Quick Facts
Biography
Russell Harrison is a New Zealand television presenter, vocalist and musician, best known as presenter for the televised weekly Lotto draw.
Film and television career
Harrison has been the main presenter for the New Zealand Lotteries Lotto draw, broadcast weekly on TV2, since 2000.
Other roles as TV host have included Arnott's Dreams Come True (Eyeworks Touchdown, TV3, 1999) and the Steinlager Rugby Awards (TV ONE, 1998).
Russell Harrison also appeared in the TV2 game show, The Singing Bee as one of the lead singers.
His film debut came in 1999, when he played a minor (uncredited) role in Ian Mune's film What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.
Music career
As a musician, Harrison is best known as a vocalist, in which he performs in a wide range of styles, most prominently soul and Rnb.
He first became widely known in New Zealand as an entertainer when he joined the Howard Morrison Quartet in 1993. He later had a successful run on TV talent quest Showcase (TVNZ, TV ONE, 1998), reaching the semi-finals.
He later formed a vocal quartet, Russell Harrison and the Brown Brothers, which has performed on primetime national television several times (Saturday Big Night In, TVNZ, TV ONE, 2001). Link
Harrison began his solo career in 2006, releasing the single Why You Wanna, with an accompanying promo video. Link
He has been a guest performer with Billy Washington's The Drifters (link) (one of the several splinter groups of the original doo-wop band which continue to tour today), Sir Howard Morrison, Rob Guest, Tina Cross, Jackie Clarke and Temuera Morrison.
Community work
Russell Harrison is involved in a variety of community work.
In 2009 Russell Harrison participated in a celebrity boxing match fighting Tawera Nikau to assist youth to pursue their boxing careers.
After the devastating Samoan tsunami in 2009, Harrison joined forces with Donna Grant and assisted in the set up the Sir Howard Morrison Tsunami Relief Project
Personal life
Russell Harrison is the son of Ngahuia Peihopa (Ngati Hine) and John James "Slim" Harrison (Nga Puhi) and is the youngest of 12 brothers and sisters. He has 2 son's to his first wife Dylan Tyrone (1990) & John Luther (1991). He also has twin girls to his second marriage, Maia Ngahuia and Tyra Mae Nicolette born 2004.