LONDON - With his catchphrases, beard and glasses, entertainer Rolf Harris became a national treasure in Britain and Australia for six decades, winning millions of fans with an avuncular charm.
Harris, who was sentenced to jail Friday for a string of sex assaults on girls, painted Queen Elizabeth II on her 80th birthday and had a string of number one hit singles including "Two Little Boys."
But while several generations loved and trusted Harris, he hid a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality and was nicknamed "the octopus" because of his habit of touching women, prosecutors told his trial in London.
Harris was born in 1930 in Perth, Australia where he was a junior swimming champion before moving to Britain in 1952 aged 22 to pursue a career in art.
He went to art school, where he met his wife Alwen Hughes. The pair married in 1958, with a poodle as a bridesmaid.
Harris landed work on the BBC and performed his songs at gigs in London which featured instruments such as the digeridoo, and the wobble board, which he claimed to have invented himself.
His fame grew during the 1960s, when he became a fixture on British television with his own show.
His catchphrase was "Can you tell what it is yet?" which he said while drawing or painting pictures.
In 1969, he scored his biggest hit with "Two Little Boys", about two young boys who grow up to fight in a war together.
He even performed a version of one of his songs, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" with the Beatles.
'Kids Can Say No'
In later years, Harris hosted "Animal Hospital" on the BBC from 1994 to 2003 as well as a string of shows about art.
He became a cult figure, appearing at the Glastonbury Festival where he would sing his cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven".
He even featured in a child abuse prevention video called "Kids Can Say No" in 1985.
His status as a national treasure was sealed when he featured in a huge concert marking the queen's Diamond Jubilee outside Buckingham Palace in 2012.
The monarch awarded him the CBE - one of the highest honours she can bestow - in 2006, although now faces calls to be stripped of it.
Despite his wealth of achievements, a less flattering picture of Harris emerged during the trial, when he himself admitted he had a "darker side".
The 84-year-old was found guilty of 12 counts of indecently assaulting four girls aged seven to 19 between 1968 and 1986.
His daughter Bindi also gave evidence of a more strained picture at home than his public persona suggested.
"Dad didn't really take much notice of me or anybody at home," she told the court.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was "gutted and dismayed" when Harris was convicted.
This reflected widespread disappointment among many in Britain and Australia that such a loved entertainer was not all he seemed to be.
"Sexual abuse is an utterly abhorrent crime," Abbott added. "It's just sad and tragic that this person who was admired seems to have been a perpetrator."