“Stay fit. Have fun. Harm no one.” These are the words to live by, according to international film star Brad Harris. Harris, who has starred in more than 60 international films over the course of several decades, was recently awarded the College of Humanities’ Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award in the Humanities.

Harris is a member of the Hollywood Stuntman's Hall of Fame and had starring roles playing characters such as Hercules and Goliath in Italian and German films in the mid-twentieth century, and he was a stuntman in Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus. He also starred in the Kommissar X series.

Having earned his start in Hollywood as a stuntman for Spartacus, Harris was soon cast in leading international roles that took this iconic American hero to the streets of the Arab world. For many overseas, Harris became the face of America and the embodiment of physical fitness and strength. Not only was he well-known for his action roles, but he was applauded for his many dangerous and ground-breaking stunts. In fact, he nearly lost his life in the movie Death Trip when his motorcycle ran into the side of a mountain.

Clips from these stunts were shown in Professor David Soren’s class where Assistant Dean Kim Jones presented the film legend with the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the College of Humanities. Several film industry luminaries accompanied Brad Harris to the University of Arizona, including his daughter Sabrina Calley, designer for Angelina Jolie. Calley also attended the award ceremony with her husband, Rick Porres, producer of the Lord of the Rings series.

For many years Professor Soren has been instrumental in bringing numerous film industry celebrities to the University of Arizona to receive the College of Humanities’ Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Awards, including Robert Wise (director West Side Story), Russ Tamblyn (star of West Side Story), Lew Ayres (movie star of the Dr. Kildare series), Harry Lange (designer of Star Wars) and others.