| Rolf Harris |
Harris in November 2010
|
| Born |
(1930-03-30) 30 March 1930 (age 86)
Bassendean, Perth, Australia
|
| Occupation |
Musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, television personality, presenter, actor, broadcaster, painter |
| Years active |
1953–2013 |
| Spouse(s) |
Alwen Hughes (m. 1958) |
| Children |
1 |
Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality.
Harris is widely known for his musical compositions "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport", which later became a Top 10 hit in Australia, the UK, and the United States, and "Jake the Peg". He often used unusual instruments in his performances: he played the didgeridoo; is credited with the invention of the wobble board; and is associated with the Stylophone. During the 1960s and 1970s, Harris became a popular television personality in the UK, later presenting shows such as Rolf's Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital. In 2005, he painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. He lived in Bray, Berkshire, England, for more than six decades.
Harris's career as a popular entertainer was ended by his conviction and imprisonment for sexual offences. In 2014, at the age of 84, he was jailed on twelve counts of indecent assault that took place between 1968 or 1969 and 1986, on four female victims then aged between eight and nineteen. As a result, he was stripped of many of the honours he had been awarded during his career, including the OA and CBE. Since 2014, Harris has been serving a prison sentence of five years and nine months, at HMP Stafford. Harris is currently on trial facing further charges.
Harris was born on 30 March 1930 in Bassendean, Perth, Western Australia, to Agnes Margaret (née Robbins) and Cromwell ("Crom") Harris, who had both emigrated from Cardiff, Wales. He grew up in Wembley, Western Australia. He was named after Rolf Boldrewood, the pseudonym of an Australian writer whom his mother admired. After his later fame, Harris was often referred to as "the boy from Bassendean" within Australia. As a child he owned a dog called Buster Fleabags, about whom he later wrote a book (for the UK Quick Reads Initiative).
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