADA.[11] She first appeared in New York in 1951 in Moss Hart's Climate of Eden,[12] and then returned to Britain for her West End debut in The Seven Year Itch which ran for a year at the Aldwich.

Harris at the Chichester Festival Theatre, 1962

Harris then entered a classical acting period in productions with the Bristol Old Vic and then the Old Vic, appearing at the latter as Ophelia in the National Theatre Company's opening production of Hamlet in October 1963, alongside Peter O'Toole in the title role.[13] Writing in UK newspaper The Guardian in 2003 as part of a series on landmark theatre productions, playwright Samantha Ellis noted of the National Theatre's opening night:

Olivier gloomily anticipated bad reviews. But RB Marriott, in The Stage, found O'Toole to be "a magnificent Prince" and Rosemary Harris "the most real and touching Ophelia". (In contrast, Felix Barker, in the Evening News, called her "an embarrassing deb who has had too much gin".) And Harold Hobson, in The Sunday Times, was overcome.[14]

Her first film followed, Beau Brummell (1954) with Stewart Granger and Elizabeth Taylor,[11] and then a touring season with the Old Vic brought her back to Broadway in Tyrone Guthrie's production of Troilus and Cressida. She met Ellis Rabb who had plans to start his own producing company on Broadway. By 1959, the Association of Producing Artist (APA) was established, and she and Rabb were married on 4 December of that year.[15][16]

In 1962, she returned to Britain and Chichester Festival Theatre during its opening season when the director was Laurence Olivier; she appeared as Elena in Olivier's celebrated 1962–63 Chichester production of Uncle Vanya.[17] In 1964, she was Ophelia to Peter O'Toole's Hamlet in the inaugural production of the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain.

Returning to New York, she worked further with the APA, and then was cast as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter, a performance that garnered her a Tony Award in 1966.[18] Rabb directed her one last time as Natasha in War and Peace in 1967, the same year they agreed to divorce.[15][16] A little while later, Harris married the American writer John Ehle.[19] The two of them can be heard interviewing prospective candidates, Black public school student candidates for scholarships to all-white private "Segregation academies", on surviving recordings.[20] Ehle was the manager for this Stouffer Foundation program.

Ehle and Harris settled in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,[7] where their daughter, Jennifer, was born in 1969. Jennifer Ehle followed in her mother's footsteps by becoming a noted film, television and Broadway actress.[21]

In 1974, Harris starred in the BBC TV serial Notorious Woman, which aired on PBS in the US as part of Masterpiece Theatre. For this role, she won the 1976 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – TV Drama for the 1978 NBC miniseries Holocaust, which also starred Meryl Streep. Reviewing the BBC's 1983 production of To the Lighthouse, an adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel of the same name, The New York Times' John J. O'Connor wrote: "A luminous, flawless performance by Miss Harris makes Mrs. Ramsay as memorable on film as she is on the printed page."[22] She received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the 1994 film Tom & Viv. Harris and her daughter Ehle, played the young and elderly incarnations, respectively, of the same character in István Szabó's 1999 film Sunshine, about a Hungarian Jewish family. They had previously played the young and old Calypso in the Channel 4 production of The Camomile Lawn (1992).

Harris appeared in the rotating cast of the Off-Broadway staged reading of Wit & Wisdom.[23] In 2007, she received the North Carolina Award for fine arts. Her husband, John Ehle, won the same award in 1972 for literature.[24]

In 2002, she appeared as Aunt May Parker in the first film adaptation of Spider-Man, reprising the role in the sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).[25][26]

