Sixties star Anita declared bankrupt over unpaid tax
SHE was once one of Britain’s highest paid stars with a glittering career that included hit records, starring roles in the West End and even a cabaret spot in Las Vegas.
But now actress Anita Harris has been declared bankrupt over unpaid taxes. Both she and TV director husband Michael Margolis had a bankruptcy petition filed against them by the taxman at Kingston upon Thames County Court.
Sources say Harris owed in excess of £14,000, while Margolis had personal liabilities of just over £25,000.
Harris has been plagued by financial woes. In 1985, the collapse of a Swiss bank cost the couple £1 million and their luxury London home.
After Harris landed a role in the West End musical Cats, they bought a new home in Barnes, south-west London, in 1991. But in 2007 they were forced to sell to settle debts and two years later were evicted from a flat after failing to pay rent.
Harris, 72, shot to fame as a singer in the 1960s before landing starring roles in movies, including two Carry On films.
She also established herself as a cabaret star – by the 1970s she was enjoying success in Las Vegas, with TV stardom quickly following.
Harris, who now lives in a rented cottage in Surrey, is working hard to remain solvent. She has just finished panto in York and is also on a nationwide tour, while in March she will make a guest appearance in the BBC drama Casualty.
Both Harris and Margolis were unavailable for comment yesterday.