Richard Harris

Richard Harris – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Discover the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Irish actor Richard Harris (1930–2002). Explore his biography, career highlights, philosophy, and powerful quotes that still inspire today.

Introduction

Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was a towering presence in film, theatre, and music. An Irish actor of rare intensity and eclectic talent, Harris left his mark across genres and generations. From his early dramatic breakthroughs to his iconic roles as King Arthur and Albus Dumbledore, he embodied both the heroic and the haunted. His life was as dramatic as many of his characters: a man of wit, turbulence, passion, regret—and as his witty, candid sayings suggest, enduring self-awareness. In this article, we delve into his upbringing, career arc, philosophy, and the memorable lines he left behind.

Early Life and Family

Richard Harris was born in Limerick, Ireland, on 1 October 1930, to Mildred (née Harty) and Ivan Harris, a flour merchant. He was the fifth of a large brood—some sources describe eight or nine children in the family. The Harris home was relatively comfortable, in a redbrick house in a well-to-do part of Limerick.

He attended Crescent College, a Jesuit school, where he excelled academically and athletically. As a youth, Harris was a talented rugby player, turning out for the Munster junior and senior teams, and for local club sides. However, in his teens he contracted tuberculosis, which curtailed his sporting ambitions.

After recovering, he resolved to pursue a life in performance and art. He left Ireland for London to train in the theatre—but not before enduring early rejections. He auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Central School of Speech and Drama but was turned down as being “too old” at 24. Undeterred, he joined the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). While still a student, he rented a small off-West End theatre (the Irving) and staged a production of Winter Journey (The Country Girl)—bearing the financial risk himself.

After formal training, Harris joined Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop and began working in West End productions and touring theatre.

Youth and Education

Harris’s time at Crescent College instilled in him both discipline and literary appetites. Though his rugby career was cut short, his lifelong fondness for the sport remained strong—he remained an ardent supporter of Munster and attended matches even late in life.

His formal dramatic education at LAMDA helped shape his early approach to voice, movement, and roles. The rejection from other schools may have stoked his resilience—he learned early not to be deterred by “no.” His experience in staging his own production also reflects an early entrepreneurial and experimental streak.

His formative years saw a melding of Irish identity, Jesuit schooling, athletic ambition, and literary interests—a blend that would echo through many of his mature performances, particularly in his portrayals of conflicted, soulful characters.

Career and Achievements

Early Roles and Breakthroughs (1950s–1960s)

Harris made his screen debut in Alive and Kicking (1959) and took supporting roles in Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) and The Guns of Navarone (1961). He also appeared in The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962).

His first starring role came in This Sporting Life (1963), as Frank Machin, a bitter miner-turned-rugby player. His intense, raw performance earned him the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Harris moved into European art cinema next, including a role in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert (1964). He also starred in Major Dundee (1965), The Bible: In the Beginning (1966), and Hawaii (1966).

In 1967, he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of King Arthur in Camelot. He later revived the role on Broadway in 1981.

Maturing Roles and Experimentation (1970s–1980s)

The 1970s saw Harris take on expansive, sometimes controversial roles. In A Man Called Horse (1970) he played an English aristocrat captured by Native Americans. In the same year, he played Oliver Cromwell in Cromwell (1970).

He also dipped into directing (Bloomfield, 1971) and various genre efforts including thrillers (99 and 44/100% Dead), disaster films (The Cassandra Crossing), and poetic works. In parallel, Harris published poetry and experimented in music: his book I, In the Membership of My Days featured poems and songs he wrote.

During the 1980s, Harris retreated partly to the Bahamas, improving his health and reducing his drinking. His career revived later in that decade, especially in theatre, including a celebrated West End run of Luigi Pirandello’s Henry IV.

Late Career and Global Recognition (1990s–2002)

In 1990, Harris returned to cinematic prominence with The Field, a Jim Sheridan film adapted from an Irish play. He received a second Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Through the 1990s and 2000s, he accepted character roles in Unforgiven (1992), Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993), Silent Tongue (1994), Cry, the Beloved Country (1995), and To Walk with Lions (1999).

A pivotal late role was the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator (2000). He then joined the Harry Potter franchise, playing Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001) and Chamber of Secrets (2002). That would be his final on-screen work.

He also appeared as Abbé Faria in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002), his last completed film role.

Through his career, Harris accumulated awards and nominations: he earned two Oscar nominations (for This Sporting Life and The Field), a Cannes Best Actor award, a Golden Globe, and recognition in theatre circles including Olivier nominations.

