Leonard Harris (actor)

Leonard Harris (September 27, 1929 – August 28, 2011)[1] was an American actor, critic and author. Despite his short acting career, he is well-known for his roles as Senator Charles Palantine in Taxi Driver (1976) and the mayor in Hero at Large (1980).

Leonard Harris
Born
Leonard Jerome Harris

(1929-09-27)September 27, 1929
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 28, 2011(2011-08-28) (aged 81)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, critic, author
Years active1967–1980
Spouse
Mary Ann Wurth
​
​
(m. 1961; div. 1973)​
Children2

Biography

Leonard Jerome Harris was born in the Bronx on September 27, 1929. He graduated from City College and served in the Army at Fort Dix during the Korean War. In 1961 he married Mary Ann Wurth. They had two children: Sarah and David Harris. They divorced in 1973. He also had homes in Stanfordville, N.Y., and West Palm Beach, Fla.

Mr. Harris began his career writing obituaries and book reviews for the Hartford Courant in 1958. In 1966 he became a culture critic at WCBS-TV in New York City, a position he held until 1974. He had three novels published and worked as a television writer later in his career. He served on the Tony Award Nominating Committee in the later 1980s and early 1990s.

Mr. Harris also played the mayor in a 1980 romantic comedy, Hero at Large. His first novel, The Masada Plan, was called "gripping, fast-moving, expertly engineered" by the novelist Meyer Levin in The New York Times Book Review. A fourth novel was published posthumously.

He died on August 28, 2011, in Hartford, Connecticut, aged 81, from complications of pneumonia.[1]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1976Taxi DriverSenator Charles Palantine
1980Hero at LargeMayor(final film role)

Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1967 Eye on Art Narrator Documentary series
Episode: "The Walls Come Tumbling Down"
1973 What's My Line? Himself 1 episode

Bibliography
  • Harris, Leonard (1976). The Masada Plan. ISBN 0517527995.
  • Harris, Leonard (1978). Don't Be No Hero. ISBN 0517532506.
  • Harris, Leonard (1981). The Hamptons. ISBN 0671610007.[2]
  • Harris, Leonard (2014). War Songs. ISBN 978-0-9914438-0-2.

References
  1. Slotnik, Daniel E. (August 31, 2011). "Leonard Harris, Television Critic, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  2. Thomas, Phil (September 27, 1978). "Writer Says Running Exercises Mind Also". Ludington Daily News. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
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