Anita Madeleine Harris (born 3 June 1942) is an English actress, singer and entertainer. Harris sang with the Cliff Adams Singers for three years from 1961 and had a number of chart hits during the 1960s. She appeared in the '' Carry On'' films '' Follow That Camel'' (1967) and '' Carry On Doctor'' (1967).

Early life and career

Harris was born in Somerset; her family moved from Midsomer Norton to

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when she was seven. She won a talent contest at the age of three. However, it was her penchant for

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...

which led to her performing career: she began skating at the neighbourhood rink, eventually becoming a regular at the Queens Ice Rink in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Seen by a talent scout shortly before her sixteenth birthday, she was offered a chance to skate in

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or to travel to

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, where she would be a dancer in a chorus line. She accepted the latter, and danced at the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas. "We did three shows a night and on the 12th night, we had the night off", she said years later. On returning to the UK in June 1959, she performed in a vocal group known as the Granadiers, and then spent three years with the Cliff Adams Singers. She was still in her teens when John Barry's manager, Tony Lewis, offered her a recording contract with EMI in 1961 and she made her first recordings with the John Barry Seven, a group which was a successful chart act. This first single, a double

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

of "I Haven't Got You", written by

Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was an English writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's "Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...

and "Mr One and Only", was issued in October 1961, but did not reach the charts. Subsequent to their meeting, when they both auditioned for a musical revue, Mike Margolis and Harris formed a personal and professional relationship, marrying in 1973. He became her manager and wrote the songs which served as her second and third singles: "Lies"/"Don't Think About Love" (Vocalion, September 1964) and "Willingly"/"At Last Love" (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, February 1965). In January 1965, she performed at the San Remo Music Festival, although her duet with Beppe Cardile, "L'amore è partito", failed to reach the finals. She made her label debut for

Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

with the May 1965 release " Trains and Boats and Planes"; however, rival versions by both the song's composer

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

(with vocals by the Breakaways) and Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas eclipsed her recording. She had four subsequent releases on Pye, including the only evident recording of the Burt Bacharach/

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

composition "London Life".

Recording artist

In 1966, she moved to CBS Records, where her debut release was also her debut album, ''Somebody's in My Orchard''. Her chart breakthrough came in the summer of 1967 with the single " Just Loving You", a Tom Springfield composition which singer

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

had suggested her brother give to Harris after the two women had performed on the same episode of ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

''. Recorded at

Olympic Studios Olympic Studios was a British independent recording studio based on Church Road, Barnes, Church Road, Barnes, London, Barnes, London. It is best known for its recordings of many artists throughout the late 1960s to the first decade of the 21st ...

in a session produced by Margolis and featuring harmonica virtuoso Harry Pitch, "Just Loving You" had been released in January 1967 but did not reach the UK Top 50 until 29 June 1967. Even after peaking at No. 6 on 26 August 1967, "Just Loving You" remained in the UK Top 40 until the end of the year, and was reported to have accumulated UK sales of 625,000 in six months, Besides charting at No. 18 in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, "Just Loving You" was a Top Ten hit in

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, where sales reached 200,000 copies. The disc was released in September 1967 in the

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, where it rose to No. 20 on the "

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

" chart in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' and approached the mainstream Pop "

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

" chart. It rose no higher than No. 120 on the "

Bubbling Under Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main Billboar ...

" chart. In January 1968, Harris made her only appearance on the UK album chart when her ''Just Loving You'' album reached No. 29. The sustained interest in "Just Loving You" predicated a mild chart impact for her follow-up single "The Playground", released in September 1967. This reached its chart peak of No. 46 by 28 October 1967, the same week "Just Loving You" (which had dropped out of the Top 20 at No. 21) returned to the Top 20 for three more weeks. However, she did score a substantial hit with her 5 January 1968 release, a remake of the standard " Anniversary Waltz", which spent eight weeks in the UK Top 40, peaking at No. 21. After just missing the UK Top 50 with the single "We're Going on a Tuppenny Bus Ride" (released 17 May 1968), she made her final chart appearance with her rendition of " Dream a Little Dream of Me". Released on 26 July 1968, her single version peaked in the UK Top 50 at No. 33, whilst the Mama Cass Elliot version peaked at No. 11. A third album, ''Cuddly Toy'', was released in 1969. In 2012, she recorded a jazz swing version of "

Fairytale of New York "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was writ ...

