Rolf Harris, artist, musician, singer, TV presenter and one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers was born in Perth Western Australia.  He has been awarded the CBE, is a member of the Order of Australia and has won many honours for his work in the entertainment industry.

He has been a champion swimmer, has had chart topping hits, written best selling books and has been voted the best entertainer ever, at Glastonbury.  His paintings have been exhibited in London’s National Gallery and he is an honorary member of the Royal Society of British Artists.

His Animal Hospital series was five times winner of the National Television Awards.  Currently he presents BBC TV shows Rolf Harris’s Star Portraits and Rolf on Art, which made TV history when it gained the highest ever ratings for an art programme.  His portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth ll, to celebrate her 80th birthday, was the subject of a programme The Queen, by Rolf, which was screened to a record breaking viewing audience on BBC One in 2006.

Rolf is the first artist to be commissioned by the Royal Australian Mint to design the new commemorative one dollar silver kangaroo coin.  When it was launched, special editions of the coin sold out immediately.

In July 2008 Rolf was inducted into the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Awards) Hall of Fame and in December 2008 he presented the Annual Lecture on Portraiture at the official opening of the new National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. In the same month, he starred in a sell-out season at the Sydney Opera House Playhouse Theatre.