William Morris (actor)

William Morris
William Morris
Born	William Henry Morris; January 1, 1861; Boston, Massachusetts
Died	January 11, 1936 (aged 75); Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1875 – 1935
Spouse(s)	Etta Hawkins
Children	5, including Chester Morris

William Henry Morris (January 1, 1861 – January 11, 1936) was an American stage and film actor.[1]

He began his career as a teenager in the theater, first appearing at the Boston Museum in 1875. He became a star on the Broadway stage, where he spent most of his career. He appeared in popular plays such as 1909's Is Matrimony a Failure? He was a character actor in silent films, usually playing gruff fathers or bad guys.

His appearance in Alice Guy's 1917 silent film The Ocean Waif, from Kino DVD, is an example of Morris's surviving screen work.

He was married to actress Etta Hawkins,[2][3] with whom he had five children: screenwriter-actor Gordon Morris (1898–1940), actors Chester Morris (1901–1970) and Adrian Morris (1907–1941), and actress Wilhelmina Morris (1902–1971).[4]^:7,263 Their first child, Lloyd Morris, died young (1892–1902).[4]^:7

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
1916	Romeo and Juliet	Abraham
1930	Brothers	Dr. Moore
1931	The Woman Between	Frederick Weston
1931	The Gang Buster	Andrew Martine

Selected stage appearances

Men and Women (1890)
Is Matrimony a Failure? (1909)
The Concert (1910)
The Family Cupboard (1913)
Cheating Cheaters (1916)

References

"William Morris, 75, Veteran Actor, Dies; Father of Chester of the Movies Well Known on Broadway Stage". The New York Times. January 12, 1936. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
The Chester Morris Web the only Chester Morris website on the internet
"Obituary: Etta Hawkins Morris". The New York Times. July 15, 1945. p. 15. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
Nollen, Scott Allen; Nollen, Yuyun Yuningsih (2019). Chester Morris : His Life and Career (softcover) (First ed.). Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7729-3.

External links

William Morris on IMDb
William Morris at the Internet Broadway Database
William Morris at Find a Grave

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[1] "William Morris, 75, Veteran Actor, Dies; Father of Chester of the Movies Well Known on Broadway Stage". The New York Times. January 12, 1936. Retrieved June 25, 2017.

[2] The Chester Morris Web the only Chester Morris website on the internet

[3] "Obituary: Etta Hawkins Morris". The New York Times. July 15, 1945. p. 15. Retrieved June 25, 2017.

[SAN2019-4] Nollen, Scott Allen; Nollen, Yuyun Yuningsih (2019). Chester Morris : His Life and Career (softcover) (First ed.). Jefferson, NC, and London: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7729-3.