Liz Harris Explained

Liz Harris
Birth Name:Elizabeth Harris
Occupation:Actress
Yearsactive:1962–1993

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.

Biography

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

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1976The BushrangerTV film
1984Skin DeepEmily SorenssonTV film

Television

YearTitleRoleType
1962-1966Video VillageHerself - MayoressTV series
1962Consider Your VerdictKath HutchinsTV series, episode 1.76: "Queen Versus Grant"
1965–1966HomicideShirley Smith / Libby Hart / Lesley ThorneTV series, 3 episodes, 2.18 “Second Time Around”; 3.04 "Three-Headed Dog"; 3.37 "My Brother Must Rest"
1966Australian PlayhouseTV series, 1 episode
1967The Magic Circle ClubHostTV series, 555 episodes
1967-1972Adventure IslandLiza / PrincessABC TV series, 876 episodes
1967The Barry Creyton ShowGuest TV series
1967Bassey At ChequersGuest - Herself & Leonard TealeTV Concert special
1968HunterSuzetteTV series, episode 1.43: "The VC Bullet"
1969-1970In Melbourne TonightGuest TV series, 9 episodes
1969; 1970Sounds Like UsHerselfTV series, 2 episodes
1970Australia's Celebrity GameContestant TV series, 1 episode
1970The Mike Walsh ShowGuest - HerselfTV series, 1 episode
1972I've Got A SecretHerself - GuestTV series, 1 episode
1972Bobby Limb's Sound Of ChristmasGuest - Herself & Leonard TealeTV special
1973The Graham Kennedy ShowGuestTV series, 2 episodes
1973The 40s in Swing TimeHerself TV series, 6 episodes
1976Alvin PurpleMiriamTV series, episode 1.03: "Like Son, Like Father"
1976This Is Your LifeGuest - HerselfTV series, 1 episode "Leonard Teale"
1976King's MenTV series, episode 1.08: "Crusade"
1978; 1979The Mike Walsh ShowGuest - HerselfTV series, 1 episode
1979The Mike Walsh ShowGuest - HerselfTV series, 1 episode
1982Sons and DaughtersMargaret SelmarTV series, 3 episodes
1982Sally DempsterTV series, 8 episodes
1982; 1985; 1991A Country PracticeCarol GloverTV series, episode 2.13: "A Little Knowledge"
1983The Mike Walsh ShowGuest - Herself with Sue McIntoshTV series, 1 episode
1985; 1991A Country PracticeDee Dee MacraeTV series, episode 5.15: "Seasons Come & Seasons Go"
1985Shout! The Story of Johnny O'KeefeValda MarshallTV miniseries, 2 episodes
1987Relative MeritsTV miniseries
1989–91A Country PracticeClover Owen-JonesTV series
1991Tonight Live With Steve VizardGuestTV series, 1 episode
1992The Morning ShowGuestTV series, 1 episode
1993; 1994Good Morning AustraliaGuestTV series, 2 episodes
1993G.P.Shirley HarrisonTV series, episode 5.06: "A Thousand Flowers"
1994Homicide... 30 Years OnHerselfTV special
1996The Crawford StoryHerself TV special

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Don . Storey . Chris . Keating . Consider Your Verdict . Classic Australian Television . 2004 . 8 August 2009.
  2. Web site: Don . Storey . Homicide Episode Details . Classic Australian Television . 2005 . 8 August 2009.
  3. Book: Moran . Albert . Chris . Keating . Historical Dictionary of Australian Radio and Television . Langham, Maryland . . 2007 . 243 . 978-0-8108-5370-6.
  4. News: Carolyn . Webb . What Nancy did . . Melbourne, Australia . 29 August 2002 . 8 August 2009.
  5. Web site: Adventure Island . The Memorable TV Guide to Australian TV . 20 July 2011 . 11 February 2019.
  6. Web site: Adventure Island . Milesago . 2004 . 8 August 2009.
  7. Web site: T. . Zuk . Adventure Island . Australian Television Information Archive . 14 February 2006 . 8 August 2009.
  8. Web site: Liz Harris (left) and two unidentified actresses in rehearsal for the St. Martin's Theatre production of Oh What a Lovely War . . . 1968 . 11 February 2019.
  9. [Museum of Broadcast Communications]
  10. Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps: Behind the Scenes of Australia's Best Loved TV Shows. Melbourne: Pluto Press Australia, 2004. (pg. 138)
  11. Web site: Prisoner: Eight Years Inside . Aussie Soap Archives . 1996 . 28 June 2009.
  12. Web site: PCBH Characters, Section 33 . Who's Who in Wentworth . 3 March 2001 . 28 June 2009.
  13. Web site: Actor Page H . Prisoner Cell Block H Escapees . 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171011153325/http://www.thateden.co.uk/prisoner/actorh.htm . 11 October 2017.
  14. Web site: T. . Zuk . Tracy . Wells . A Country Practice: episode guide . Australian Television Information Archive . 1998 . 8 August 2009.
  15. Web site: Fighting films stars Jack Thompson . https://web.archive.org/web/20120223121317/http://www.mua.org.au/news/fighting-films-stars-jack-thompson/ . . 19 January 2004 . 23 February 2012.

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