Cynthia Harris
Actress
BORN AUGUST 9, 1934 – DIED OCTOBER 3, 2021, AGED 87
CRITICS felt the actress Cynthia Harris became Wallis Simpson when she played the American divorcee in the classic Thames Television sevenpart series Edward And Mrs Simpson, which was broadcast in 1978.
Not only did she look like Simpson, but Harris cleverly adopted many of her mannerisms and speaking style to add depth to the role.
She studiously read up on the abdicating scandal and also had a natural chemistry with Edward Fox, who played Edward VIII.
The actors got on so well that Fox gave her a farewell gift of an antique chest of drawers when she flew back to the US by Concorde.
The drama focused on what was happening in the relationship before the abdication. Harris said of the Duchess of Windsor: “I see her as an American essentially in a strange land, not particularly familiar with English customs or the way of royalty. I see her as a strong lady, a woman of spirit, humour and sadness.”
She was nominated for a Best Actress Bafta award.
Born in New York, Cynthia Harris attended drama classes from the age of 12, graduating with a degree in Theatre and Literature from the renowned Smith College, Massachusetts.
At the Actors Studio in New York, Lee Strasberg taught her his method style of acting, whereby the actors identify with a character’s emotions.
In the first series of LA Law, she played intern Iris Hubbard and later joined the sitcom Mad About You. In the film Three Men And A Baby, she played the landlady of Tom Selleck.
She married Broadway producer Eugene Wolsk but they divorced after 11 years and she is survived by her partner, Nathan Silverstein.