Harry Reynolds (Home and Away)
Encyclopedia
Harry Reynolds is a fictional character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 from the Australian soap opera Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...

, played by Justin Melvey
Justin Melvey
Justin Melvey is an Australian actor who has appeared in a number of television series in Australia and the US.Melvey is best known to Australian audiences for his role as Harry Reynolds in the evening soap opera Home and Away from 1999 to 2001...

. He made his first on-screen appearance on 13 September 1999.

Casting

Prior to joining Home and Away, Melvey's career involved modelling, studying and improving his acting skills. When Melvey decided to "lay some grassroots", the opportunity to play Harry Reynolds in Home and Away came up. Of this Melvey said "I flew back to Sydney and auditioned for the role on a Thursday, found out I had it the following Monday, and then had to go back to LA to do a hair commercial on Tuesday. After that, I basically had to pack up my life, say goodbye to my friends and move back to Australia."

Storylines

When Harry first appeared, he was Harry Keller, the new science teacher at Summer Bay
Summer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...

 High. Like most of the school's younger teachers, he had a somewhat loose attitude to discipline and a willingness to conduct lessons in an informal manner. Not long after his arrival, he was accused of stalking Shauna Bradley, who had experienced a number of unsettling incidents including having her clothes stolen from the washing line. The culprit turned out to be an ex-flatmate who had fixated on her as a kind of role model. Shauna apologised to Harry and invited him to move in with her and James Fraser.

Harry began to develop feelings for Shauna and was forced to admit he was actually Harry Reynolds, a research scientist. While working in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, he had uncovered wrongdoings by his employers and blown the whistle on them, ending up in witness protection
Witness protection
Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial, usually by police...

 until he could testify. Just as Harry was about to fly out to the States, a hitman was sent after him and ended up taking Shauna hostage. Against the orders of his police escort, Harry went after the man and together he and Shauna managed to overpower him. He even managed to wrangle a night with Shauna before departing for the trial.

Even though his reason for being in hiding was over, Harry chose to return to Summer Bay, now using his real name, partly in order to renew his relationship with Shauna. They were tested when Alison, Harry's ex-fiancee, turned up in the Bay, aiming to pick up where they left off. Shauna refused to compete for him so Harry agreed to return to the States with Alison, only to change his mind halfway to the airport. After getting out of their taxi and saying goodbye to Alison, he was picked up by Shauna, who had changed her mind and come to tell him how she felt.

However, dating an independent woman like Shauna had its pitfalls, as Harry learned when he paid her credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...

 bill for her. They also clashed whilst organising a self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...

 class together; annoyed by her constantly knocking him down heavily in a demonstration, Harry counteracted the move and overpowered her. Shauna also wasn't comfortable with them living together and so asked Harry to move out; he persuaded his colleague Donald Fisher to take him in as a lodger. He also agreed to give up his motorbike since Shauna wasn't keen on it.

Harry encountered another difficulty when one of his pupils, Claire Rodgers, developed a crush on him and claimed they were having a relationship. Fortunately for Harry, Sam Marshall
Sam Marshall
Sam Marshall is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Ryan Clark between 1991 and 2000. He returned for short stints in 2001, 2002 and 2005.-Character:...

, who had feelings for Claire, persuaded her to reveal the truth.

When his mother June came to visit, Harry was bemused and horrified in equal measure when she went out on a date with Donald. He was annoyed that her semi-autobiographical novel portrayed his late father as workshy but eventually accepted her viewpoint. He supported Shauna when she found out Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by actress Judy Nunn for 13 and a half years...

 was her mother and was one of the first to learn she had been conceived when Ailsa was raped in prison (some months before Shauna herself found out). However, their relationship hit a major stumbling block when Shauna felt the need to criticise her flatmate Leah Poulos' apparently unequal relationship with Vinnie Patterson
Vinnie Patterson
Vincent 'Vinnie' Patterson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He made his first on-screen appearence on 14 July 1997 and departed on 1 March 2002...

. Harry was annoyed with her meddling and ironically they were the ones that broke up.

Over the next few weeks, Harry's life went through a great deal of upheaval. Deciding that teaching wasn't for him, and having already bought back his motorbike, he decided to buy a seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...

 that was up for sail and set up a charter business. As a result he fell out with Donald and ended up moving in with Vinnie and Gypsy Nash
Gypsy Nash
Gypsy Smith is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Kimberley Cooper. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 18 February 1998...

. Many in the Bay, including Gypsy's father Joel
Joel Nash
Joel Nash is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Portrayed by actor David Woodley, he was a regular on the show from 1998 until 2000.-Character's background:...

, believed that Harry was having an affair with his former pupil. Both of them strenuously denied it...and then actually did embark on a relationship.

Gypsy then received a phone call that Harry had been killed in a plane crash, which turned out to be a hoax, as someone started stalking them. Harry helped out a girl named Kirsten whose car had broken down, it resulted in Joel finding her half-dressed in the front room. Gypsy apparently broke up with Harry as a result but it was all an act to trap Kirsten, the stalker, who blamed Gypsy for the death of her ex-boyfriend.

When Gypsy found out that Harry was keeping a photo of Shauna, she was deeply concerned, believing he still had feelings for her. Harry and Shauna both insisted there was nothing between them but Harry admitted to Shauna that he was still in love with her. Shauna was horrified, especially since her boyfriend, Gavin Campbell, had just been killed. Harry was happy to stay with Gypsy but Leah had overheard the conversation and told her about it, prompting Gypsy to throw him out.

Harry made various attempts to get back with Shauna and was annoyed when she started dating Jude Lawson
Jude Lawson
Jude Lawson is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by actor Ben Steel. He first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 30 October 2000 and departed on 18 July 2002.-Storylines:...

 instead. When Sally Fletcher
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...

 attempted to lecture him about his behaviour, he kissed her purely to prove anyone could be tempted. Then June returned to town with the news she was setting up a holiday resort in the Whitsundays and wanted him to help her. Having burnt most of his bridges in the town, Harry agreed. After failing to make peace with either Shauna or Gypsy, he and June departed in his plane.

Reception

In 2000, Melvey won the "Most Popular New Male Talent" Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...

for his portrayal of Harry.
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