Harry Landis

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For the American First World War veteran, see Harry Richard Landis.
Harry Landis
Born25 November 1931 (1931-11-25) (age 89)
Stepney, London, England, UK
OccupationActor
Years active1954–present

Harry Landis (born 25 November 1931) is a British actor and director.[1][2] He has had a long career in theatre, film and television spanning over sixty years. Landis is best known for playing barber Felix Kawalski in Eastenders from 1995 to 1997 and elderly Lou Morris on the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner from 2011 to 2014.

Early life[]

Landis was born in Stepney in the East End of London. He was educated at Stepney Jewish School, until the age of 14, and then studied for three years at the Central School of Speech & Drama.[3][4]

Career[]

Landis started acting aged 15 at the Unity Theatre, known as the theatre of the trade union and labour movement. Shortly after he won a scholarship to the Central School of Speech and Drama. His first job was touring in Shakespeare with the Elizabethan Theatre Company. After a spell in repertory theatre he got a leading role in A Hill in Korea as a cockney conscript. Other films followed: Bitter Victory, Edge of Sanity, Ransom, The Informers, Private Potter, Dunkirk and Operation Bullshine. In 2014, he was in the Hollywood blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow.[5][better source needed]

His first TV appearance was in 1955 in episode one of Dixon of Dock Green. Landis appeared in several subsequent episodes as well as the final episode over 25 years later. He appeared in over 200 TV shows before deciding to return to theatre.

This career move coincided with the 1956 change in British theatre led by the Royal Court Theatre, and his background at The Unity Theatre made him suitable for many subsequent roles. Roles included Arnold Wesker's The Kitchen followed by Frank Norman's Insideout. Then came John Osborne's Time Present at the Duke of York Theatre, Journeys End at the Cambridge Theatre and A Winter Tale, Ring Around the Moon and The Government Inspector, all at The Royal Exchange in Manchester. He also appeared in The Ticket-of-Leave Man at the National Theatre.

Landis then turned to directing, and after directing a few productions at the Unity Theatre, including a well-received production of Death of A Salesman, he became the Artistic Director of the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, where he directed some 40 plays and two pantomimes. He went on to direct national tours of The Long and The Short and the Tall and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

In between directing, he appeared in many TV shows, such as Minder and later continued to do so with series including EastEnders, Goodnight Sweetheart, Casualty and Friday Night Dinner. As of 2020, his last role was in Casualty in 2018.[5][better source needed]

He was president of Equity for six years[6] and is a board member of the Equity Charitable Trust[7] as well as Chairman of The Unity Theatre Trust Fund. [8]

Selected filmography[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Harry Landis". www.aveleyman.com. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  2. ^ "Harry Landis". BFI. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  3. ^ "Harry Landis". The Jewish Lives Project. Jewish Museum London. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  4. ^ "Harry Landis, Actor | Spitalfields Life". Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Harry Landis". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  6. ^ https://www.equity.org.uk/media/1296/arc-2004-minutes.pdf
  7. ^ https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/02341733/officers
  8. ^ https://www.unitytheatre.org.uk/

External links[]

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