Singer who left slopes to take to stage and screen
SINGER, ACTOR, OLYMPIAN
29-1-1924 - 19-10-2013
British actor-singer Noel Harrison, best known for his recording of the Oscar-winning ballad The Windmills of Your Mind and as secret agent Mark Slate in the 1960s TV series The Girl from U.N.C.L.E, has died at the age of 79.
Harrison suffered a heart attack at his home in Ashburton, Devon, in England after performing at the village of Black Dog in Devon.
His wife, Lori Chapman, told the Press Association: "He will be loved and missed by more people than I ever knew."
The son of actor Rex Harrison and his first wife, Collette Thomas, Harrison was a member of the British ski team and competed in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics. But he soon left the slopes and began playing guitar and singing at nightclubs and bars around Europe before coming to America in 1965.
In 1966, he was cast opposite Stefanie Powers in the lighthearted spy spoof The Girl From U.N.C.L.E, which lasted one season.
His recording of The Windmills of Your Mind, which was used as the theme music from the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair, was a top-10 hit in England. He released several albums, including Collage and Santa Monica Pier.
On his website, Harrison wrote that he didn't like being a celebrity in Hollywood. "There are lots of perks, pretty women all over you, good tables at fancy restaurants . . . but my marriage was crumbling and I felt as if I was exposing my emotional and distressed state in a fishbowl."
He moved to Canada in the early 1970s, toured the US in his father's stage hits My Fair Lady and Blithe Spirit, and returned in the late 1990s to England, where he continued to perform and record.
"We're living in south Devon now, in the west of England," Harrison wrote on his site. "There are grown children from my first two marriages, and grandchildren. I'm writing and playing music and trying to figure out who I am, what I really think, if anything, and if it matters. I'm pretty sure it doesn't. Watch this space."
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
Noel Harrison was a British actor-singer best known for his recording of the Oscar-winning ballad 'The Windmills of Your Mind' and for playing secret agent Mark Slate in the 1960s TV series 'The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'
Noel Harrison was a member of the British ski team and competed in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics before transitioning to a career in music and acting.
Noel Harrison's most famous song was 'The Windmills of Your Mind,' which was used as the theme music for the 1968 film 'The Thomas Crown Affair' and became a top-10 hit in England.
Yes, Noel Harrison had a career in Hollywood, where he starred in 'The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' However, he expressed discomfort with the celebrity lifestyle, describing it as being in a 'fishbowl.'
After leaving Hollywood, Noel Harrison moved to Canada, toured the US with his father's stage hits, and eventually returned to England in the late 1990s to continue performing and recording music.
Noel Harrison spent his later years living in South Devon, England, where he continued to write and play music while reflecting on his life and identity.
Noel Harrison was the son of actor Rex Harrison and his first wife, Collette Thomas. He had grown children from his first two marriages and grandchildren.
Noel Harrison passed away at the age of 79 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Ashburton, Devon, England, following a performance in the village of Black Dog.
Call 1300 880 160
Start a chat
Schedule a call
