Photo: Zuzanna Neziri / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Rolf Harris is a genuinely difficult figure for me to write about. There's no denying the breadth of the talent: a painter, singer, composer, and television personality who popularized the didgeridoo and Stylophone and is credited with inventing the wobble board. He collected an OBE, CBE, and Australian honors across decades. But I can't separate any of that from his 2014 conviction in England for the sexual assault of four underage girls. The honors that once celebrated him have since been stripped, and rightly so. To me his story is a sober reminder that public charm can mask real harm.
Overview
Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the invention of the wobble board. He was convicted in England in 2014 of the sexual assault of four underage girls.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rolf Harris
- Name (Japanese)
- ロルフ・ハリス
- Reading
- ろるふ・はりす
- Born
- March 30, 1930 – May 10, 2023
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Horse
- Origin
- Bassendean, Western Australia, Australia
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television presenter / painter / singer / composer / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Western Australia
Awards & achievements
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- Officer of the Order of Australia
- 2001 Centenary Medal
- Member of the Order of Australia
- 1968 Member of the Order of the British Empire
- 1977 Officer of the Order of the British Empire
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Television presenter — see all → · Painter — see all → · More people from Australia →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.