Biography
Gavin George Harrison is an Australian-born actor, producer, photographer, electronic music composer and a creative innovator who lives in Los Angeles.
Motivated at a young age, Harrison developed the skills and passion for his craft thanks to the encouragement of his mother, a fellow artist, and creative spirit. Her support was integral in Harrison's early projects which included working on a film in Sweden and lighting design for the 5th annual International Contemporary Dance Convention in Hong Kong. Based on his work and aptitude test, Harrison was accepted into the Film & TV program at KvB College of Visual Communication at age 15. Harrison graduated with Distinction from the Film and Television course and received awards for "Most Outstanding Student" and "Best Editor."
Upon graduation, Harrison started working with the illustrious Stephen Priest, a famed music producer, and director whose company Priest Productions created videos for Elton John, David Bowie, INXS, Duran Duran, Noiseworks and Jimmy Barnes. During his time at the production company, Harrison excelled to become a first assistant director.
Acting came naturally to Harrison and he quickly landed roles in Home and Away (1988), playing the resident rebel "Revhead" and as Gerard Kennedy's holographic son in the U.S. production of the TV series Mission: Impossible (1988). After multiple guest-starring and recurring roles on Australian television including GP and Family and Friends (1990), Harrison landed his first major role playing a cyclist named Hugo Strzelecki on the hit Australian drama A Country Practice (1981).
After a long engagement with A Country Practice, Harrison teamed up with a manager in Los Angeles thus launching his career in the United States. He appeared in several shows with re-occurring roles including Bafta Nominated BBC mini-series Signs and Wonders (1995), series cast member on NBC's Amazing Grace (1995), HBO film Public Enemies (1996), CBS' Diagnosis Murder (1993), 20th Century Fox's Chicago Hope (1994), and Exposé (2000). During this time, Harrison also had the opportunity to work with revered actors including Naomi Watts, James Earl Jones, Patty Duke, Eric Roberts, Burt Reynolds, and Dick Van Dyke. Harrison's name was inked on the cover of famed Australian photography magazine "Black & White" alongside Herb Ritts and Madonna for an extensive interview on his career.
Even with this busy schedule, Harrison still carved out time to volunteer with the Starlight Foundation, a non- profit close to his heart. Harrison would often visit children's cancer wards and helped with the process of granting wishes.
After appearing in over two hundred episodes of television, mini-series and multiple films, Harrison took a year off to reassess his goals. This break led Harrison to begin other interests in the visual arts including camera assisting several high-profile celebrity photographers, most notably Helmut Newton. In addition to working on set with the likes of Ben Kingsley and Mickey Rourke, Harrison also oversaw printing and film development.
The career change further enabled Harrison to hone his skills and re-ignited his passion for the technical, production side of the business. But the long days came at a price when a late-night taxi ride turned into a car wreck as the sleeping driver careened off a Los Angeles freeway. Harrison faced life-changing injuries to his vertebrae but thanks to intensive physical therapy, Harrison was able to make a full recovery. Not knowing how long recovery would take, Harrison was forced to re-think his career aspirations and launched his advertising production company in 2002.
In his life as executive producer, Harrison works across multiple creative disciplines including live action, CGI, and still photography; he creates content for global brands like Tesla, Audi, BMW, Samsung, Subaru, Toyota, Hyundai, American Express, Midway Games, VW, and Vogue. Harrison takes each production from inception to completion and his passion for the craft runs deep. He is known for his collaborative nature and talent for bringing creative concepts to life.
While producing these large-scale productions, Harrison also created a music project called "mtrack" to explore his interests in composing cinematic electronica. Taking inspiration from life and his personal experiences, Harrison's music engages listeners on a visual journey through sound. His music is distributed globally via Spotify, iTunes and Sound Cloud to name a few.
As a photographer, Harrison's work has been published for major clients across a wide range of industries worldwide, including game box covers like Narc (2005) and Battlefield 2 (2005) for Midway Games. He is represented by Getty Images globally.
Always one step ahead of the curve, Harrison continues to explore new technologies to create engaging multimedia content, including his most recent foray into the world of virtual and augmented reality. It's this passion that helps fuel the evolution of his creative lifestyle be it music, film, VFX or photography.
So it may be no surprise to know that Harrison is already laying the groundwork for his next venture.
