- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- Julius W. Harris
- Height1.92 m
- Prior to breaking into films, Philadelphia native Julius Harris worked as a bouncer in New York City. It was due to his many associations with struggling actors, that on a dare, Harris auditioned for his first role, in the well-received picture Un homme comme tant d'autres (1964), in which he played a father in the South, alongside Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln. After, this, Harris' impressive physique and deep voice helped enable him to rack up numerous appearances in the then popular blaxploitation genre.
His strong appearance in supporting roles in such low-budget films as Les nouveaux exploits de Shaft (1972), Super Fly (1972), and Black Caesar, le parrain de Harlem (1973), which helped springboard him into better quality productions. Harris scored a co-starring role in the first Roger Moore James Bond film Vivre et laisser mourir (1973), in which his portrayal of the bald-headed, grinning villain "Tee Hee", with the menacing artificial arm, was one of the more iconic heavies of the entire franchise.
More work quickly followed for Harris, including NYPD "Inspector Daniels" in the original Les Pirates du métro (1974), King Kong (1976), and À la recherche de Mr. Goodbar (1977). In addition to his film work, he was guest-starring in numerous TV shows, including Harry O (1973), Sanford and Son (1972), Cannon (1971), Good Times (1974), and Kojak (1973). Harris continued working throughout the 1980s in a mixture of different character roles, although the 1990s proved to be a leaner period for him.
Julius Harris passed away on October 17, 2004 from heart failure, at the age of 81. He was cremated and then interred in his hometown, and is survived by his daughter (Kimberly) and his son (Gideon).- IMDb mini biography by: firehouse44@hotmail.com (updated by U.N. Owen, and, later, by R.M. Sieger)
- ChildrenKimberly HarrisGideon Harris
- Deep voice and menacing appearance.
- Towering height and heavy frame
- Shaved head
- Served as a United States Army medic in World War II.
- Did the train fight in Vivre et laisser mourir (1973) without a stuntman double.
- Prior to acting, he worked as an orderly, then as a nurse before moving to New York City.
- [interview for the "making of" documentary about Vivre et laisser mourir (1973)] I was going to meet [director] Guy Hamilton. At the meeting he said to me, "What kind of a weapon would you like to have in the movie?" I knew there at the time that I had it. [I said] "I used so many guns, so many knives so why don't you give me something unusual, like a hook?"
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