Senior Planet talks to…Harry Hamlin

Harry Hamlin, 72, has been a TV, stage and film star for his entire adult life. And, whilst we know much about his life with actress wife Lisa Rinna, 61, from reality shows Harry Loves Lisa and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, SENIOR PLANET discovered so much more about this fascinating man.

Currently featuring alongside Brian Cox and John Malkovich among many others in 11-episode World War II audio movie Unsinkable, he gives us a peek into his life:

Q: How did you come to voice a British man, Able Seaman Graham Mortimer in this true story about British tanker, the San Demetrio, which came under Nazi fire during WWII?

HARRY: I’ve been in the same acting class for the last 20 years with John Mawson, co-creator of the series, and we’ve become good friends. When he asked me if I’d play this role, of course I said yes. So I got to play this man who, at the beginning, is kind of an alcoholic and can’t be trusted. But by the end, he rises to the occasion.

Q: You haven’t looked back since hit TV series L.A. Law in the 80s. Why do you still need acting classes?

HARRY: I’ve been in acting class my entire career. I never left class – to me acting classes are one of those things I cannot live without.

Q: Unsinkable is an extraordinary true story. Are you a history buff?

HARRY: Yes, absolutely. But I did not know about the San Demetrio. And when I read the story, it was like, ‘Oh, my God, how could this have happened?’ It’s an amazing story of heroism and of people who were unwilling to give up and they fought till the last minute to make something work. That ship should have been on the bottom of the ocean and it somehow managed to survive.

Q: What are your favorite roles?

HARRY: Any actor who’s had the opportunity to play Hamlet, would say that is their favorite role. And I was very fortunate to be in a successful production of that back in the 80s – at the appropriate age when I should have been playing Hamlet – so I would say that is my favorite role. But the role I’m playing right now on Mayfair Witches, I think will also go down in my career as one of my favorites because I can really bite into this character. I can’t go into detail because a lot of it is secret but it’s a very challenging character to play.

Q:  Any roles you still want to play?

HARRY: There’s a lot of stuff I still want to do. I’m classically trained in Shakespeare and Moliere and all that good stuff. So it’s a muscle that I never have let atrophy. And one of the reasons I go to acting class every week is because I can do Shakespeare and the classics there. I’m exploring Richard III, The Tempest and King Lear – all roles I want to play at some point.

Q: As a young man, you studied drama and psychology at Yale. Has your psychology education informed you as an actor?

HARRY: I think it’s been a great help. I studied Jungian behavioral psychology and I still keep up with it. I keep a copy of the DSM-5 on my desk – the Diagnostic Statistical Manual which outlines all the personality disorders. It came in really handy when my wife was doing her show (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) where she had to deal with personality disorders on a daily basis. So I was able to help her through some of that. But I do believe my psychology degree has been important for me as an actor.

Q: And you have a cooking show, “In the Kitchen with Harry Hamlin” You’ve been cooking for yourself most of your adult life?

HARRY: Yes. I began cooking for myself when I was quite young because our family has a cabin in Canada and there’s no restaurants anywhere nearby. So if you’re going to eat, you have to cook. Now I cook every day for myself and the family and I eat what I want. I don’t have to eat something that I don’t want. Maybe that’s stupid but who knows?

Q: What’s your fitness routine?

HARRY: I walk about three miles a day and workout with weights. I recommend a book called Outlive by Peter Attia which is a great primer on how to face the last few decades of your life and feel and look great and be able to do whatever you want.

Q: Any passions?

HARRY: I’ve played guitar every day for the last 40 years – but I mainly play for my dog. I don’t play for other people. I just enjoy the guitar and I don’t cover anybody else’s songs – all my stuff is original. I also like to climb mountains. Every September I strap a pack on my back and go way up into the wilderness and spend five days hiking alone without seeing another human. It’s kind of a walkabout thing that I do every year.

Q: What’s your secret to aging with attitude?

HARRY: It’s weird. I never get tired. I don’t know why that is, but I do have endless energy. It could be a genetic thing. Who knows? But I think it’s also because I cook for myself and I don’t eat restaurant food or processed food. I also have a young wife who keeps me on my toes all the time.

 

NB: Listen to audio movie Unsinkable at: https://www.wondery.com/links/unsinkable

 

Gill Pringle began her career as a rock columnist for popular British newspapers, traveling the world with Madonna, U2 and Michael Jackson. Moving to Los Angeles 27 years ago, she interviews film and TV personalities for prestigious UK outlets, The Independent, The i-paper and The Sunday Times – and, of course, Senior Planet. A member of Critics Choice Association, BAFTA and AWFJ, she wrote the screenplay for 2016 Netflix family film, The 3 Tails Movie: A Mermaid Adventure. An award-winning writer, in 2021 she was honored by the Los Angeles Press Club with 1st prize at the NAEJ Awards.

 

 Photo Credit: Datura Studios and North Atlantic Ridge