Wayne Morris
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- February 17, 1914
- Died
- September 14, 1959
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, USA
Wayne Morris (February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959), born Bert DeWayne Morris in Los Angeles, was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War II fighter ace. He appeared in many notable films, including Paths of Glory (1957), The Bushwackers (1952) and the title role of Kid Galahad in 1937. While filming Flight Angels (1940), Morris became interested in flying and became a pilot. With war in the wind, he joined the Naval Reserve and became a Navy flier in 1942, leaving his film career behind for the duration of the war. Flying the F6F Hellcat off the aircraft carrier USS Essex, Morris shot down seven Japanese planes and contributed to the sinking of five ships. He was awarded four Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals. Morris was considered by the Navy as physically 'too big' to fly fighters. After being turned down several times as a fighter pilot, he went to his brother in law, Cdr. David McCampbell, imploring him for the chance to fly fighters. Cdr. McCampbell said "Give me a letter." He flew with the VF-15, the famed "McCampbell Heroes." He married Patricia O'Rourke, an Olympic swimmer, and sister to B-movie actress Peggy Stewart. Following the war, Morris returned to films, but his nearly four-year absence had cost him his burgeoning stardom. He continued to act in movies, but the pictures, for the most part, sank in quality. Losing his boyish looks but not demeanor, Morris spent most of the fifties in low-budget westerns. He made an unusual career move in 1957, making his Broadway debut as a washed-up boxing champ in William Saroyan's The Cave Dwellers. He also appeared as a weakling in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957). Morris suffered a massive heart attack while visiting aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard in San Francisco Bay and was pronounced dead after being transported to Oakland Naval Hospital in Oakland, California. He was 45. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Description above from the Wikipedia article Wayne Morris (American actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Filmography
Buffalo Gun 1961
as Roche
Plunder Road 1957
as Commando Munson
Paths of Glory 1957
as Lt. Roget/Singing man
The Crooked Sky 1957
as Mike Conlin
The Gelignite Gang 1956
as Jimmy Baxter
Cross Channel 1955
as Tex Parker
The Lonesome Trail 1955
as Dandy Dayton
Lord of the Jungle 1955
as Jeff Wood
Port of Hell 1954
as Stanley Povich
The Green Buddha 1954
as Gary Holden
Two Guns and a Badge 1954
as Deputy Jim Blake
The Master Plan 1954
as Major Thomas Brent
The Desperado 1954
as Sam Garrett
Riding Shotgun 1954
as Deputy Sheriff Tub Murphy
Texas Bad Man 1953
as Walt
Fighting Lawman 1953
as Deputy Marshal Jim Burke
The Marksman 1953
as Deputy Marshal Mike Martin
Star of Texas 1953
as Texas Ranger Ed Ryan / Robert Larkin
Arctic Flight 1952
as Mike Wien
Desert Pursuit 1952
as Ford Smith
The Bushwhackers 1951
as Marshal John Harding
Yellow Fin 1951
as Mike Donovan
The Big Gusher 1951
as Kenny Blake
Sierra Passage 1950
as Johnny Yorke, Associate Producer
Stage to Tucson 1950
as Barney Broderick
The Tougher They Come 1950
as Bill Shaw
Johnny One-Eye 1950
as Dane Cory
Breakdowns of 1949 1949
as Self
The House Across the Street 1949
as Dave Joslin
Task Force 1949
as McKinney
The Younger Brothers 1949
as Cole Younger
A Kiss in the Dark 1949
as Bruce Arnold
John Loves Mary 1949
as Lt. Victor O'Leary
The Time of Your Life 1948
as Tom
The Big Punch 1948
as Chris Thorgenson
Blow-Ups of 1947 1947
as Self
The Voice of the Turtle 1947
as Comm. Ned Burling
Deep Valley 1947
as Jeff Barker
- So You Want to Be in Pictures
So You Want to Be in Pictures 1947
as Self (uncredited)
The Smiling Ghost 1941
as Alexander "Lucky" Downing
Three Sons o' Guns 1941
as Charley Patterson
Bad Men of Missouri 1941
as Bob Younger
I Wanted Wings 1941
as Tom Cassidy
The Quarterback 1940
as Jimmy Jones and Billy Jones
Ladies Must Live 1940
as Corey Lake
Gambling on the High Seas 1940
as Jim Carter
Flight Angels 1940
as Artie Dixon
An Angel from Texas 1940
as Mac McClure
Double Alibi 1940
as Stephen Wayne
Brother Rat and a Baby 1940
as Billy Randolph
The Return of Doctor X 1939
as Walter Wichita Garrett
The Kid from Kokomo 1939
as Homer Baston
Brother Rat 1938
as Billy Randolph
Valley of the Giants 1938
as Bill Cardigan
Men Are Such Fools 1938
as Jimmy Hall
Out Where the Stars Begin 1938
as Wayne Morris
Love, Honor and Behave 1938
as Ted Painter
The Kid Comes Back 1938
as Rush Conway
Submarine D-1 1937
as "Sock" McGillis
Kid Galahad 1937
as Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
Land Beyond the Law 1937
as Dave Seymour
Under Southern Stars 1937
as Dallas
Once a Doctor 1937
as Sailor on Nirvana
Smart Blonde 1937
as Railroad Information Clerk (uncredited)
King of Hockey 1936
as Bill "Jumbo" Mullins
Polo Joe 1936
as Spectator (uncredited)
Here Comes Carter 1936
as Bill
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) 1936
as Self
China Clipper 1936
as Navigator on Clipper
Credits from TMDB.