Biography
Dennis Patrick Harrison as a child.
(The following has been modified from an obituary in the New York Times:)
Dennis Patrick Harrison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 14, 1918, and passed away in Hollywood on October 13, 2002. He was well known and respected as an actor and director, and to those lucky enough to have known him he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend.
As a child he tap-danced with his Irish-born father and in WWII made Naval training movies. He made his stage debut in a children's production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" at the Flatbush Theatre in Brooklyn at the age of eight. His first professional job was in "Harvey" in Surrey, Maine. As a teenager during the Great Depression, Dennis worked many different jobs to support himself, mostly hard, heavy labor such as steel mill worker, truck driver and stevedore. He won a scholarship to study drama at St. Joseph's College but he never made it there. Unsure of show business, he worked for a time as a traffic manager for Pan Am Airlines. Actress, Amelia Honora Baines, convinced him to return to theatre. Smitten, he left "hard work" behind forever and never did anything else. He married Amelia on June 1, 1946 and they had two daughters (Michaela and Chris.)
Dennis Harrison was one of 1950's television most recognizable faces. In the year 1950 alone he claimed to have had 52 leading roles on tv within a 26-week period! Dennis narrated the first televised St. Patrick's Day parade. He starred in the first-ever tv production of "MacBeth". He was television's first vampire in a 1951 episode of Stage 13. He won awards for theatrical portrayals in "The Life of Father Flannigan" and "The Life of Thomas Moore". His big break was "The Liar", directed by Alfred Drake. In 1959, Dennis worked behind the camera as director on the NBC daytime psychological drama series "For Better or For Worse." (Later on, Dennis would also direct the Emmy-winning "Gift of Tears" for tv, as well as a big-screen feature film called "Masthead".)
Dennis' chiseled good looks, phenomenal charm, and gifted singing voice brought him to Hollywood using his middle name as his last. As Dennis Patrick, he guest-starred in more than 1,800 television shows (!!!) Although he was known for his darkly handsome good looks, it's not widely known that Dennis' hair turned gray while he was still in his early 20s; he actually dyed his hair for many years for the sake of getting roles, but eventually he let it go natural, saying: "When my face matured, I let it stay gray. It pays more." Gray hair lent him an even more elegant and sophisticated look.
In the 1960s, divorced, he returned to New York appearing in several plays including an award-winning "Marat/Sade". There he met actress Barbara Cason, and they wed on November 7, 1970. They were a quintessential show-biz couple working extensively from coast to coast and sharing everything in their lives with family and friends. Lucky were the guests at homey, funny dinner parties of food, music, laughter, and story telling.
In addition to a myriad of guest-starring roles, Dennis was a regular player in several major series: including "The Secret Storm", "Somerset", "Bert D'Angelo Superstar" with Paul Sorvino; "Dallas", as Vaughn Leland, a chief suspect in the shooting of JR Ewing; and as 2 characters, Jason McGuire & Paul Stoddard, in the cult classic gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows", as well as a third character, Sheriff George Patterson, in the "House of Dark Shadows" feature film. He also had recurring roles in hit tv shows "Eight Is Enough", "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "Bionic Woman". Notable motion picture credits include, "Joe" with Peter Boyle, "Dear Dead Delilah" with Agnes Moorehead, "The Air Up There" with Kevin Bacon, and "The Secret of Nikola Tesla" with Orson Welles.
Dennis continued working following the untimely 1990 death of his beloved wife, Barbara Cason, though he was forever changed. On October 13, 2002, in the house Dennis and Barbara had shared in Hollywood Hills, a fire claimed Dennis and his dog, Josh. A word-loving, voracious reader, who enjoyed life, remembered countless stories and jokes (and had a unique flair for composing limericks!), he was proud, funny, sweet, and eternally in love with Barbara Cason. His ashes were scattered at sea, where Barbara's ashes waited. Josh's ashes went with him.
Dennis Patrick Harrison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 14, 1918, and passed away in Hollywood on October 13, 2002. He was well known and respected as an actor and director, and to those lucky enough to have known him he was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend.
As a child he tap-danced with his Irish-born father and in WWII made Naval training movies. He made his stage debut in a children's production of "H.M.S. Pinafore" at the Flatbush Theatre in Brooklyn at the age of eight. His first professional job was in "Harvey" in Surrey, Maine. As a teenager during the Great Depression, Dennis worked many different jobs to support himself, mostly hard, heavy labor such as steel mill worker, truck driver and stevedore. He won a scholarship to study drama at St. Joseph's College but he never made it there. Unsure of show business, he worked for a time as a traffic manager for Pan Am Airlines. Actress, Amelia Honora Baines, convinced him to return to theatre. Smitten, he left "hard work" behind forever and never did anything else. He married Amelia on June 1, 1946 and they had two daughters (Michaela and Chris.)
Dennis Harrison was one of 1950's television most recognizable faces. In the year 1950 alone he claimed to have had 52 leading roles on tv within a 26-week period! Dennis narrated the first televised St. Patrick's Day parade. He starred in the first-ever tv production of "MacBeth". He was television's first vampire in a 1951 episode of Stage 13. He won awards for theatrical portrayals in "The Life of Father Flannigan" and "The Life of Thomas Moore". His big break was "The Liar", directed by Alfred Drake. In 1959, Dennis worked behind the camera as director on the NBC daytime psychological drama series "For Better or For Worse." (Later on, Dennis would also direct the Emmy-winning "Gift of Tears" for tv, as well as a big-screen feature film called "Masthead".)
Dennis' chiseled good looks, phenomenal charm, and gifted singing voice brought him to Hollywood using his middle name as his last. As Dennis Patrick, he guest-starred in more than 1,800 television shows (!!!) Although he was known for his darkly handsome good looks, it's not widely known that Dennis' hair turned gray while he was still in his early 20s; he actually dyed his hair for many years for the sake of getting roles, but eventually he let it go natural, saying: "When my face matured, I let it stay gray. It pays more." Gray hair lent him an even more elegant and sophisticated look.
In the 1960s, divorced, he returned to New York appearing in several plays including an award-winning "Marat/Sade". There he met actress Barbara Cason, and they wed on November 7, 1970. They were a quintessential show-biz couple working extensively from coast to coast and sharing everything in their lives with family and friends. Lucky were the guests at homey, funny dinner parties of food, music, laughter, and story telling.
In addition to a myriad of guest-starring roles, Dennis was a regular player in several major series: including "The Secret Storm", "Somerset", "Bert D'Angelo Superstar" with Paul Sorvino; "Dallas", as Vaughn Leland, a chief suspect in the shooting of JR Ewing; and as 2 characters, Jason McGuire & Paul Stoddard, in the cult classic gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows", as well as a third character, Sheriff George Patterson, in the "House of Dark Shadows" feature film. He also had recurring roles in hit tv shows "Eight Is Enough", "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "Bionic Woman". Notable motion picture credits include, "Joe" with Peter Boyle, "Dear Dead Delilah" with Agnes Moorehead, "The Air Up There" with Kevin Bacon, and "The Secret of Nikola Tesla" with Orson Welles.
Dennis continued working following the untimely 1990 death of his beloved wife, Barbara Cason, though he was forever changed. On October 13, 2002, in the house Dennis and Barbara had shared in Hollywood Hills, a fire claimed Dennis and his dog, Josh. A word-loving, voracious reader, who enjoyed life, remembered countless stories and jokes (and had a unique flair for composing limericks!), he was proud, funny, sweet, and eternally in love with Barbara Cason. His ashes were scattered at sea, where Barbara's ashes waited. Josh's ashes went with him.