The life and times of Harry Connick Jr.
Discover more about the multi-talented singer, pianist, actor and TV host
Last updated 16th Jun 2021
Harry Connick Jr. is a man of many talents; he's an accomplished pianist, a talented singer, a successful songwriter and a consummate actor. The burgundy-voiced big band baritone continues to wow audiences with his warm rich tones to a slew of much-loved album releases, concert performances, as well as film and TV appearances.
But jazz is where his career began, and it's at the root of all his music-making.
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Rise to fame
Harry showed musical promise very early on, mastering keyboards at the age of three and giving public performances from five. His classical solo debut came at nine with a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra aged nine; his first album was released at 10, Dixieland Plus, recorded with a local jazz band.
He studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Loyola University and the Manhattan School of Music, where he met Dr. George Butler of Columbia Records and signed with them, releasing his self-titled first record via the label in 1987, an instrumental album featuring standards including 'Love Is Here to Stay' and 'Sunny Side Of The Street'.
A year later, he released his first vocal album, 20, with Dr. John contributing vocals and organ on 'Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans'.
When actor and director Rob Reiner was on the lookout for a soundtrack to his 1989 film When Harry Met Sally... his friend Bobby Colomby, drummer for jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, gave Rob Harry's tape. Rob was enthralled by Connick Jr's similarities to Frank Sinatra. Harry recordings of 'It Had to Be You' and 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off' complete with big band soundtrack catapulted the musician to success, and secured his first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.
Working with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, Jazz FM Award nominee and son of Ellis Marsalis Jr, Harry began working on a campaign to restore New Orleans' musical heritage in 2005. Alongside nonprofit organisation Habitat For Humanity, the musicians helped develop the Musicians' Village with at the heart of which was the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
Connick Jr also co-founded the Krewe of Orpheus along with his father, a social organisation that parade on the holiday of Mardi Gras. Their first parade took place on 14th February 1994, with 700 riders.
Albums and discography
Harry Connick Jr's considerable discography features 26 studio albums. Twenty of these feature his vocal talents, the remaining six spotlights his abilities on the piano. His first record, Dixieland Plus, was released in 1977 when he was just 10-years-old, produced by his father Harry Connick Sr. and featuring a local Dixieland band.
His other instrumental albums include: Pure Dixieland (1979), Harry Connick Jr. (1987), Lofty's Roach Souffle (1990), Other Hours: Connick on Piano, Volume 1 (2003), Occasion: Connick on Piano, Volume 2 (2005), Chanson du Vieux Carré : Connick on Piano, Volume 3 (2007) and Music from the Happy Elf: Connick on Piano, Volume 4 (2011).
Of his 20 vocal albums, 11 have featured at the top of the the US Jazz charts; four others broke into the Top 10. His vocal albums include: 20 (1988), We Are in Love (1990), Blue Light, Red Light (1991) 25 (1992), When My Heart Finds Christmas (1993), She (1994), Star Turtle (1996), To See You (1997), Come by Me (1999), 30 (2001), Songs I Heard (2001), Harry for the Holidays (2003), Only You (2004), Oh, My NOLA (2007), What a Night! A Christmas Album (2008), Your Songs (2009), Smokey Mary (2013), Every Man Should Know That Would Be Me (2015) and True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter (2019).
Which films and TV shows has Harry Connick Jr. featured in?
In addition to his worldwide reputation in the field of jazz, Connick Jr. also appeared in over 20 films and graced the TV screen too.
His acting debut came in 1990, when he starred in war film Memphis Belle as Sgt. Clay Busby, even performing 'Danny Boy' in the film. This led many to wonder whether he'd been in the World War II TV show Band of Brothers, but he's not listed on the cast list of any episodes.
He starred in 1995 film Copycat as serial killer Daryll Lee Cullum, and also had a role in 1996 cult film Independence Day as Captain Jimmy Wilder, a friend of Will Smith's character.
He dipped his toe in the rom-com genre, portraying the love interest of Sandra Bullock's character in 1998's Hope Floats, and voiced eccentric artist Dean McCoppin in 1999 animated classic The Iron Giant alongside Jennifer Aniston and Vin Diesel.
His acting career continued over the next 15 years, as another big break came in the form of a role on Will & Grace as Grace's husband Leo Markus. Starting in 2002, Harry appeared in a total of 38 episodes over the next 17 years, including the revival in 2017 which finished in 2019.
He also starred in Basic (2003) alongside John Travolta and psychological horror Bug in 2006, before returning to the rom-coms in 2007's adaptation of P.S I Love You with Hilary Swank as Daniel Connelly, one of his more well-known roles.
Harry has also starred in family film Dolphin Tale in 2011, and its sequel in 2014. In 2010, Harry appeared on American Idol as a guest mentor, returning for the same role in 2013 and then being a judge between 2014 to 2016 alongside Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban.
Another huge TV moment for Harry came in 2012, when he appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Executive A.D.A. David Haden, starring in four episodes as the lawyer. He had his own talk show, Harry, from 2016 to 2018, and his latest acting role will be in Fear of Rain, a psychological thriller set to be released in February 2021, co-starring Katherine Heigl.
Watch Fear of Rain - Official Trailer
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