Rolf Harris, AO, CBE (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer. He is a musician, a singer-songwriter, a composer, a painter, and a television personality.
Harris, who was born and grew up in Perth, Western Australia, was a champion swimmer before studying art. In 1952, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he started to draw animations for television programmes. Harris soon afterwards began a musical career, initially singing and playing the piano accordion. In 1957, he wrote "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport", which later became a Top 10 hit in Australia, the UK and the United States. While performing in Canada he introduced a longstanding, popular routine around his song "Jake the Peg". Harris often uses unusual instruments in his performances: he plays the didgeridoo, is credited with the invention of a rhythmic percussion instrument, the wobble board, and is associated with the Stylophone, a small electronic keyboard instrument.
During the 1960s he became a popular television personality, later presenting shows including Rolf's Cartoon Club, Animal Hospital and various programmes about serious art. In 2005 he painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which was the subject of a special episode of Rolf on Art.
Read more about Rolf Harris: Early Life, Music and Art, 1982 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, "Stairway To Heaven", Recordings and Appearances, Television Career, Honours
Famous quotes containing the words rolf and/or harris:
“Form and function are a unity, two sides of one coin. In order to enhance function, appropriate form must exist or be created.”
—Ida P. Rolf (1896–1979)
“The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.”
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–1986)