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- Harry Greene is a Welsh television personality, known for being the UK's first television DIY expert. Born in Rhymney, near Caerphilly, Greene was offered a place at Cardiff College of Art. But he had to delay his study until after World War II, during which he was attached to REME as a draughtsman, working on classified tank design at Newport Technical College. Post war, Greene took up his place at Cardiff College, then training as a draughtsman’s assistant and an architect. During this period Greene had a weekend job as a stagehand at the New Theatre, Cardiff. This led onwards to amateur acting with the Unity Theatre company, and as a volunteer assistant at Cory Hall on Eynon Evans weekly BBC Wales radio show. After training to become a teacher, he took up the position of Art and Drama teacher at Tredegar Grammar School. Taking a class to see a performance of Uranium 235 starring Joan Littlewood, his friend and producer of Unity Theatre introduced the pair. Littlewood was looking for a young Welshman to play Shakespeare’s Owen Glendower, and Taffy in Ewan MacColl’s Paradise Street. Additionally as a touring company, she also wanted someone who could build theatre sets and drive the lorry. Greene resigned his teaching job the following day, and joined the company. It was through this medium that he met his wife, actress Marjie Lawrence. Over his career, Greene starred in over 40 films, opposite actors including Sean Connery, Sir John Gielgud, Melina Mercouri, Lana Turner and Jean Seberg. At the launch of independent broadcaster Associated Rediffusion, the couple starred in soap opera Round the Redways, about a couple who run a DIY store, with Greene playing an inept repair man. Desperate to fill the schedules, Associated Rediffusion took up Marjie's proposal for Harry to film a DIY show based on him doing up their flat in Primrose Hill, North London. First shown in 1957, Handy Round the Home emphasised practical demonstrations that viewers could copy at home, with his catchphrase, “Safety first; DIY second” making him a household name. He remained a regular on various terrestrial UK channels until the late 1990s, and still appears on various satellite television home shopping channels. Greene and his wife had three children: actress and television presenter Sarah; television presenter Laura; and business man Robin who runs a business in Switzerland.
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- Harry Greene is a Welsh television personality, known for being the UK's first television DIY expert. Born in Rhymney, near Caerphilly, Greene was offered a place at Cardiff College of Art. But he had to delay his study until after World War II, during which he was attached to REME as a draughtsman, working on classified tank design at Newport Technical College. Post war, Greene took up his place at Cardiff College, then training as a draughtsman’s assistant and an architect.
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