Rex Harrison

Hollywood's well-known star Rex Harrison made bigger news in India when he featured in Shalimar way back in the 1970s, alongside Amitabh Bachchan.

Born on March 5, 1908 in Huyton, Lancashire, England, UK, Sir Reginald Carey Harrison was a British theatre and film actor.

He first appeared on the stage in 1924 in Liverpool. He acted in various stage productions until May 11 of the year in which he died. He acted in the West End of London when he was young, appearing in the Terrence Rattigan play French Without Tears, which proved to be his breakthrough role.

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In 1942 he divorced his first wife, Marjorie Thomas, and married actress Lilli Palmer the next year; the two later appeared in numerous plays and films. After several years in film, he achieved wide success starring in the adaptation of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (1945). That was followed up with his first major American film, starring as King Mongkut in Anna and the King of Siam.

The scandal of his affair with young actress Carole Landis, which led to her suicide, almost derailed his career. Harrison and Palmer divorced in 1957, and he was soon remarried to actress Kay Kendall.

Harrison was best known for his portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady, based on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion, especially after he reprised the role in the 1964 film version. He also starred in 1967's Doctor Dolittle.

Kay Kendall died in 1959, and in 1962 Harrison married actress Rachel Roberts, whom he divorced in 1971. He would marry twice more, his final marriage lasting until his death.

In 1989 he was knighted. He died of pancreatic cancer on June 2, 1990 in New York, USA.

Rex Harrison's Indian Take
Ashanti (1979)
Shalimar (1978)

Filmography
Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna (1986)
Time to Die, A (1982)
Fifth Musketeer, The (1979)
Crossed Swords (1978)
Staircase (1969)
Flea in Her Ear, A (1968)
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Honey Pot, The (1967)
Agony and the Ecstasy, The (1965)
Yellow Rolls-Royce, The (1964)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Cleopatra (1963)
Happy Thieves, The (1962)
Midnight Lace (1960)
Reluctant Debutante, The (1958)
Constant Husband, The (1955)
King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
Four Poster, The (1952)
Long Dark Hall, The (1951)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
Escape (1948)
Foxes of Harrow, The (1947)
Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The (1947)
Anna and the King of Siam (1946)
Rake's Progress, The (1945)
I Live in Grosvenor Square (1945)
Blithe Spirit (1945)
Major Barbara (1941)
Night Train to Munich (1940)
Ten Days in Paris (1940)
Silent Battle, The (1939)
Over the Moon (1939)
Citadel, The (1938)
Sidewalks of London (1938)
School for Husbands (1937)
Storm in a Teacup (1937)
Men Are Not Gods (1936)
All at Sea (1935)
Get Your Man (1934)
Leave It to Blanche (1934)
Great Game, The (1930)