Dumbledore actor Richard Harris was found by his son with “face in pound of cocaine”
The hedonistic lifestyle of original Dumbledore actor Richard Harris is the subject of a new documentary set to air on Sky Arts. Featuring interviews with his three songs, Jamie, Jared and Damien, the tell-all sees the trio discuss their relationships with their “unpredictable father,” who was once found with his face in a pile of cocaine by Jamie.
Harris, who passed away in 2002 at the age of 72, was an open book. he was frank about his life in the ’60s and ’70s, decades in which he was taking large amounts of cocaine and drinking heavily. In 1978, the Cromwell actor was forced to go give up drugs after nearly dying from a cocaine overdose.
The Ghost of Richard Harris is set to paint an honest portrait of the actor. In one segment, Jamie recalls the moment he walked in on his father sniffing a pile of cocaine from the floor. “I walked into his bedroom and it was like a scene from Scarface,” he begins. “He’d dropped this pound of cocaine on the carpet and it had burst open and his face was just in the middle of it. He was unpredictable.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, Jared describes a violent altercation with his father in a pub in London’s Covent Garden. “Dad hits the guy with a sucker punch,” he says. “He pretends to put his Guinness down and then leaps up and knocks the man out.
Jared continues: “The guy’s out cold on the floor and his girlfriend’s dancing around, saying ‘You killed my boyfriend!’ So Dad throws his Guinness in the guy’s face and, when he starts to wake, realises, ‘I’m not going to win round two, I have to run out of here quickly.’”
Described as a “candid and revealing insight into the private life and public career of Richard Harris,” The Ghost of Richard Harris is expected to provide a nuanced exploration of one of the most revered, if somewhat contradictory, actors of his generation.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.