On 11 September 2018, a week before her 91st birthday, Harris took over the role of Mrs Higgins in the Broadway revival of My Fair Lady from Diana Rigg.[27][28]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Beau Brummell	Mrs. Fitzherbert	film debut
1957	The Shiralee	Lily Parker
1963	Uncle Vanya	Yelena
1968	A Flea in Her Ear	Gabrielle Chandebisse
1978	The Boys from Brazil	Mrs. Doring
1983	The Ploughman's Lunch	Ann Barrington
1988	Crossing Delancey	Pauline Swift
1989	The Delinquents	Isobel
1992	The Bridge	Aunt Jude
1994	Tom & Viv	Rose Haigh-Wood
1996	Hamlet	Player Queen
1999	My Life So Far	Gamma
1999	Sunshine	Valerie Sors
2000	The Gift	Annie's Granny
2001	Blow Dry	Daisy
2002	Spider-Man	Aunt May Parker
2004	Spider-Man 2
2004	Being Julia	Julia's mother
2007	Spider-Man 3	Aunt May Parker
2007	Before the Devil Knows You're Dead	Nanette
2008	Is Anybody There?	Elsie
2008	The Monday Before Thanksgiving	Lillian Cotlo	Short film
2010	Radio Free Ablemuth	VALIS (voice role)
2012	This Means War	Nana Foster
2015	The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music	Older Agathe von Trapp

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	A Cradle of Wlllow	Tansy Clampett	Television debut Television Movie
1952	Studio One in Hollywood	Herself	Episode: "The Great Lady"
1955	Othello	Desdemona	Television Movie
1957	Twelfth Night	Viola	Television Movie
1958	Suspicion	Sybil Merton	Episode: "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime"
1958	Omnibus	Cordelia	Episode: "Moment of Truth"
1958	Dial M for Murder	Margot Wendice	Television Movie
1958	Folio	Dynamene	Episode: "A Phoenix Too Frequent"
1958	DuPont Show of the Month	Cathy Linton	Episode: Wuthering Heights
1959	Encounter	Norah Marsh	Episode: "The Land of Promise"
1964	Profiles in Courage	Mary S. McDowell	Episode: "Mary S. McDowell"
1966	Blithe Spirit	Elvira Condomine	Television Movie
1967	Uncle Vanya	Jelena Andrejewna	Television Movie
1974	Notorious Woman	George Sand	Television Miniseries; 7 episodes
1977	The Royal Family	Julie Cavendish	Television Movie
1978	Holocaust	Berta Palitz Weiss	Television Miniseries; 4 episodes
1979–80	The Chisholms	Minerva Chisholm	Television Miniseries; 13 episodes
1983	To the Lighthouse	Mrs. Ramsay	Television Movie
1992	The Camomile Lawn	Calypso (older)	Television Miniseries; 2 episodes
1994	Under the Hammer	Hester Bovington	Episode: "The Spectre at the Feast"
1994	Summer Day's Dream	Margaret Dawlish	One-off production in the BBC's Performance series
1996	The Little Riders	Grandma Roden	Television Movie
1996	Death of a Salesman	Linda	Television Movie
2004	Belonging	May	Television Movie
2010	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Francine Brooks	Episode: "Wet"
2014	The Money	Ellen Knox	Television Movie
2020	The Undoing	Janet Fraser	Episode: Trial by Fury

