Biography
British actor Jared Harris first won recognition for his riveting portrayal of influential American pop artist
Andy Warhol in the acclaimed
I Shot Andy Warhol (1996). Though he is the son of esteemed British actor
Richard Harris, he showed little interest in following his father's path until he was cast in a college production while attending North Carolina's Duke University during the early '80s. Following graduation, he returned to Britain and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company for several years, before heading back to the states to appear off-Broadway. The actor made his screen debut in
The Rachel Papers (1989). Following his appearances as
Harvey Keitel's slightly retarded shop assistant in
Smoke and its companion piece
Blue in the Face (both 1995), Harris became a familiar face in American independent films, though he still made the occasional foray into mainstream films, appearing in
Lost in Space in 1998. After portraying a sleazy Russian cab driver in
Todd Solondz's acclaimed
Happiness (1998), Harris could be seen in
Michael Radford's B. Monkey, starring opposite
Asia Argento,
Rupert Everett, and Jonathan Rhys Myers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide