Lisa Harrow (born 25 August 1943) is a New Zealand

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

-trained actress, noted for her roles in British theatre, films and television. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Nancy Astor in the British BBC television drama '' Nancy Astor''.

Early life

Harrow was born in the

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

suburb of Mount Eden on 25 August 1943, the daughter of Kennedy Mayo Harrow and Eleanor Joan Harrow (née Stacpoole). She studied at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, and later graduated from

in 1968, joining

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

's Repertory Company.

Acting career

Theatre

Harrow's stage career started at the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

; roles there included Olivia in John Barton's production of ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' opposite

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

, and Portia in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' opposite

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

. Other leading roles in the UK theatre include

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist Ro ...

opposite

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lord Montague, Lord Montague and his wife, Characters in Romeo and Juliet#Lady Montague, Lady Montague, he ...

at the Belgrade Theatre in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, and Ann Whitfield in '' Man and Superman'' opposite Peter O'Toole at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. Harrow has performed on stage all over America. She took over the central role of Vivian Bearing in the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winning play '' Wit'' in its long-running

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production in New York City. She was named 2001 Performer of the Year in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

for ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

''. Other roles include: Raynevskya in ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'' at Yale Rep and the Chautauqua Theatre Company, where she also played Kate Keller in ''

All My Sons ''All My Sons'' is a three-act play written in 1946 by Arthur Miller. It opened on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre in New York City on January 29, 1947, closed on November 8, 1947, and ran for 328 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan ...

.'' She played Creusa in the Washington

Shakespeare Theatre Company The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a Regional theater in the United States, regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the William Shakespeare, Shakespeare canon, but its seasons inc ...

's 3 October 2009–4/12/2009 production of

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

's '' Ion''.

Television and film

Harrow is known for playing Nancy Astor, the first woman to take her seat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

, in the 1982

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 ...

drama '' Nancy Astor''. It aired in the United States in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions. Many of these ...

''. Her first film role was in the Italian film '' The Devil Is a Woman'' (1974) starring

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (9 May 1936 – 15 June 2023) was an English actress and politician. Over the course of her distinguished career she received List of awards and nominations received by Glenda Jackson, numerous accolades including two Academy ...

. Also in 1976, she featured in an episode of '' Space: 1999'' as Anna Davies in ' The Testament of Arkadia'. Harrow played Helen Alderson in the film adaptation of

James Herriot James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to En ...

's book '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1975), starring alongside Simon Ward and

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

. She reprised the role the following year in the sequel '' It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'', this time opposite

John Alderton John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English retired actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Thomas & Sarah'', '' Wodehouse Playhouse'', '' Little Miss'' (original television series), '' Please Sir!'', '' ...

and Colin Blakely. Harrow guest-starred in '' The Professionals'' as a counsel arguing at a Court of Inquiry for the disbandment of CI5 in the second-season episode 'The Rack' (1978), written by Brian Clemens. She also starred in the

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

series ''

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

'' as Deputy Controller Lynn Blake. Harrow played journalist Kate Reynolds in the horror film '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) starring

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

, and worked with Neill again in Krzysztof Zanussi's film '' From a Far Country''. She starred in the New Zealand film '' Shaker Run'' in 1985, and played Lizzie Dickinson in the BBC series '' Lizzie's Pictures'' (1987). She won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in '' The Last Days of Chez Nous'' (1992). In 1990, Harrow played the tart-tongued, ignored wife in a cunning family of rich brewers in ''Sins of the Father'', Episode 13 of the ''

Inspector Morse Endeavour Morse, GM, is the namesake character of the series of "Morse" detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, a Detective Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. On television he was portrayed by John ...

'' series for ITV, starring

John Thaw John Edward Thaw (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor in television, stage and cinema, best known for his television roles starring as Detective Inspector Jack Regan in '' The Sweeney'' (1975—78) and as Detective Chief ...

. That year, she also starred in the ABC-TV miniseries adaptation of '' Come In Spinner'', and played the role of Imogen Donahue in ''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'', or simply ''Poirot'' (), is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2020. The ITV show is based on many of Agatha Christie's famous crime fiction series, wh ...