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Venue
1952	The Climate of Eden	Mabel	Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway
1953-54	The Seven Year Itch	The Girl	Aldwych Theatre, London
1954	The Crucible	Elizabeth Proctor	Bristol Old Vic, London
1956	Troilus and Cressida	Cressida	Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway
1957	The Glass Eye	Dorothy Witley	ANTA Playhouse, New York
1958	Interlock	Hilde	ANTA Playhouse, New York
1958	The Disenchanted	Jere Halliday	Coronet Theatre, Broadway
1960	The Tumbler	Lennie	Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway
1963	Uncle Vanya	Ilyena	Chichester Festival Theatre, London
1963	Hamlet	Ophelia	Old Vic Theatre, London
1965	Judith	Judith	Phoenix Theatre, Off-Broadway
1965	Man and Superman	Violet Robinson
1965	War and Peace	Natasha Rostova
1965	Herakles	Megara	Lyceum Theatre, Broadway
1966	The Lion in Winter	Eleanor	Ambassador Theatre, Broadway
1966–67	The School for Scandal	Lady Teazle	Lyceum Theatre, Broadway
1966	Right You Are If You Think You Are	Signora Ponza
1966	We, Comrades Three	Young Woman
1967	The Wild Duck	Gina
1967	You Can't Take it With You	Alice Sycamore
1967	War and Peace	Natasha Rostova
1971–72	Old Times	Anna	Billy Rose Theatre, Broadway
1973	The Merchant of Venice	Portia	Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway
1973	A Street Car Named Desire	Blanche Du Bois
1975–76	The Royal Family	Julie Cavendish	Brooklyn Academy of Music Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway
1977	The New York Idea	Vida Phillimore	Brooklyn Academy of Music
1977	The Three Sisters	Olga
1983	Heartbreak House	Hesione Hushabye	Circle in the Square Theatre, Off-Broadway
			Theatre Royal, London
1985	Pack of Lies	Barbara Jackson	Royale Theatre, Broadway
1985–86	Hay Fever	Judith Bliss	Music Box Theatre, Broadway
1991–93	Lost in Yonkers	Grandma Kurnitz	Richard Rogers Theatre, Broadway Royal Strand Theatre, London
1994–95	An Inspector Calls	Sybil Birling	Royale Theatre, Broadway
1996	A Delicate Balance	Agnes	Plymouth Theatre, Broadway
1999	Waiting in the Wings	May Davenport	Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway
2002	All Over	The Wife	Gramercy Theatre, New York City
2005	The Other Side	Levana Julak	Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway
2007	Oscar and the Lady in Pink	Performer	Old Globe Theatre, San Diego
2008			Florence Gould Hall, New York City
2009	The Royal Family	Fanny Cavendish	Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway
2012	The Road to Mecca	Miss Helen	American Airlines Theatre, Broadway
2014	Indian Ink	Eleanor Swan	Laura Pels Theatre, Off-Broadway
2018−19	My Fair Lady	Mrs. Higgins	Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Broadway

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Dark Side of the Moon	Miner Woman (voice role)	PC version for Windows 95/98

Awards and nominations

Film accolades

Academy Award

Year	Title	Category	Results
1994	Tom & Viv	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Nominated

BAFTA Awards

Year	Title	Category	Results
1984	The Ploughman's Lunch	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Nominated

Gotham Awards

Year	Title	Category	Results
2007	Before the Devil Knows You're Dead	Best Ensemble Cast	Won

Critics Choice Film Awards

Year	Title	Category	Results
2008	Before the Devil Knows You're Dead	Best Acting Ensemble	Nominated

National Board of Review

Year	Title	Category	Results
1994	Tom & Viv	Best Supporting Actress	Won

Television accolades

Primetime Emmy Award

Year	Title	Category	Results
1976	Notorious Woman	Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series	Won
1978	Holocaust	Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series	Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

Year	Title	Category	Results
1976	Notorious Woman	Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama	Nominated
1978	Holocaust	Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama	Won

Theatre accolades

Tony Awards

Year	Title	Category	Results
1966	The Lion in Winter	Best Actress in a Play	Won[29]
1972	Old Times	Best Actress in a Play	Nominated[29]
1976	The Royal Family	Best Actress in a Play	Nominated
1984	Heartbreak House	Best Actress in a Play	Nominated
1985	Pack of Lies	Best Actress in a Play	Nominated
1986	Hay Fever	Best Actress in a Play	Nominated
1996	A Delicate Balance	Best Actress in a Play	Nominated
2000	Waiting in the Wings	Best Actress in a Play	Nominated
2010	The Royal Family	Best Featured Actress in a Play	Nominated
2019		Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre	Won

Drama Desk Award

Year	Title	Category	Results
1972	Old Times	Best Performance	Won[30]
1973	A Streetcar Named Desire	Best Performance	Won[30]
1973	The Merchant of Venice	Best Performance	Won[30]
1976	The Royal Family	Actress in a Play	Won
1984	Heartbreak House	Actress in a Play	Nominated
1985	Pack of Lies	Actress in a Play	Won
1996	A Delicate Balance	Actress in a Play	Nominated

