Elizabeth Harris is an Australian retired stage and television actress who appeared on a number of popular television series and films from the mid-1960s up until her retirement in 1993. She is best known for her role as Liza in the 1960s children's television series Adventure Island but also for playing recurring characters Sally Dempster in Prisoner and Clover Owen-Jones in A Country Practice in her later career. She was also the wife of longtime Australian television and radio star Leonard Teale. They married on 18 December 1968.
Liz Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Harris |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1962–1993 |
| Spouse | |
Biography edit
Harris made her television acting debut on Consider Your Verdict in 1962.[1] From 1962 to 1966 she co-hosted an Australian version of Video Village, with Danny Webb, on Channel 7. She was then cast in the children's television series The Magic Circle Club as a recurring character (and later replacing original host Nancy Cato, who had been injured during production), and made several guest appearances on Homicide between 1965 and 1966.[2] She also starred in a second children's series, Adventure Island (1967) with co-stars Nancy Cato and Ernie Bourne,[3] in what became her breakout role as the series heroine "Liza",[4][5][6][7] and Hunter (1968). In July 1968, she also performed at St. Martin's Theatre with Charles Chilton, Joan Littlewood and Ted Allen in a London Theatre Workshop stage production of Oh, What a Lovely War![8]
She took an absence from television acting for several years but made brief appearances on The 40s in Swing Time (1973), Alvin Purple (1976) and King's Men (1979). In 1982, she was cast as Sally Dempster in the seriesPrisoner.[9][10] Although she appeared on the series briefly, Harris had a memorable role as an alcoholic wife of a businessman.[11] Her character is sent to prison for running over her husband and attempts suicide after it is revealed that she was physically abusive to her young daughter.[12]
She also appeared on Sons and Daughters[13] and A Country Practice that same year. Her recurring role as Clover Owen-Jones in the latter series would continue on and off for the next nine years.[14] Harris continued to make television appearances during the 1980s with supporting roles in television films Skin Deep (1984), Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe (1985) and the television series Relative Merits in 1987. Her final television appearance was in G.P. in 1993.
In January 2004, she appeared at a special book signing and screening of Lisa Milner's Fighting Films with Michael Craig and Jack Thompson. Her attendance was in honor of her late husband Leonard Teale who worked with the film company as a voice actor during the 1950s.[15]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Bushranger | TV film | |
| 1984 | Skin Deep | Emily Sorensson | TV film |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-1966 | Video Village | Herself - Mayoress | TV series |
| 1962 | Consider Your Verdict | Kath Hutchins | TV series, episode 1.76: "Queen Versus Grant" |
| 1965–1966 | Homicide | Shirley Smith / Libby Hart / Lesley Thorne | TV series, 3 episodes, 2.18 “Second Time Around”; 3.04 "Three-Headed Dog"; 3.37 "My Brother Must Rest" |
| 1966 | Australian Playhouse | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1967 | The Magic Circle Club | Host | TV series, 555 episodes |
| 1967-1972 | Adventure Island | Liza / Princess | ABC TV series, 876 episodes |
| 1967 | The Barry Creyton Show | Guest | TV series |
| 1967 | Bassey At Chequers | Guest - Herself & Leonard Teale | TV Concert special |
| 1968 | Hunter | Suzette | TV series, episode 1.43: "The VC Bullet" |
| 1969-1970 | In Melbourne Tonight | Guest | TV series, 9 episodes |
| 1969; 1970 | Sounds Like Us | Herself | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1970 | Australia's Celebrity Game | Contestant | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1970 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1972 | I've Got A Secret | Herself - Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1972 | Bobby Limb's Sound Of Christmas | Guest - Herself & Leonard Teale | TV special |
| 1973 | The Graham Kennedy Show | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1973 | The 40s in Swing Time | Herself | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1976 | Alvin Purple | Miriam | TV series, episode 1.03: "Like Son, Like Father" |
| 1976 | This Is Your Life | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode "Leonard Teale" |
| 1976 | King's Men | TV series, episode 1.08: "Crusade" | |
| 1978; 1979 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1979 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1982 | Sons and Daughters | Margaret Selmar | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1982 | Prisoner: Cell Block H | Sally Dempster | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 1982; 1985; 1991 | A Country Practice | Carol Glover | TV series, episode 2.13: "A Little Knowledge" |
| 1983 | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself with Sue McIntosh | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1985; 1991 | A Country Practice | Dee Dee Macrae | TV series, episode 5.15: "Seasons Come & Seasons Go" |
| 1985 | Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe | Valda Marshall | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Relative Merits | TV miniseries | |
| 1989–91 | A Country Practice | Clover Owen-Jones | TV series |
| 1991 | Tonight Live With Steve Vizard | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1992 | The Morning Show | Guest | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1993; 1994 | Good Morning Australia | Guest | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1993 | G.P. | Shirley Harrison | TV series, episode 5.06: "A Thousand Flowers" |
| 1994 | Homicide... 30 Years On | Herself | TV special |
| 1996 | The Crawford Story | Herself | TV special |
References edit
- ^ Storey, Don; Keating, Chris (2004). "Consider Your Verdict". Classic Australian Television. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ Storey, Don (2005). "Homicide Episode Details". Classic Australian Television. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ Moran, Albert; Keating, Chris (2007). Historical Dictionary of Australian Radio and Television. Langham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-8108-5370-6.
- ^ Webb, Carolyn (29 August 2002). "What Nancy did". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ "Adventure Island". The Memorable TV Guide to Australian TV. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Adventure Island". Milesago. 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ Zuk, T. (14 February 2006). "Adventure Island". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ "Liz Harris (left) and two unidentified actresses in rehearsal for the St. Martin's Theatre production of Oh What a Lovely War". Trove. National Library of Australia. 1968. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ Museum of Broadcast Communications (2004). "Prisoner." In H. Newcomb (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Television (Vol. I, 2nd ed.). New York and London: CRC Press. (pg. 1827) ISBN 1-57958-411-X
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps: Behind the Scenes of Australia's Best Loved TV Shows. Melbourne: Pluto Press Australia, 2004. (pg. 138) ISBN 1-86403-191-3
- ^ "Prisoner: Eight Years Inside". Aussie Soap Archives. 1996. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "PCBH Characters, Section 33". Who's Who in Wentworth. 3 March 2001. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "Actor Page H". Prisoner Cell Block H Escapees. 2002. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017.
- ^ Zuk, T.; Wells, Tracy (1998). "A Country Practice: episode guide". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
- ^ "Fighting films stars Jack Thompson". Maritime Union of Australia. 19 January 2004. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012.
External links edit
- Liz Harris at IMDb