'' ' The Kidnapped Prime Minister'. Her later television performances in Britain was as Kavanagh's wife Lizzie in the series '' Kavanagh QC'', also starring Thaw. She left the programme after the third series (transmitted in 1997) to move to America. In 2014, she played Marion in the New Zealand television series '' Step Dave''. Lisa Harrow ONZM investiture

In the 2015 New Year Honours, Harrow was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the dramatic arts.

Author

Harrow is the author of the environmental handbook ''What Can I Do?'', published in separate editions for Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the United States.

Personal life

In 1980, Harrow met

while filming '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) and the two have a son together. She was married to whale biologist

Roger Payne Roger Searle Payne (January 29, 1935 – June 10, 2023) was an American biologist and environmentalist famous for his 1967 discovery (with Scott McVay) of whale song among humpback whales. Payne later became an important figure in the worldwid ...

(died 10 June 2023), and lived in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, US. Payne was founder and president of Ocean Alliance. He and Scott McVay found that the long, complex and apparently random sounds produced by male humpback whales are actually rhythmic, repeated sequences, and therefore, are properly called ' whale songs'. The couple created a lecture/performance piece called "SeaChange: Reversing the Tide".

Publications

* (pbk. : alk. paper) Includes bibliographical references.

Honours

In the 2015 New Year Honours, Harrow was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the dramatic arts.

Filmography

* '' The Devil Is a Woman'' (1974) as Emilia Contreas * '' Space: 1999'' - Episode : ' The Testament of Arkadia' (1975 – TV) as Anna Davis * '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1975 – TV) as Helen * '' It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'' (1976) as Helen * '' Star Maidens'' (1976 – TV) as Dr Liz Becker * ''1990'' (1978 – TV) as Lynn Blake * ''The Look'' (1978 – TV) as Sonny * ''

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series ...

'' (1980 – TV) as Ann Coggeshall * '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981) as Kate Reynolds * '' From a Far Country'' (1981) as Wanda * '' Nancy Astor'' (1982 – TV) as Nancy Astor * '' Man and Superman'' (1982 – TV) as Ann Whitefield * '' Under Capricorn'' (1983) * '' Other Halves'' (1984) as Liz * '' Shaker Run'' (1985) as Dr. Christine Rubin * '' Lizzie's Pictures'' (1987 – TV) as Lizzie Dickinson * '' Act of Betrayal'' (1988 – TV) as Eileen McGurk * '' Always Afternoon'' (1988 – TV) as Nancy Kennon * '' Nonni and Manni'' (1988–89 – TV) as Sigrid Jónsdóttir * '' Come In Spinner'' (1990 – TV) as Claire Jeffries * ''

'': 'The Sins of the Fathers' (1990 – TV) as Thelma Radford * '' The Last Days of Chez Nous'' (1992) as Beth * ''

'': 'The Kidnapped Prime Minister' (1990) as Mrs. Daniels * '' That Eye, the Sky'' (1994) as Alice Flack * '' Kavanagh QC'' (1995–97 – TV) as Lizzie Kavanagh * ''

Sunday Sunday (Latin: ''dies solis'' meaning "day of the sun") is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. Sunday is a Christian sabbath, day of rest in most Western countries and a part of the Workweek and weekend, weekend. In some Middle Ea ...

'' (1997) as Madeleine Vesey * ''

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

'' (2000) as Miriam * '' Jessica'' (2004 – TV) as Hester Bergman * '' Red Knot'' (2014) as Lisa Harrow * '' Step Dave'' (2014 – TV) as Marion Gray * '' Henry'' (2017) as Joanna * '' The Brokenwood Mysteries'': 'Exposed To The Light' (2021 – TV) as Charlotte Chambers * '' Blind Bitter Happiness Pilot'' (2021 – TV) as Grandma Magsie * '' Destination Love'' (2021 – TV) as Katherine

References

External links

*
Lisa Harrow , Biography, Photos, Movies, TV, Credits , Hollywood.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrow, Lisa 1943 births Living people New Zealand stage actresses New Zealand film actresses New Zealand television actresses Non-fiction environmental writers Actresses from Auckland Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art University of Auckland alumni People from Windsor County, Vermont Best Actress AACTA Award winners Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit