Wayne Morris
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Feb 17, 1914
- Died
- Sep 14, 1959 (aged 45)
- Place of birth
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Credits
- 80
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.
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Known for
Paths of Glory
1957Movie
Lt. Roget/Singing man
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955TV
Bret Johnson
Gunsmoke
1955TV
Nat
The Return of Doctor X
1939Movie
Walter Wichita Garrett
Kid Galahad
1937Movie
Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
Plunder Road
1957Movie
Commando Munson
Filmography
Buffalo Gun
1961Movie
Roche
Bourbon Street Beat
1959TV
Adventures in Paradise
1959TV
Sam Agnew
Bat Masterson
1958TV
Mace Pomeroy
Bronco
1958TV
Wanted: Dead or Alive
1958TV
Mayor Barney Pax
Plunder Road
1957Movie
Commando Munson
Paths of Glory
1957Movie
Lt. Roget/Singing man
Maverick
1957TV
The Crooked Sky
1957Movie
Mike Conlin
Official Detective
1957TV
The Gelignite Gang
1956Movie
Jimmy Baxter
The Adventures of the Big Man
1956TV
Bill Pierce
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955TV
Bret Johnson
Cross Channel
1955Movie
Tex Parker
Gunsmoke
1955TV
Nat
The Lonesome Trail
1955Movie
Dandy Dayton
Lord of the Jungle
1955Movie
Jeff Wood
Port of Hell
1954Movie
Stanley Povich
The Green Buddha
1954Movie
Gary Holden
Two Guns and a Badge
1954Movie
Deputy Jim Blake
The Master Plan
1954Movie
Major Thomas Brent
The Desperado
1954Movie
Sam Garrett
Riding Shotgun
1954Movie
Deputy Sheriff Tub Murphy
Texas Bad Man
1953Movie
Walt
Fighting Lawman
1953Movie
Deputy Marshal Jim Burke
The Marksman
1953Movie
Deputy Marshal Mike Martin
Star of Texas
1953Movie
Texas Ranger Ed Ryan / Robert Larkin
Arctic Flight
1952Movie
Mike Wien
Desert Pursuit
1952Movie
Ford Smith
The Bushwhackers
1951Movie
Marshal John Harding
Yellow Fin
1951Movie
Mike Donovan
The Big Gusher
1951Movie
Kenny Blake
Sierra Passage
1950Movie
Johnny Yorke
Stage to Tucson
1950Movie
Barney Broderick
The Tougher They Come
1950Movie
Bill Shaw
Johnny One-Eye
1950Movie
Dane Cory
Breakdowns of 1949
1949Movie
Self
The House Across the Street
1949Movie
Dave Joslin
Task Force
1949Movie
McKinney
The Younger Brothers
1949Movie
Cole Younger
A Kiss in the Dark
1949Movie
Bruce Arnold
John Loves Mary
1949Movie
Lt. Victor O'Leary
The Time of Your Life
1948Movie
Tom
The Big Punch
1948Movie
Chris Thorgenson
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948TV
Self
Blow-Ups of 1947
1947Movie
Self
The Voice of the Turtle
1947Movie
Comm. Ned Burling
Deep Valley
1947Movie
Jeff Barker
So You Want to Be in Pictures
1947Movie
Self (uncredited)
The Smiling Ghost
1941Movie
Alexander "Lucky" Downing
Three Sons o' Guns
1941Movie
Charley Patterson
Bad Men of Missouri
1941Movie
Bob Younger
I Wanted Wings
1941Movie
Tom Cassidy
The Quarterback
1940Movie
Jimmy Jones and Billy Jones
Ladies Must Live
1940Movie
Corey Lake
Gambling on the High Seas
1940Movie
Jim Carter
Flight Angels
1940Movie
Artie Dixon
An Angel from Texas
1940Movie
Mac McClure
Double Alibi
1940Movie
Stephen Wayne
Brother Rat and a Baby
1940Movie
Billy Randolph
The Return of Doctor X
1939Movie
Walter Wichita Garrett
The Kid from Kokomo
1939Movie
Homer Baston
Brother Rat
1938Movie
Billy Randolph
Valley of the Giants
1938Movie
Bill Cardigan
Men Are Such Fools
1938Movie
Jimmy Hall
Out Where the Stars Begin
1938Movie
Wayne Morris
Love, Honor and Behave
1938Movie
Ted Painter
The Kid Comes Back
1938Movie
Rush Conway
Submarine D-1
1937Movie
"Sock" McGillis
Kid Galahad
1937Movie
Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
Land Beyond the Law
1937Movie
Dave Seymour
Under Southern Stars
1937Movie
Dallas
Once a Doctor
1937Movie
Sailor on Nirvana
Smart Blonde
1937Movie
Railroad Information Clerk (uncredited)
King of Hockey
1936Movie
Bill "Jumbo" Mullins
Polo Joe
1936Movie
Spectator (uncredited)
Here Comes Carter
1936Movie
Bill
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936Movie
Self
China Clipper
1936Movie
Navigator on Clipper