ANITA HARRIS Short Bio Notes
Courtesy New Age Magazine of The Communication Arts

ANITA INFORMATION
In 1999-2000 Anita’s video and book “Anita Harris-Fizzical!” charted number.one. In 2001 she returned to the Summer Record Charts top five with “Trains & Boats & Planes” on“The Best of Bacharach” which remained in the charts through 2002-4. The first of her new Five Album release programme “The Essential Anita Harris” is An ongoing best seller and has registered Number One on many Internet Site Charts. Four Albums are currently in preparation and currently recording for release2005. Including “All Night Long” and “Anita Harris. Essential 2”.

Anita Harris is one of the U.K’s most popular theatre Actresses and a best loved entertainer both with the public and in her profession. She is a multi-award winning Singer, Actress and Entertainer. Among her trophies are awards for “Performer of the Year”, “Concert and Cabaret Performer of the Year” and she has topped the TV Times reader’s poll as “Most popular female Television entertainer”.

In October 2001 Anita received the BACS Gold Badge career tribute from the Academy of Composers and Songwriters. In February 2003 she was chosen as the first woman President of the Heritage Foundation for The Arts and Entertainments. Under her Presidency, first tributes at The Grosvenor House to Buddy Holly and John Lennon were innovative theatre pieces and an outstanding sell-out success. Followed by a series of tribute shows including “Spike Milligan”, “Harry Secombe” and others. Anita is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Anita Harris-Presenter
BBC TV. ITV. Hosted her own shows. QVC Shopping Channel, for Slendertone products and Recorded Music product. Sold well over £9.million Slendertone units on QVC and the related Direct response magazine advertisements directly attributable to Anita’s endorsement power. Has also been chosen to front Television commercials and Corporate presentations by Daimler Benz, Woolworths, Bisto Gravy, Ford Motor Company, Mazda Cars, BMW, Mercedes Truck Division, Oki-Phone and a host of other multi-nationals. Anita is acknowledged as a leading female Corporate Entertainer and Presenter.

Additional – Anita Harris-Speaker.
Much in demand as an after dinner speaker.
Chosen by the Water Rats Comic Society to make the Grosvenor House signature speech on behalf of the Ladies. 2001.
Returned November 2002 to perform at the Water Rats Christmas Ball.
Returned December 2003 for second signature speech on behalf of the Ladies at the Water Rats Christmas Ball.
November 2004 chosen to address The Distinguished Society of Publishers & Printers

Recent speaking engagements include
The Jubilee Lunch of The Toastmasters Association for HRH Duke of Edinburgh.
Hosting and Performing -The Variety Club Christmas Lunch 2002-3.
Lancashire Power Ladies Lunch 2003.
Heritage Foundation Hilton Hotel Staged tribute to Terry Scott. 2003
The 2003 Heritage Theatre, Television & Performing Arts Awards.
The 2004 Heritage Theatre, Television & Performing Arts Awards.
2004 Sir Harry Secombe Tribute
Recent Anita Speeches:- The Society of Printers and Publishers at SAVOY PLACE. (Previous speakers include Peter Ustinov, Maureen Lipman, Ronnie Corbett – and historically, H.G.Wells, John Buchan, J.B.Priestley. The gathering is now famous as The Society of Old Friends).

Most recent engagements – Hosting and performing
Hosting and Performing - John Lennon Tribute Show - April 2003
Pizza on The Park “Broadway” season – June 2003
Hosting and Performing - 2003 Heritage Annual Awards – June 2003
Hosting and Performing – Spike Milligan Tribute Show – July 2003
Co-Hosting with Greg Dyke – “BBC’s Path of Fame” – September 2003
Hosting and Performing – Heritage Foundation Christmas – November 2003
Hosting and Performing – “Carry On” Tribute March 2004
Hosting and Performing – “Dad’s Army”Tribute” March 2004
Hosting and Performing – “Harry Secombe Tribute” March 2004
Hosting and Performing – “P.J.Proby” Tribute April 2004
Performing – Royal Lancaster Concert for UNICEF. May 2004
Hosting and Performing – “MIckie Most” Record Industry Tribute May 2004
Hosting and Performing – “The Heritage Television Awards” June 2004
Hosting and Performing – “Radio & TV of The Forties & Fifties” Sep 2004
Hosting and Performing – “Celebrating 21 years of “The Bill” Oct 2004
Hosting and Performing – “The Heritage Television Awards” June 2004
Hosting and Performing - “Heritage tribute to 40’s & 50’s Radio & Television
Hosting and performing - “Heritage tribute to Eric Sykes
Other recent appearances – Buckingham Palace
Farnborough Air Show 2004
Pizza on The Park Christmas Season Dec 2004

Leading Roles:
Plays. Include:
Rachel Ashley in “My Cousin Rachel” [Du Maurier]
Gillian Holroyd in“Bell Book & Candle” [John Van Druten]
Anna in“Verdict” & Laura in“The Unexpected Guest” [Agatha Christie]
Elizabeth in“House of Stairs”- [Ruth Rendal]
Myra in “Deathtrap” [John Van Druten}
Sheila in“Suddenly at Home” [Francis Durbridge]
Mavis in“Steppin’ Out” [Richard Harris]
Peter in“Peter Pan” [J.M.Barrie]
Phillipa with Simon Ward in“Double-Double” the Reece-Elice 2-Hander

Leading roles in Musicals include:
Grizabella in“CATS” [Lloyd Webber/Elliott/Nunn]
Vesta Tilley in“Bertie” [Margolis/Clayton]
Florence Nightingale in“Nightingale” [McKenna/Brown)
Peter Pan in“The Millennium Peter Pan” [Barrie/Margolis/Clayton]
Herself in“The Act” [Margolis/Clayton] Herself in“The Second Act” [Margolis/Clayton] Herself in“The Third Act” [Margolis/Clayton]
Morgiana in“The Jazzomime” [Margolis/Clayton]

Television Drama
Beatrice Lillie in“Remember Jack Buchanan” (HTV)
‘Anonymous’, the murderess in“The Breakdown” (BBC)
Ann in“The New Forest Rustlers” (Meridian)
Nanosecond in“Time Witch” (Hopscotch)
Ninotchka in“Toksvig” (HTV)

Fact File: Anita has performed for Leonard Bernstein, singing his “Mass” at the Barbican Bernstein Concert. She has recorded with leading British Musicians and orchestra’s, from The New World Symphony Orchestra and The BBC Concert Orchestra to the Jazz trios of Dudley Moore and Kenny Clayton. Concerts and cabaret, have taken her across the world from Vegas to Rio, from Cannes to The Hague. She has performed seven Royal Command Performances and her international record sales are in the multi-millions, Anita is a Songwriter in her own right, a celebrity columnist, a published critic and a hit Cookery Book authoress.

Her work with Thames Television is famous, from her seven year teaming with David Nixon on “Magic Box” to her own top rated Childrens Television musical sit-com “Jumbleland” which achieved the highest Jictar audience ratings for a children’s television programme and a citation and Gold Award from the Canadian Government for “its exceptional quality, ingenuity and the values it set for children”.

Additional general & specific.
Critical acclaim greeted Leading Role portrayals in a wide range of hit Plays including “My Cousin Rachel”, “Steppin’ Out”, “Bell Book and Candle” and Ruth Rendall’s dark drama “House of Stairs”. She is a famous “Grizabella” of “CATS” (her performances are lauded by special exhibit in the Theatre Museum of The Performing Arts). Anita’s BBC2 TV Special “The Television Machine” was the hit of the Montreaux Festival and her innovative long running one-woman stage show “The Act” won seventeen theatre awards and “Video of the Year”. Her “Millennium Peter Pan” at the 2000 seater Manchester Palace Theatre broke all box office records. Anita’s performance as ‘Pan’ was described by Critics as “exquisite magic, energy and power. Brilliant!”

Films include the classic farces “Carry on Doctor” and “Follow that Camel”. She portrayed Beatrice Lillie in “Remember Jack Buchanan” which won The Golden Palm at the New York Film Festival. Recently co-starring with Simon Ward in the smash hit Stage production “Double Double” (a complex thriller of mind-twists and turns written for two actors).

Anita holds many gold and silver disc trophies for international chart successes and a double gold for two million plus sales of her record breaking hit “Just Loving You”. Sony released a sell-out 52 track retrospective. Anita is currently recording four new albums and preparing a further series of Albums for Right Records.

“The Essential Anita Harris” was released 2003 and remains a current best seller. Anita has starred frequently at the London Palladium. In France her open-air concert performances at the Cannes Palm Beach Casino earned her the soubriquet “The flaming Comet”. Anita’s five award winning seasons at “The Talk of The Town” are legendary. Across the board rave reviews both in U.K and USA and the all-time attendance records, (frequently several hundred over the legal limit, with the over-run audience standing around the balconies). Her first television award participation was “The Big Band Show” with the Ted Heath Band, which won the Golden Rose of Montreaux for BBC Television.

In the Advertising field her endorsement of Slendertone Body Toning made the brand the market leader with £multi-million sales, She has also endorsed and appeared for Ford, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Bisto, Woolworths, and other multi-nationals in commercials and trade concerts.

Theatre, Film, Television, Corporate, Endorsement and Commercials
PETER CHARLESWORTH & ASSOCIATES
68 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LQ
Telephone: 020-7581 2478
Fax: 020-7589 2922
E-mail: info@petercharlesworth.co.uk
E-mail: petercharlesworth@tiscali.co.uk