"Over a long, checkered career that has encompassed everything from such classics as The Unforgiven to the dregs of Orca, lanky, blue-eyed Richard Harris has brought his unique, earthy charisma to every role he has inhabited. Born in Limerick, Ireland, where he was a noted rugby player as a youth, Harris studied classical acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, making his stage debut in The Quare Fellow in 1957. Two years later, Harris made his screen debut in Alive and Kicking. Starring roles followed, but Harris earned recognition with supporting parts in such major films as The Guns of Navarone (1961) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). In 1963, the actor made good use of his rugby skills as a coal miner who aspires to be an athlete in The Sporting Life. The successful drama earned him a Best Actor award at Cannes and an Oscar nomination."
