Recent Obituaries, Classic Films Only

[CBHagman]

57. Actor/singer/director Noel Harrison, 79.

For some reason I never knew he was the son of Rex Harrison and the father of Cathryn Harrison. The former needs no introduction, and the latter has been in myriad British dramas (Story of a Marriage, Clarissa).

I'd also lost track of him over the years, aside from his appearance in the Henry Jaglom film Déjà Vu.

BBC obit:

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24621444[/url]

The son of the actor Rex Harrison, he was best known for recording the hit song The Windmills Of Your Mind on The Thomas Crown Affair soundtrack.

It won best song at the 1968 Oscars and was later covered by artists including Dusty Springfield.

(SNIP)

He once said, of recording The Windmills Of Your Mind: "It didn't seem like a big deal at the time. I went to the studio one afternoon and sang it and pretty much forgot about it."

Harrison continued: "I didn't realise until later what a timeless, beautiful piece Michel LeGrand and the Bergmans had written. It turned out to be my most notable piece of work."

Here's a nice tribute, and a look at Harrison's multifaceted life:

[url]http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/pleasure-meet-Noel-Harrison-rare-Tinseltown/story-20007299-detail/story.html[/url]

Concealed by Noel Harrison’s modest exterior was the determination not just of a survivor, but of a winner. It may come as a surprise to learn that he represented Great Britain in the Winter Olympics of 1952 and 1956.

He was the British downhill and slalom champion in 1953, followed by winning the giant slalom championship in 1955.

In 1969 Noel decided that he “wanted to get the hell out of Hollywood and do something different”. The celebrity life had lost its excitement; there was a complete lack of anonymity and privacy. In those days, he said, it was bad enough, but nowadays it must be insufferable.

This led to him buying a 320 acre property for $23,000 in Nova Scotia, where his wooden house burnt down. So, after a couple of lessons from a neighbouring farmer in ‘God’s own country’ on how to avoid injuring himself too seriously with his newly bought and non-Health & Safety-approved chainsaw, he set to and built another one. An example unlikely to be followed by most of today’s ‘celebrities.’

IMDB credits:

[url]http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365786/[/url]