Chuck Jones has stated that Bugs Bunny's character was based on an amalgam of Rex Harrison, Dorothy Parker and D'Artagnan.
Continued to act on Broadway until almost the very end of his life despite suffering from pancreatic cancer, painful teeth and glaucoma in his only eye.
Contrary to some sources, Harrison was never considered to play James Bond in Dr. No (1962) because of his age.
Despite extensive vocal training after landing the part of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1964), he was unable to sing a note. In the end the director gave up and told him to quasi-speak the whole thing.
Died three weeks after his final stage appearance as Lord Porteous in "The Circle" (1990).
Discovered Carole Landis' body the day she committed suicide. He had dined with her the previous night.
Father, with Lilli Palmer, of Carey Harrison, born in 1944.
Father, with Collette Thomas, of actor Noel Harrison.
Favorite beverage was Guinness Stout.
First came to notice in the London stage version of "French Without Tears" in 1937, but was not considered for the 1940 film version since he was unknown in Hollywood.
Frequently wore a specific ring with a dark square-cut stone, on his little finger of his left hand. It appears in almost all of his films.
Grandfather of Cathryn Harrison, Harriet Harrison, Simon Harrison, Chloe Harrison and Will Harrison.
Harrison nearly missed out on reprising his stage role of Henry Higgins in the film version of My Fair Lady (1964), since he was in his mid-fifties and the character was supposed to be in his late thirties.
Has a style of hat named after him.
Hated the nickname given to him by the press, "Sexy Rexy".
He had a reputation for being very abrupt with his fans. One night, after a stage performance of "My Fair Lady", it was late, cold and pouring with rain and there was an old woman standing alone outside the Stage Door. When she saw Rex, she asked him for his autograph. Rex told her to "Sod off", and the old woman was so enraged at this that she rolled up her program and hit him with it. Stanley Holloway, who had followed Rex out in time to see this, congratulated him on not only making theater history but, for the first time in world history, "the fan has hit the shit!".
He never had any acting lessons.
He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He was reportedly considered for the role of Nicholas II in Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). However, a recent biography of producer Sam Spiegel revealed that Harrison was in fact never offered the part, since at 63 he was too old to play the Tsar, who was only fifty at the time of his death. Harrison was in fact offered the role of Count Witte, but replied, "Tell him [Spiegel] that I don't play bit parts.".
He was the brother-in-law of Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, one of the prosecutors at the Nuremberg Trials, the British Home Secretary from 1951 to 1954 and the Lord Chancellor from 1954 to 1962.