" with

Ray Dorset Raymond Edward Dorset (born 21 March 1946) is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, and founder of Mungo Jerry. He composed most of the songs for the band, including the hit record, hit single (music), singles "In the Summertime", "Baby Ju ...

, the duet being credited to

Mungo Jerry Mungo Jerry (formerly known as Mungo Jerry Blues Band) are a British rock band formed by Ray Dorset in Ashford, Middlesex, in 1970. Experiencing their greatest success in the early 1970s, with a changing line-up always fronted by Dorset, the ...

and Anita Harris. It was released as a streaming-only single.

Television, stage and film career

Since 1961, Harris has made numerous television appearances, mostly as a performer, occasionally as an actress, and her few film roles included a cameo as a casino singer in '' Death Is a Woman'' (1966) and co-starring roles in the comedy films '' Follow That Camel'' (1967) and '' Carry On Doctor'' (1967). Harris gained her role in the latter film while working in a revue, ''Way Out in Piccadilly'' with

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

. Backstage, he introduced her to the producer and director of the series, resulting in the decision to cast Harris as well as Howerd. In December 1970,

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

debuted the children's television series ''Jumbleland'', which she co-produced and in which she starred as Witch Witt Witty. Harris worked with magician David Nixon for eight years in the 1970s. She appeared on the '' Morecambe and Wise Show'' in 1971 and 1973. In 1981, she was in the line-up for the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

, and sang " Burlington Bertie from Bow". This performance was reprised at the Queen Mother's 90th birthday celebration at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

, in 1990, in the presence of the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

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and the

Duke of Edinburgh Duke of Edinburgh, named after the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, is a substantive title that has been created four times since 1726 for members of the British royal family. It does not include any territorial landholdings and does not pr ...

in a large company of artistes presenting music hall, featuring many well known television and stage personalities. The same tribute to the star she had presented several times on the BBC's variety show, '' The Good Old Days''. She was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' on 6 January 1982, having been surprised by Eamonn Andrews at London's Talk of the Town. Other television appearances up to 2001 included ''Boom Boom: The Best of the Original Basil Brush Show'', '' French & Saunders'' and '' Bob Monkhouse: A

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Tribute''. From the early 1970s, Harris toured in several editions of her one-woman stage show which, as ''Anita Harris in the Act!'', was broadcast in 1981. It was essentially a recording of her performance at the Talk of the Town. In 1982, she was named Concert Cabaret Performer of the Year by the

Variety Club of Great Britain Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927. History On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...

. Whilst a frequent star of

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

over the years, she made a debut in legitimate theatre in 1986 when she assumed the role of

Grizabella Grizabella the Glamour Cat is a main character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Cats''. Lonely and decrepit, Grizabella seeks acceptance from the other Jellicle cats but is initially ostracised. She sings the most famous song from the music ...

in the West End production of ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' for a two-year tenure, with subsequent credits including '' Bell, Book and Candle'', '' Deathtrap'', '' Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners'', ''

Verdict In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In England and Wales ...

'' and the stage dramatisations of '' House of Stairs'' and '' My Cousin Rachel''. Additionally, she co-starred with

Alex Ferns Alexander Ferns (born 13 October 1968) is a Scottish actor and television personality. His role in ''EastEnders'' as Trevor Morgan from 2000 to 2002 was described as "Britain's most-hated soap villain". He also played the role of Rick Harper ...

, Will Thorp,

Colin Baker Colin Charles Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor. He played Paul Merroney in the BBC television drama series ''The Brothers (1972 TV series), The Brothers'' from 1974 to 1976 and the Sixth Doctor, sixth incarnation of The Doctor (Do ...

and Leah Bracknell in the UK tour of the stage adaptation of '' Strangers on a Train'' in 2006. She portrayed

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born in 1 ...

in ''G and I'' at the New End Theatre in the spring of 2009. In 2010 she starred with Brian Capron in the UK national tour of '' Stepping Out''; having previously played the leading role of Mavis, she now took on the part of Vera. She toured with a new one-woman stage show: ''An Intimate Evening With Anita Harris'' in 2013 and appeared in a production of the

Emlyn Williams George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor. Early life Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flintshi ...

