Wayne Morris
Acting
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
TV Shows(11)
Bourbon Street Beat
1959
Adventures in Paradise
Sam Agnew
1959
Bat Masterson
Mace Pomeroy
1958
Bronco
1958
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Mayor Barney Pax
1958
Maverick
1957
Official Detective
1957
The Adventures of the Big Man
Bill Pierce
1956
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Bret Johnson
1955
Gunsmoke
Nat
1955
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Movies(69)
Buffalo Gun
Roche
1961
Plunder Road
Commando Munson
1957
Paths of Glory
Lt. Roget/Singing man
1957
The Crooked Sky
Mike Conlin
1957
The Gelignite Gang
Jimmy Baxter
1956
Cross Channel
Tex Parker
1955
The Lonesome Trail
Dandy Dayton
1955
Lord of the Jungle
Jeff Wood
1955
Port of Hell
Stanley Povich
1954
The Green Buddha
Gary Holden
1954
Two Guns and a Badge
Deputy Jim Blake
1954
The Master Plan
Major Thomas Brent
1954
The Desperado
Sam Garrett
1954
Riding Shotgun
Deputy Sheriff Tub Murphy
1954
Texas Bad Man
Walt
1953
Fighting Lawman
Deputy Marshal Jim Burke
1953
The Marksman
Deputy Marshal Mike Martin
1953
Star of Texas
Texas Ranger Ed Ryan / Robert Larkin
1953
Arctic Flight
Mike Wien
1952
Desert Pursuit
Ford Smith
1952
The Bushwhackers
Marshal John Harding
1951
Yellow Fin
Mike Donovan
1951
The Big Gusher
Kenny Blake
1951
Sierra Passage
Johnny Yorke
1950
Stage to Tucson
Barney Broderick
1950
The Tougher They Come
Bill Shaw
1950
Johnny One-Eye
Dane Cory
1950
Breakdowns of 1949
Self
1949
The House Across the Street
Dave Joslin
1949
Task Force
McKinney
1949
The Younger Brothers
Cole Younger
1949
A Kiss in the Dark
Bruce Arnold
1949
John Loves Mary
Lt. Victor O'Leary
1949
The Time of Your Life
Tom
1948
The Big Punch
Chris Thorgenson
1948
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
1947
The Voice of the Turtle
Comm. Ned Burling
1947
Deep Valley
Jeff Barker
1947
So You Want to Be in Pictures
Self (uncredited)
1947
The Smiling Ghost
Alexander "Lucky" Downing
1941
Three Sons o' Guns
Charley Patterson
1941
Bad Men of Missouri
Bob Younger
1941
I Wanted Wings
Tom Cassidy
1941
The Quarterback
Jimmy Jones and Billy Jones
1940
Ladies Must Live
Corey Lake
1940
Gambling on the High Seas
Jim Carter
1940
Flight Angels
Artie Dixon
1940
An Angel from Texas
Mac McClure
1940
Double Alibi
Stephen Wayne
1940
Brother Rat and a Baby
Billy Randolph
1940
The Return of Doctor X
Walter Wichita Garrett
1939
The Kid from Kokomo
Homer Baston
1939
Brother Rat
Billy Randolph
1938
Valley of the Giants
Bill Cardigan
1938
Men Are Such Fools
Jimmy Hall
1938
Out Where the Stars Begin
Wayne Morris
1938
Love, Honor and Behave
Ted Painter
1938
The Kid Comes Back
Rush Conway
1938
Submarine D-1
"Sock" McGillis
1937
Kid Galahad
Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
1937
Land Beyond the Law
Dave Seymour
1937
Under Southern Stars
Dallas
1937
Once a Doctor
Sailor on Nirvana
1937
Smart Blonde
Railroad Information Clerk (uncredited)
1937
King of Hockey
Bill "Jumbo" Mullins
1936
Polo Joe
Spectator (uncredited)
1936
Here Comes Carter
Bill
1936
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
1936
China Clipper
Navigator on Clipper
1936