Liz Harris

For the Portland, Oregon musician named Liz Harris, see Grouper (musician).
Liz Harris
Born Elizabeth Harris
Occupation Stage and television actress
Years active 1962-1993
Spouse(s) Leonard Teale (1968-1994)

Elizabeth "Liz" Harris is a retired Australian 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 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

Elizabeth 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 and made several guest appearances on Homicide between 1965-66.[2] She also starred in a second children's series, Adventure Island (1967) with co-star Ernie Bourne (replacing original host Nancy Cato who had been injured during production),[3] in what became her breakout role as the series heroine Lisa,[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 cult soap opera Prisoner.[9][10] Although she appeared on the series briefly, Harris had a memorable role as an alcoholic wife of a businessman.[11] She is eventually sent to prison for running over her husband and attempted suicide after it was 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 (1983), 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

Year Title Role Notes
1962 Consider Your Verdict Kath Hutchins 1.76 "Queen Versus Grant"
1965-1966 Homicide Shirley Smith / Libby Hart / Lesley Thorne 2.18 Second Time Around; 3.04 "Three-Headed Dog"; 3.37 "My Brother Must Rest"
1967 The Magic Circle Club Host
1967 Adventure Island Liza 1967-1972
1968 Hunter Suzette 1.43 "The VC Bullet"
1973 The 40s in Swing Time
1976 Alvin Purple Miriam 1.03 "Like Son, Like Father"
1979 King's Men 1.08 "Crusade"
1982 Sons and Daughters Margaret Selmar 3 episodes
1982 Prisoner: Cell Block H Sally Dempster 8 episodes
1983 Skin Deep Emily Sorensson Television film
1982 A Country Practice Carol Glover 2.13 "A Little Knowledge"
1985 A Country Practice Dee Dee Macrae 5.15 "Seasons Come and Seasons Go"
1985 Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe Valda Marshall Television miniseries
1987 Relative Merits Television miniseries
1989-1991 A Country Practice Clover Owen-Jones
1993 G.P. Shirley Harrison 5.06 "A Thousand Flowers"

References

  1. ↑ Storey, Don; Chris Keating (2008). "Consider Your Verdict". ClassicAustralianTV.com. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  2. ↑ Storey, Don (2008). "Homicide Episode Details". ClassicAustralianTV.com. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  3. ↑ Moran, Albert and Chris Keating. Historical Dictionary of Australian Radio and Television. Langham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2007. (pg. 243) ISBN 0-8108-5370-1
  4. ↑ Webb, Carolyn (28 August 2002). "What Nancy did". The Age. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  5. ↑ "Adventure Island". The Memorable TV Guide to Australian TV. MemorableTV.com. 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  6. ↑ "Adventure Island". Milesago.com. 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  7. ↑ Zuk, T. (14 February 2006). "Adventure Island". Australian Television Information Archive. AustralianTelevision.net. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "Liz Harris (left) and two unidentified actresses in rehearsal for the St. Martin's Theatre production of Oh What a Lovely War". National Library of Australia. MusicAustralia.org. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  9. ↑ 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
  10. ↑ 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
  11. ↑ "1980". Prisoner: Eight Years Inside. Aussie Soap Archives. 1996. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  12. ↑ "PCBH Characters, Section 33". WWWentworth.co.uk. 3 March 2001. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  13. ↑ "Actor Page H". Prisoner Cell Block H Escapees. ThatEden.co.uk. 2002. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
  14. ↑ Zuk, T.; Tracy Wells (1998). "A Country Practice: episode guide". Australian Television Information Archive. AustralianTelevision.net. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  15. ↑ "Fighting films stars Jack Thompson". Maritime Union of Australia. 19 January 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
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