Wayne Morris
Acting • Born 1914-02-17 – Died 1959-09-14
Biography
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
80 credits
Paths of Glory
Movie • 1957
Lt. Roget/Singing man
The Return of Doctor X
Movie • 1939
Walter Wichita Garrett
The House Across the Street
Movie • 1949
Dave Joslin
Plunder Road
Movie • 1957
Commando Munson
Polo Joe
Movie • 1936
Spectator (uncredited)
Task Force
Movie • 1949
McKinney
Deep Valley
Movie • 1947
Jeff Barker
The Green Buddha
Movie • 1954
Gary Holden
Johnny One-Eye
Movie • 1950
Dane Cory
Kid Galahad
Movie • 1937
Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
Double Alibi
Movie • 1940
Stephen Wayne
The Smiling Ghost
Movie • 1941
Alexander "Lucky" Downing
The Time of Your Life
Movie • 1948
Tom
Men Are Such Fools
Movie • 1938
Jimmy Hall
Flight Angels
Movie • 1940
Artie Dixon
The Kid from Kokomo
Movie • 1939
Homer Baston
Under Southern Stars
Movie • 1937
Dallas
The Younger Brothers
Movie • 1949
Cole Younger
I Wanted Wings
Movie • 1941
Tom Cassidy
Riding Shotgun
Movie • 1954
Deputy Sheriff Tub Murphy
Brother Rat
Movie • 1938
Billy Randolph
Submarine D-1
Movie • 1937
"Sock" McGillis
The Voice of the Turtle
Movie • 1947
Comm. Ned Burling
Bad Men of Missouri
Movie • 1941
Bob Younger
So You Want to Be in Pictures
Movie • 1947
Self (uncredited)
Gambling on the High Seas
Movie • 1940
Jim Carter
The Big Gusher
Movie • 1951
Kenny Blake
Valley of the Giants
Movie • 1938
Bill Cardigan
A Kiss in the Dark
Movie • 1949
Bruce Arnold
Stage to Tucson
Movie • 1950
Barney Broderick
Land Beyond the Law
Movie • 1937
Dave Seymour
King of Hockey
Movie • 1936
Bill "Jumbo" Mullins
Lord of the Jungle
Movie • 1955
Jeff Wood
Ladies Must Live
Movie • 1940
Corey Lake
Love, Honor and Behave
Movie • 1938
Ted Painter
The Big Punch
Movie • 1948
Chris Thorgenson
The Gelignite Gang
Movie • 1956
Jimmy Baxter
Brother Rat and a Baby
Movie • 1940
Billy Randolph
Arctic Flight
Movie • 1952
Mike Wien
Yellow Fin
Movie • 1951
Mike Donovan
John Loves Mary
Movie • 1949
Lt. Victor O'Leary
Out Where the Stars Begin
Movie • 1938
Wayne Morris
Here Comes Carter
Movie • 1936
Bill
Sierra Passage
Movie • 1950
Johnny Yorke
Fighting Lawman
Movie • 1953
Deputy Marshal Jim Burke
Three Sons o' Guns
Movie • 1941
Charley Patterson
The Tougher They Come
Movie • 1950
Bill Shaw
Desert Pursuit
Movie • 1952
Ford Smith
The Crooked Sky
Movie • 1957
Mike Conlin
Two Guns and a Badge
Movie • 1954
Deputy Jim Blake
Texas Bad Man
Movie • 1953
Walt
The Master Plan
Movie • 1954
Major Thomas Brent
Smart Blonde
Movie • 1937
Railroad Information Clerk (uncredited)
Once a Doctor
Movie • 1937
Sailor on Nirvana
The Desperado
Movie • 1954
Sam Garrett
The Kid Comes Back
Movie • 1938
Rush Conway
The Quarterback
Movie • 1940
Jimmy Jones and Billy Jones
An Angel from Texas
Movie • 1940
Mac McClure
The Lonesome Trail
Movie • 1955
Dandy Dayton
The Bushwhackers
Movie • 1951
Marshal John Harding
The Marksman
Movie • 1953
Deputy Marshal Mike Martin
Blow-Ups of 1947
Movie • 1947
Self
Star of Texas
Movie • 1953
Texas Ranger Ed Ryan / Robert Larkin
Buffalo Gun
Movie • 1961
Roche
Breakdowns of 1949
Movie • 1949
Self
Port of Hell
Movie • 1954
Stanley Povich
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Movie • 1936
Self
China Clipper
Movie • 1936
Navigator on Clipper
Cross Channel
Movie • 1955
Tex Parker
Bourbon Street Beat
TV • 1959
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Nat
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
TV • 1955
Bret Johnson
Adventures in Paradise
TV • 1959
Sam Agnew
Bronco
TV • 1958
Wanted: Dead or Alive
TV • 1958
Mayor Barney Pax
Bat Masterson
TV • 1958
Mace Pomeroy
Official Detective
TV • 1957
Maverick
TV • 1957
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV • 1948
Self
The Adventures of the Big Man
TV • 1956
Bill Pierce