Historical Milestones & Context

Harris rose to fame in the context of the British New Wave and the post-war realist cinema movement, alongside directors and actors seeking to break from formulaic British studio productions. His gritty naturalism in This Sporting Life aligned with social-realist trends of the 1960s.

His career also intersected with changing norms in celebrity, film finance, global blockbusters, and the rise of franchise cinema. His late turn as Dumbledore connected him to a new generation of viewers and secured his legacy in popular culture.

Additionally, his musical forays bridged film and song: his 1968 rendition of “MacArthur Park” was a hit in multiple countries.

Harris’s life also paralleled evolving attitudes to addiction, health, and reinvention: his later years showed a man confronting mortality, ceding excess, and choosing roles of wisdom and reflection.

Legacy and Influence

Richard Harris remains a revered figure in Irish and international acting history. In 2020, The Irish Times ranked him number 3 on its list of Ireland’s greatest film actors.

In his native Limerick, two life-size statues commemorate him: one as a young squash champion (he was champion in Kilkee from 1948–1951) and another as King Arthur from Camelot.

The Richard Harris International Film Festival, founded in 2013, continues to celebrate cinema in his honour.

His sons—Damian Harris (director), Jared Harris (actor), Jamie Harris (actor)—carry forward his creative legacy into the next generations.

His robust, often flawed, but deeply human performances continue to inspire actors. His lines and interviews still echo in social media and quote collections, signaling a man who refused easy categorization.

Personality and Talents

Harris was known for his larger-than-life persona: witty, brash, charismatic—but also introspective, melancholic, and self-critical. He battled addiction and health challenges, yet also demonstrated capacity for reinvention and reflection.

He had a sharp tongue and sardonic humor: he once quipped, “Jesus is just a word I use to swear with.” He famously said, “I often sit back and think, I wish I’d done that, and find out later that I already have.”

As an actor, he was physical, vocal, emotionally unafraid. He could play demanding leads or support roles with equal conviction. His musical voice—though not classically trained—brought dramatic color to song, especially evident in MacArthur Park.

He also wrote poetry and songs, showing his literary sensibility. He was politically outspoken at times, and unafraid to court controversy.

Harris was at once performer and philosopher, often meditating on purpose, regret, courage, and art. His persona embodied contradictions—a hard drinker who sought sobriety; a king who felt vulnerable; a star who worried about being remembered only for blockbusters.

Famous Quotes of Richard Harris

Here are some of the most memorable quotes attributed to Richard Harris:

“When a man sees his end, he wants to know there was some purpose to his life.”
“Jesus is just a word I use to swear with.”
“I don’t drink because I have problems or I want to escape. I just love drinking and being drunk.”
“I formed a new group called Alcoholics-Unanimous. If you don’t feel like a drink, you ring another member and he comes over to persuade you.”
“I swim in a pool of my own neurosis. I carry love, grief deeply, like an Irishman.”
“I often sit back and think, I wish I’d done that, and find out later that I already have.”
“I turned Hamlet down because it was going to take up too much of my drinking time.”
“Many kids turn to selling drugs. It’s not a good career choice, but they see it as a way to get money.”
“Marriage is a custom brought about by women who then proceed to live off men and destroy them, completely enveloping the man in a destructive cocoon or eating him away like a poisonous fungus on a tree.”
“Probably the most distinctive characteristic of the successful politician is selective cowardice.”

These lines reveal Harris’s self-awareness, wry humor, contradictions, and existential questioning.

Lessons from Richard Harris

1. Embrace risk and self-production. Early in his career, Harris staged his own shows and financed them, favoring action over waiting.

2. Do not be defined by rejection. He persevered after multiple rejections and failures.

3. Live authentically. His quotes show a man who was honest about his flaws, desires, contradictions.

4. Reinvention is always possible. Late in life he shedding destructive habits, embraced new roles, and built a renewed legacy.

5. Art and identity intertwine. His Irish roots, love of literature, and life experiences seeped into his roles and public persona.

6. Legacy matters. Even as he worried about being remembered only for Harry Potter, his greater body of work ensures he is remembered much more broadly.

Conclusion

Richard Harris was more than a film star—he was a force. His life crossed eras of cinema, theatre, music, and cultural change. Though he died in 2002 at age 72 (after a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s disease) , his influence continues. He remains a model of creative courage, emotional honesty, and artistic restlessness.

May his quotations guide you, his performances move you, and his life inspire you to live more fully. Explore more of his unforgettable roles and words—and find your own purpose in the echoes of his legacy.