
Rosemary Harris
Biography
Rosemary Harris (born September 19, 1927) is a distinguished English actress with a career spanning over seven decades. Renowned for her work in theater, film, and television, she has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe. Harris is perhaps best known to modern audiences for her portrayal of Aunt May in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007).
Her illustrious stage career includes a Tony Award for Best Actress for her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter (1966). She has also been nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Tom & Viv (1994). Harris was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1986 and received a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017.
Born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England, Harris trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She has been celebrated for her versatility and emotive performances, making her a beloved figure in the world of performing arts.
Rosemary Harris is married to the late American novelist John Ehle, who passed away in 2018. Together, they have a daughter, Jennifer Ehle, who is a celebrated actress known for her roles in Pride and Prejudice (1995) and The King's Speech (2010). Harris's family has been deeply involved in the arts, with her husband contributing significantly to Appalachian literature and her daughter excelling in film, television, and theater.
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Known For
Acting History
2025
Oscar Wilde About America
2020The Undoing as Janet Fraser
2019How Holocaust came to Television as Self
2017Broadway: The Next Generation as Self
2016Search Party as Beatrice
2015The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music as Older Agathe von Trapp
2012This Means War as Nana Foster
2010Radio Free Albemuth as VALIS (voice)
2009The Fall as a reporter
2009Is Anybody There? as Elsie
2008The Monday Before Thanksgiving as Lillian Cotlo
2007Before the Devil Knows You're Dead as Nanette Hanson
2007Spider-Man 3 as May Parker
2004Belonging as May Copplestone
2004Being Julia as Julia's Mother
2004Spider-Man 2 as May Parker
2003Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There as Self
2002Spider-Man as May Parker
2002Behind the Ultimate Spin: The Making of 'Spider-Man' as Self
2001Blow Dry as Daisy
2000The Gift as Annie's Granny
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Francine Brooks
1999Sunshine as Valerie Sors
1999My Life So Far as Gamma MacIntosh
1996Hamlet as Player Queen
1996Looking for Richard as Self - Interviewee
1996The Little Riders as Grandma Roden
1996Death of a Salesman as Linda
1994A Summer Day's Dream
1994Tom & Viv as Rose Haigh-Wood
1992The Camomile Lawn as Calypso (older)
1992The Bridge as Aunt Jude
1991Performance as Margaret Dawlish
1988Crossing Delancey as Pauline Swift
1988Strange Interlude as Mrs. Amos Evans
1983The Ploughman's Lunch as Ann Barrington
1983To the Lighthouse as Mrs. Ramsay
1979The Chisholms as Minerva Chisholm
1978The Boys from Brazil as Mrs. Doring
1978Holocaust as Berta Palitz Weiss
1977The Royal Family as Julie Cavendish
1974Notorious Woman as George Sand
1971Great Performances as Hesione Hushabye
1971Great Performances as Adela Shannon
1968A Flea in Her Ear as Gabrielle Chandebisse
1966CBS Playhouse
1966Blithe Spirit as Elvira Condomine
1964Profiles in Courage as Mary S. McDowell
1963Uncle Vanya as Yelena
1958Wuthering Heights as Catherine Earnshaw
1957Twelfth Night as Viola
1957Suspicion as Sybil Merton
1957DuPont Show of the Month as Lady Edith
1957DuPont Show of the Month as Lucie Manette
1957The Shiralee as Lily Parker
1955Othello as Desdemona
1955Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Louise Rogers
1955Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Louise Rogers / Countess Helen Mattoni
1955Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Dorothy Whitely
1954Beau Brummell as Mrs. Fitzherbert
1952Omnibus
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame as Viola
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame as Margot Wendice
1951Hallmark Hall of Fame as Elvira
1948Studio One as Nora Marsh








