His father, name not found (died c. 19 February 1872),[1] was a builder and contractor, which was Harwood's profession when he emigrated to Victoria, Australia in 1852.
He became immensely popular, appearing in a variety of roles in every kind of play, and in his day he was one of the best-known and most appreciated actors in Australia.
[3] He played De Sartoris in Frou-Frou, Geoffry Delamayne in Frank M. Mayo's dramatization of Man and Wife,[4] Cassandra in Akhurst's Siege of Troy, Barry Sullivan in R. P. Whitworth's Catching a Conspirator; and The Pickpocket,[5] and Cabriol in the comic opera The Princess of Trebizonde.
[2] A lithographed portrait of Harwood, by Tom Durkin is held by the National Portrait Gallery Harwood is reported as having had three marriages, and at some stage he married "Margie" (c. 1843 – 5 May 1887)[9] but only the third has been found, to Theodosia "Docy" Stewart, née Guerin, (c. 1848 – 5 December 1936), half-sister of Nellie Stewart, on 22 December 1887.
[13] His only daughter, Gwendda Muriel Harwood (22 October 1922 — 14 September 2021), married Alexander Thomas "Alick" Dick (9 February 1911 – 3 July 1982) on 18 January 1946.