Jared Harris is one of the most successful contemporary British actors. On his account, participation in such popular TV shows as "Crown", "Edge", "Madmen". The most famous films of Jared Harris are the detective "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" and the teenage fantasy "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones". In total, the actor’s creative career has more than 50 films and series.
Biography
Harris was born in London in 1961 and was the middle of three children in the family. His father is Irish actor Richard Harris, his mother is an actress of Welsh descent, Elizabeth Reese-Williams. Jared's older brother Demian is a well-known television director, while Jamie's younger brother follows in the footsteps of his parents and becomes an actor.
Jared Harris earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1983. In the same year, he directed his first film, Darkmoor.
First roles
Harris first appeared on the screen in 1989, playing in the melodrama Dossiers on Rachel. This was followed by a role in Ron Howard's drama Far Far Away. Together with him in the film played Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Despite the stellar cast, the film was mixed with criticism. We were only pleased with the box office - with a budget of $ 60 million, the picture raised 137 million at the box office.
In 1992, Harris played a small role in the historical film "The Last of the Mohicans, " based on the eponymous novel by James Fenimore Cooper. The film won the Academy Award for Best Sound and won critical acclaim.
In 1994, the actor played a supporting role in the criminal thriller Oliver Stone's “Natural Born Killers”. The main roles went to Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson. The film received mixed reviews from critics, some saw a deep philosophical sense in it, while others were unhappy with the abundance of too cruel scenes. Cash collection amounted to $ 50 million with a budget of 34 million.
Further career
In the 90s, Harris starred a lot, but mostly he got the supporting roles. In 1994, the filmography of Jared Harris was replenished with the first horror film - in the vampire horror "Nadia" he played the role of Edgar. A year later, the actor got the role of Jimmy Rose in the drama "Smoke" directed by Wayne Wang. In Wang’s next film, Face Disappointment, the sequel to Smoke, Harris returned to the incarnation of Jimmy Rose's character. At the same time, work began on the Western Legends of the Wild West, in which Harris also got a small role.
The actor played the first major role in his film career in 1996, playing the artist Andy Warhol in the biographical drama "I shot Andy Warhol." The film is partially based on the biography of the radical feminist Valerie Solanas, whose image on the screen embodied Lily Taylor. In commercial terms, the film was not successful - the box office amounted to only $ 2 million.
In 1998, the actor played in the science fiction film "Lost in Space". The director of the picture was Stephen Hopkins, who previously worked on the thriller "Ghost and Darkness".
In 2002, Harris starred with Adam Sandler in the comedy "Millionaire Involuntarily." The film was successful commercially, but both viewers and critics had mixed opinions about it. This film has not been awarded any awards.
The most famous project that the actor worked on is Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Jared Harris played the role of Professor Moriarty. The film became a box office hit, and all fans of the Guy Ritchie franchise are eagerly awaiting the release of the third part.
Jared Harris’s films have usually been popular with viewers, and the teenage fantasy “The Mortal Instrument: City of Bones” was no exception. However, unflattering reviews of film critics put an end to a possible sequel to the picture.
In the horror film "Poltergeist", a remake of the Tobe Hooper film of the same name, Harris played the role of Kerrigan Burke.
In the television filmography of the actor, special attention should be paid to the drama series "Mad Men", on which he worked for three years (from 2009 to 2012). The series was watched by more than 2 million viewers.
In 2016, Harris passed the test and was approved for the role of King George VI in the historical series “The Crown”. For this role, the actor was awarded several awards by the British Film Academy.
Harris is currently working on the mini-series Terror, based on Dan Simmons' best-selling novel.
