Liz Harris

Elizabeth Harris is an Australian retired stage and television actress who appeared on a number of popular television series and films from the mid-1960s up until her retirement in 1993. She is best known for her role as Liza in the 1960s children's television series Adventure Island but also for playing recurring characters Sally Dempster in Prisoner and Clover Owen-Jones in A Country Practice in her later career. She was also the wife of longtime Australian television and radio star Leonard Teale. They married on 18 December 1968.

Biography Harris made her television acting debut on Consider Your Verdict in 1962. From 1962 to 1966 she co-hosted an Australian version of Video Village, with Danny Webb, on Channel 7. She was then cast in the children's television series The Magic Circle Club as a recurring character (and later replacing original host Nancy Cato, who had been injured during production), and made several guest appearances on Homicide between 1965 and 1966. She also starred in a second children's series, Adventure Island (1967) with co-stars Nancy Cato and Ernie Bourne, in what became her breakout role as the series heroine "Liza", and Hunter (1968). In July 1968, she also performed at St. Martin's Theatre with Charles Chilton, Joan Littlewood and Ted Allen in a London Theatre Workshop stage production of Oh, What a Lovely War!

She took an absence from television acting for several years but made brief appearances on The 40s in Swing Time (1973), Alvin Purple (1976) and King's Men (1979). In 1982, she was cast as Sally Dempster in the seriesPrisoner. Although she appeared on the series briefly, Harris had a memorable role as an alcoholic wife of a businessman. Her character is sent to prison for running over her husband and attempts suicide after it is revealed that she was physically abusive to her young daughter.

She also appeared on Sons and Daughters and A Country Practice that same year. Her recurring role as Clover Owen-Jones in the latter series would continue on and off for the next nine years. Harris continued to make television appearances during the 1980s with supporting roles in television films Skin Deep (1984), Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe (1985) and the television series Relative Merits in 1987. Her final television appearance was in G.P. in 1993.

In January 2004, she appeared at a special book signing and screening of Lisa Milner's Fighting Films with Michael Craig and Jack Thompson. Her attendance was in honor of her late husband Leonard Teale who worked with the film company as a voice actor during the 1950s.

Filmography

Film YearTitleRoleType 1976 The Bushranger TV film 1984 Skin Deep Emily Sorensson TV film

Television YearTitleRoleType 1962-1966 Video Village Herself - Mayoress TV series 1962 Consider Your Verdict Kath Hutchins TV series, episode 1.76: "Queen Versus Grant" 1965–1966 Homicide Shirley Smith / Libby Hart / Lesley Thorne TV series, 3 episodes, 2.18 “Second Time Around”; 3.04 "Three-Headed Dog"; 3.37 "My Brother Must Rest" 1966 Australian Playhouse TV series, 1 episode 1967 The Magic Circle Club Host TV series, 555 episodes 1967-1972 Adventure Island Liza / Princess ABC TV series, 876 episodes 1967 The Barry Creyton Show Guest TV series 1967 Bassey At Chequers Guest - Herself & Leonard Teale TV Concert special 1968 Hunter Suzette TV series, episode 1.43: "The VC Bullet" 1969-1970 In Melbourne Tonight Guest TV series, 9 episodes 1969; 1970 Sounds Like Us Herself TV series, 2 episodes 1970 Australia's Celebrity Game Contestant TV series, 1 episode 1970 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode 1972 I've Got A Secret Herself - Guest TV series, 1 episode 1972 Bobby Limb's Sound Of Christmas Guest - Herself & Leonard Teale TV special 1973 The Graham Kennedy Show Guest TV series, 2 episodes 1973 The 40s in Swing Time Herself TV series, 6 episodes 1976 Alvin Purple Miriam TV series, episode 1.03: "Like Son, Like Father" 1976 This Is Your Life Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode "Leonard Teale" 1976 King's Men TV series, episode 1.08: "Crusade" 1978; 1979 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode 1979 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself TV series, 1 episode 1982 Sons and Daughters Margaret Selmar TV series, 3 episodes 1982 Prisoner: Cell Block H Sally Dempster TV series, 8 episodes 1982; 1985; 1991 A Country Practice Carol Glover TV series, episode 2.13: "A Little Knowledge" 1983 The Mike Walsh Show Guest - Herself with Sue McIntosh TV series, 1 episode 1985; 1991 A Country Practice Dee Dee Macrae TV series, episode 5.15: "Seasons Come & Seasons Go" 1985 Shout! The Story of Johnny O'Keefe Valda Marshall TV miniseries, 2 episodes 1987 Relative Merits TV miniseries 1989–91 A Country Practice Clover Owen-Jones TV series 1991 Tonight Live With Steve Vizard Guest TV series, 1 episode 1992 The Morning Show Guest TV series, 1 episode 1993; 1994 Good Morning Australia Guest TV series, 2 episodes 1993 G.P. Shirley Harrison TV series, episode 5.06: "A Thousand Flowers" 1994 Homicide... 30 Years On Herself TV special 1996 The Crawford Story Herself TV special