Laurence Olivier Award

Year	Title	Category	Results
1981	All My Sons	Actress in a Revival	Nominated
1983	Heartbreak House	Actress in a Revival	Nominated
1993	Lost in Yonkers	Supporting Actress	Nominated

Obie Award

Year	Title	Category	Results
1962	The Tavern, The School for Scandal, The Seagull	Distinguished Performance by an Actress	Won
1965	Judith, Man and Superman, War and Peace	Distinguished Performance by an Actress	Won
2003	All Over	Distinguished Performance by an Actress	Nominated

References

1. Rosemary Harris Film Reference bio. Filmreference.com. Retrieved on 27 August 2011.
2. "anti-aircraft corps | august | smyth pigott | 1919 | 1083 | Flight Archive". Retrieved 5 January 2020.
3. "Rosemary Harris". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
4. Rosemary Harris and the Picture: Madonna of the Slaughtered Jews Archived 15 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Nmia.com. Retrieved on 27 August 2011.
5. Hollywood made in Romania (partea a II-a). eroiiromanieichic.ro (8 December). Retrieved on 13 January 2013.
6. "Interview with Actor Rosemary Harris". Broadway World. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
7. Rosenfeld, Megan (30 March 1986). "Rosemary Harris, Blissfully". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
8. Welsh, Anne Marie (29 September 2007). "Six decades on, Rosemary Harris's career is still in the 'Pink'". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
9. Hischak, Thomas S. (2001). American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1969–2000. Oxford University Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-19-512347-0.
10. Gussow, Mel (27 May 1996). "For Rosemary Harris, A Delicate Balance Of Her Art and Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
11. Gerard, Jeremy (27 January 2015). "Rosemary Harris On 'The Holocaust', Tom Stoppard & Liz Taylor: Conversations With Jeremy Gerard". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
12. Bordman, Gerald; Hischak, Thomas S. (2004). The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Oxford University Press. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-19-516986-7.
13. "National Theatre actress: 'I wasn't a bit nervous'". BBC Online. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
14. Ellis, Samantha (12 March 2003). "Hamlet, National Theatre, October 1963". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
15. "Harris, Rosemary 1927(?)-". encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
16. "Rosemary Harris Biography (1930?-)". filmreference.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
17. See the VHS recording of this performance issued by Arthur Cantor Films, New York.
18. Reich, Ronni (25 February 2014). "Rosemary Harris returns to the New York stage". NJ.com. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
19. Sandomir, Richard (12 April 2018). "John Ehle, Who Rooted His Novels in Appalachia, Is Dead at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
20. Glass, Ira; Secret, Mosi (8 September 2017). "Essay B". This American Life. WBEZ. Retrieved 24 January 2021. A transcript is also available.
21. Kavanagh, Julie; Avedon, Richard (13 May 1996). "Chameleons". The New Yorker. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
22. O'Connor, John J. (12 October 1984). "TV Weekend; Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse'". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
23. "Synopsis of Wit & Wisdom" at Theater Mania
24. North Carolina Award profile Archived 15 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
25. Salfino, Michael (28 June 2017). "Hold On, You're Spider-Man's Aunt May?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
26. Monahan, Mark (25 January 2008). "The face is familiar: Rosemary Harris". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
27. Vine, Hannah (28 September 2018). "First Look at Tony Winner Rosemary Harris in My Fair Lady on Broadway". Playbill. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
28. "Rosemary Harris returns to Broadway in My Fair Lady at Lincoln Center Theater". New York Theater Guide. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
29. "Search Past Tony Award Winners and Nominees". Tony Awards. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
30. "Rosemary Harris – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 5 January 2020.

External links

• Rosemary Harris at IMDb
• Rosemary Harris at the Internet Broadway Database
• Rosemary Harris at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Presenting Rosemary Harris website: articles and images
• Rosemary Harris – Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org