Richard Harris

Biography

Richard St John Francis Harris (October 1, 1930 – October 25, 2002) was a celebrated Irish actor and singer known for his compelling performances on both stage and screen. His notable film roles include Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's *Red Desert*, Frank Machin in *This Sporting Life*—a performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor—and King Arthur in the 1967 film *Camelot*, which he also reprised in a stage revival in 1981.

Harris portrayed an English nobleman in *A Man Called Horse* (1970), Oliver Cromwell in *Cromwell* (1970), and an Irish farmer in Jim Sheridan's *The Field*, which garnered him a second Oscar nomination. His other significant roles include English Bob in Clint Eastwood's *Unforgiven* (1992) and Marcus Aurelius in *Gladiator* (2000). Additionally, he played Abbé Faria in *The Count of Monte Cristo* (2002) and Albus Dumbledore in the first two *Harry Potter* films. Harris also enjoyed musical success, reaching number one in Australia and Canada with his 1968 hit