Acting · Los Angeles, California, USA · Born February 17, 1914
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
MovieBuffalo Gun
1961
as Roche
TVBourbon Street Beat
1959
TVAdventures in Paradise
1959
as Sam Agnew
TVBat Masterson
1958
as Mace Pomeroy
TVBronco
1958
TVWanted: Dead or Alive
1958
as Mayor Barney Pax
MoviePlunder Road
1957
as Commando Munson
MoviePaths of Glory
1957
as Lt. Roget/Singing man
TVMaverick
1957
MovieThe Crooked Sky
1957
as Mike Conlin
TVOfficial Detective
1957
MovieThe Gelignite Gang
1956
as Jimmy Baxter
The Adventures of the Big Man
1956
as Bill Pierce
TVAlfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Bret Johnson
MovieCross Channel
1955
as Tex Parker
TVGunsmoke
1955
as Nat
MovieThe Lonesome Trail
1955
as Dandy Dayton
MovieLord of the Jungle
1955
as Jeff Wood
MoviePort of Hell
1954
as Stanley Povich
MovieThe Green Buddha
1954
as Gary Holden
MovieTwo Guns and a Badge
1954
as Deputy Jim Blake
MovieThe Master Plan
1954
as Major Thomas Brent
MovieThe Desperado
1954
as Sam Garrett
MovieRiding Shotgun
1954
as Deputy Sheriff Tub Murphy
MovieTexas Bad Man
1953
as Walt
MovieFighting Lawman
1953
as Deputy Marshal Jim Burke
MovieThe Marksman
1953
as Deputy Marshal Mike Martin
MovieStar of Texas
1953
as Texas Ranger Ed Ryan / Robert Larkin
MovieArctic Flight
1952
as Mike Wien
MovieDesert Pursuit
1952
as Ford Smith
MovieThe Bushwhackers
1951
as Marshal John Harding
MovieYellow Fin
1951
as Mike Donovan
MovieThe Big Gusher
1951
as Kenny Blake
MovieSierra Passage
1950
as Johnny Yorke
MovieStage to Tucson
1950
as Barney Broderick
MovieThe Tougher They Come
1950
as Bill Shaw
MovieJohnny One-Eye
1950
as Dane Cory
MovieBreakdowns of 1949
1949
as Self
MovieThe House Across the Street
1949
as Dave Joslin
MovieTask Force
1949
as McKinney
MovieThe Younger Brothers
1949
as Cole Younger
MovieA Kiss in the Dark
1949
as Bruce Arnold
MovieJohn Loves Mary
1949
as Lt. Victor O'Leary
MovieThe Time of Your Life
1948
as Tom
MovieThe Big Punch
1948
as Chris Thorgenson
TVThe Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
MovieBlow-Ups of 1947
1947
as Self
MovieThe Voice of the Turtle
1947
as Comm. Ned Burling
MovieDeep Valley
1947
as Jeff Barker
So You Want to Be in Pictures
1947
as Self (uncredited)
MovieThe Smiling Ghost
1941
as Alexander "Lucky" Downing
MovieThree Sons o' Guns
1941
as Charley Patterson
MovieBad Men of Missouri
1941
as Bob Younger
MovieI Wanted Wings
1941
as Tom Cassidy
MovieThe Quarterback
1940
as Jimmy Jones and Billy Jones
MovieLadies Must Live
1940
as Corey Lake
MovieGambling on the High Seas
1940
as Jim Carter
MovieFlight Angels
1940
as Artie Dixon
MovieAn Angel from Texas
1940
as Mac McClure
MovieDouble Alibi
1940
as Stephen Wayne
MovieBrother Rat and a Baby
1940
as Billy Randolph
MovieThe Return of Doctor X
1939
as Walter Wichita Garrett
MovieThe Kid from Kokomo
1939
as Homer Baston
MovieBrother Rat
1938
as Billy Randolph
MovieValley of the Giants
1938
as Bill Cardigan
MovieMen Are Such Fools
1938
as Jimmy Hall
MovieOut Where the Stars Begin
1938
as Wayne Morris
MovieLove, Honor and Behave
1938
as Ted Painter
MovieThe Kid Comes Back
1938
as Rush Conway
MovieSubmarine D-1
1937
as "Sock" McGillis
MovieKid Galahad
1937
as Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
MovieLand Beyond the Law
1937
as Dave Seymour
Under Southern Stars
1937
as Dallas
MovieOnce a Doctor
1937
as Sailor on Nirvana
MovieSmart Blonde
1937
as Railroad Information Clerk (uncredited)
MovieKing of Hockey
1936
as Bill "Jumbo" Mullins
MoviePolo Joe
1936
as Spectator (uncredited)
MovieHere Comes Carter
1936
as Bill
MovieScreen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936
as Self
MovieChina Clipper
1936
as Navigator on Clipper
