Keith Shenton Harris, a celebrated English ventriloquist, came into the world on September 21, 1947, and unfortunately, took his last breath on April 28, 2015. He is most notably recognized for his television show "The Keith Harris Show", which entertained audiences from 1982 to 1990, and also for his audio recordings and live club appearances, which showcased his remarkable talents alongside his cherished puppets, Orville the Duck and Cuddles the Monkey.
Born to a family of eclectic entertainers, Harris's early life was marked by an innate connection to the world of performance. As a young child, he would often find himself assisting his father in the realm of ventriloquism, mastering the art of speaking without moving his lips from a tender age. This formative experience would lay the groundwork for his own creative endeavors, as he began to craft and perfect his own ventriloquism characters during the tumultuous teenage years.
Noted British entertainer Keith Harris embarked on his screen journey in 1965, swiftly establishing himself as a sought-after guest star on a multitude of television programs. He subsequently secured his initial solo series, Cuddles and Company, during the 1970s, yet it was his 1982 production, The Keith Harris Show, that catapulted him to widespread recognition. The charismatic Harris, accompanied by his trusty sidekicks Orville and Cuddles, went on to mesmerize audiences on prime-time television for nearly a decade, until the show's eventual cancellation in 1990.
After a brief downturn and the unsuccessful launch of two entrepreneurial endeavors in the early 1990s, Harris redirected his professional focus towards the stage, where he excelled in the art of pantomime, subsequently experiencing a remarkable resurgence in popularity during the 2000s, which was marked by a series of guest appearances on various television programs.
Mark Harris's life took a devastating turn in 2013 when he was diagnosed with a life-altering illness, specifically cancer, which marked the beginning of a tumultuous period in his life.