play ''A Murder Has Been Arranged'' at the Grand Theatre,

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

, in July 2013 and at Malvern Festival Theatre in August of that year. In 2014, Harris appeared in a guest role in the BBC drama, ''Casualty''. She continues to perform with her band around the country, including at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, London. She performed in

over Christmas 2014–15, appearing as the wicked Baroness in a production of ''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' at the Grand Opera House in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. "I've played Aladdin, Jack and Dick Whittington and Robinson Crusoe. I've loved playing principal boy and I'm sorry that boys are now playing that role", she told a York press meeting at the time. During 2016, Harris toured with her show, ''An Evening with Anita Harris'', across the UK. With musical accompaniment, she shared anecdotes from her life in showbusiness, the people she has met and the places she has been. She also appeared in ITV's ''Last Laugh in Vegas'', and was a contestant in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's '' Celebrity MasterChef 2018''. In 2019, Harris guest starred in the first episode of Series 20 of ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'', entitled "The Ghost of Causton Abbey" as Irene Taylor, an accomplice to the killer. She guest starred as a medium called Shyanna in an episode of ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' which aired in August 2019. Harris starred in the UK tour of ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'', alongside John Partridge, from August 2019 to early 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Singles

*"I Haven't Got You" / "Mr. One and Only" (Parlophone R 4830) – 1961 *"Lies" / "Don't Think About Love" (Vocalion V 9223) – 1964 *"Willingly" / "At Last Love" (Decca F 12082) – 1965 *" Trains and Boats and Planes" / "Upside Down" (Pye 7N 15868) – 1965 *"I Don't Know Anymore" / "When I Look at You" (Pye 7N 15894) – 1965 *"London Life" / "I Run to Hide" (Pye 7N 15971) – 1965 *"Something Must Be Done" / "Funny Kind of Feeling" (Pye 7N 17069) – 1966 *" Just Loving You" / "Butterfly With Coloured Wings" (CBS 2724) – 1967 – UK No.6 / US Easy Listening No.20 / US Pop No.120 *"The Playground" / "B.A.D. For Me" (CBS 2991) – 1967 – UK No.46 *" Anniversary Waltz" / "Old Queenie Cole" (CBS 3211) – 1968 – UK No.21 *"We're Going on a Tuppenny Bus Ride" / "Artie" (CBS 3468) – 1968 *" Dream a Little Dream of Me" / "The Flying Machine" (CBS 3637) – 1968 – UK No.33 *"Le Blon" / "Dusty Road" (CBS 3765) – 1968 *" Loving You" / "Ferdinand and His One Man Band" (CBS 4157) – 1969 *" I'll Never Fall in Love Again" / "Love is Everywhere" (CBS 4467) – 1969 *"The Only One To Love Me" / "When You Were A Child" (CBS 4845) – 1970 *"Jumbleland" / "Late Night Final" (CBS 5377) – 1970 *"Genesis" / "Put on a Little Music" (Columbia DB 8846) – 1971 *"I Just Need a Lover" / "Music" (Brut Productions 45-1345) – 1971 *"You and I" / "Captain Biscuit" (Columbia DB 8962) – 1972

Albums

*''Somebody's in My Orchard'' (CBS BPG 62894) – 1966 *'' Just Loving You'' (CBS SBPG 63182) – 1967 – UK No.29 *''Anita Harris'' (Marble Arch MAL 761) – 1968 *''Cuddly Toy'' (CBS 63927) – 1969 *''Anita in Jumbleland'' (CBS 64258) – 1970 *''Anita is Peter'' (Golden Hour GH 590) – 1974 *''Love To Sing'' (Warwick WW 5015) – 1976 *''The Best of Anita Harris'' (CBS Embassy 31615) - 1977 *''Feelings'' (Chevron CHVL 117) – 1979 *''A Taste of Honey'' (Columbia 484104 2) - 1996 *''The Essential Anita Harris'' (Right Recordings RIGHT021) – 2003 –

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

EPs

*''Nursery Rhymes For Our Times'' (CBS 6359) – 1967 *''Anita Harris'' (Pye NEP 24288) – 1967 *''Dream a Little Dream of Me'' (CBS 6401) – 1968

References

Sources

External links

Anita Harris biography
*
"Rolling Stones" receive award on the Thames
1965

British Pathé British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

footage of Anita Harris presenting an award to the Rolling Stones. {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Anita 1942 births Living people English television actresses English women singers English television presenters People from Midsomer Norton English film actresses Columbia Records artists Marble Arch Records artists Parlophone artists Pye Records artists Actresses from Somerset Actors from Bath and North East Somerset