From beloved entertainer to disgraced abuser, the rise and fall of Rolf Harris...
He was one of Britain's most beloved stars, a fixture on TV for decades.
Australian Rolf Harris was a singer, artist, presenter and animal lover, he even painted and met the late Queen Elizabeth.
But everything changed and his career came to an abrupt end after he was arrested on charges of indecent assault in 2013. Charges that he was later convicted of in 2014.
Harris is now dead at the age of 93.
This is his rise and fall...
From beloved entertainer to disgraced abuser, the rise and fall of Rolf Harris...
Updated
He was one of Britain's most beloved stars, a fixture on TV for decades. Australian Rolf Harris was a singer, artist, presenter and animal lover, he even painted and met the late Queen Elizabeth. But everything changed and his career came to an abrupt end after he was arrested on charges of indecent assault in 2013. Charges that he was later convicted of in 2014. Harris is now dead at the age of 93. This is his rise and fall...
Early Life
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Born on March 30, 1930, Rolf grew up in the suburbs of Perth in Western Australia. As a teenager Rolf was a champion swimmer and won the Australian Junior Backstroke Champion title in 1946 for competing 100 metres. In 1952, Rolf moved to England where he became a student at City and Guilds of London Art School.
TV Fame
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After finding work at the BBC in 1953 he appeared on children’s show ‘Jigsaw’ on which he carried out a 10-minute cartoon drawing section which was the start of Rolf becoming a fixture on TV screens. Rolf’s other initial stints included a regular spot on ‘Whirligig’ in 1954 and illustrating ‘Paper Magic’ in 1956. Harris briefly returned to Australia in 1959, when TV was introduced to the country, after being headhunted. During his time back Down Under he worked on five episodes of a half-hour weekly children’s programme as well as his own show that had a weekly slot. He then went to work on TBW-7’s first locally produced show ‘Spotlight’ where he recorded the song ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport’.
Musical Success
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Not long after the song was sent to EMI in Sydney where it was released as a single. The novelty track - originally titled ‘Kangalypso’ - featured the distinctive sound of the wobble board and reached Number One in the UK. The fourth verse contains the lyrics "Let me abos go loose, Lou/Let me abos go loose/They're of no further use, Lou/So let me abos go loose" – was removed from later versions of the song after it was deemed a racial slur, which Rolf expressed regret about decades later. Rolf had a number of other hits, including 'Two Little Boys' which was the Christmas Number One in Britain in 1969. Rolf's live shows - which included an appearance at Glastonbury - featured his signature wobble board playing and his didgeridoo talents as well as his unique vocal ticks.
Family Man
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Harris tied the knot with Alwen Hughes – a Welsh sculptor and jeweller he met as an arts student - on March 1, 1958 where her pet poodle was the bridesmaid. The couple had one daughter together, Bindi who was born in 1964.
Friend To Animals
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After becoming a successful TV personality in the 1960s and 1970s, the Aussie star went on to became a fixture on children's television thanks to his shows 'Rolf's Cartoon Time', broadcast on BBC One from 1979 to 1989, and 'Rolf's Cartoon Club', which aired on CITV between 1989 and 1993. From 1994 to 2004, Rolf led the presenting team on BBC One series ‘Animal Hospital’. The show quickly became popular with fans who saw Rolf as a man with a heart of gold concerned with the welfare of the "poor little mites" The series featured many RSPCA hospitals all over the UK.
A Portrait of the Queen
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The BBC commissioned Harris to paint the late Queen Elizabeth II to mark her 80th birthday back in 2006. According to Harris it took well over two months to complete. After being unveiled by Her Majesty in the yellow drawing room of Buckingham Palace where it was hung in her gallery it was then passed to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. However, following Rolf’s arrest the whereabouts of the painting became unknown.
Honors
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In 2012, Rolf was awarded one of Australia’s highest honors as part of Her Majesty’s Birthday Honors List. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia which is equivalent of the UK’s OBE. Rolf was also honored in the UK three times with an MBE in 1968, an OBE in 1977 and a CBE in 2006. The TV star was stripped of his CBE in 2015.
Arrest
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In Mach 2013, Harris was one of 12 people arrested in England as part of Operation Yewtree. The British police investigation looked into historic abuse allegations in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. The investigation, which started in 2012, became a fully fledged criminal investigation and led to the arrest of British public figures.
Conviction and Release
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Harris was convicted in June 2014 at London’s Southwark Crown Court after being found guilty of 12 indecent assaults on minors. One was on an eight year old girl, two on girls in their early teens, as well as a catalogue of abuse against his daughter’s friend that spanned over 16 years. Rolf was originally jailed for five years and nine months, but released in May 2017 after serving only half his sentence. His conviction effectively ended his career. Just five years after the convicted paedophile was put under house arrest by his family after he was caught wandering the school grounds of a primary school and waving at young pupils.
Death
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The disgraced entertainer was diagnosed with neck cancer in 2022, and died on May 23, 2023 aged 93. His family confirmed his passing in a statement that read: "This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest. "They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made." Rolf's death comes in the wake of ITV’s two part documentary ‘Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight’, which focused on his abuse and how he was able to get away with his behavior for so many years.
Originally published on celebretainment.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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