Born in
Perth,
Australia on March 30, 1930 Rolf Harris has been one of British
telly's most persistent and likeable faces since 1954. Initially accompanied by
koala Coojeebear, the first
incarnation of Rolf saw him as a
storyteller and
on-the-hoof artist drawing fence posts trailing off into the
middle distance, accompanied by his
asthmatic proto-human
beat box stylings.
After nearly 30 years as an "all-rounder" Rolf's next persona saw him as a slightly over-enthused loner making his own fun. With just a drawing board as companion Cartoon Time revealed his enthusiasm for animation, and his inability to draw Bugs Bunny. The brilliant Rolf's Cartoon Club followed (on ITV) running for six years and won silver at the New York Film & TV awards. After the axing of the club, to Rolf's apparent distress, he bounced back again in the '90s as Friend To The Animals, fronting Animal Hospital and its various spinoffs. Betwixt all this he taught us all how to swim (being an Olympic swimmer himself) and found his oeuvre of folk-pop selected on Desert Island Discs by Margaret Thatcher. Top bloke.