Cast & creator
Wayne Morris
Best known for Maverick, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Ed Sullivan Show
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
Also known as: Bert DeWayne Morris, Bert DeWayne Morris Jr.
70
film credits
11
television credits
80
1936–1961 · acting roles
6.5
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (81)
Showing 81 of 81 credits
Maverick
1957
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Mayor Barney Pax
1958
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Gunsmoke
Nat
1955
Bat Masterson
Mace Pomeroy
1958
Adventures in Paradise
Sam Agnew
1959
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Bret Johnson
1955
Bronco
1958
Bourbon Street Beat
1959
Official Detective
1957
Paths of Glory
Lt. Roget/Singing man
1957The Adventures of the Big Man
Bill Pierce
1956
Plunder Road
Commando Munson
1957
The Return of Doctor X
Walter Wichita Garrett
1939
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
1936
An Angel from Texas
Mac McClure
1940
Bad Men of Missouri
Bob Younger
1941
Brother Rat and a Baby
Billy Randolph
1940
Kid Galahad
Ward 'Kid Galahad' Guisenberry
1937
The Voice of the Turtle
Comm. Ned Burling
1947
I Wanted Wings
Tom Cassidy
1941
Gambling on the High Seas
Jim Carter
1940
Love, Honor and Behave
Ted Painter
1938
Fighting Lawman
Deputy Marshal Jim Burke
1953
Land Beyond the Law
Dave Seymour
1937So You Want to Be in Pictures
Self (uncredited)
1947
Two Guns and a Badge
Deputy Jim Blake
1954
Valley of the Giants
Bill Cardigan
1938
Three Sons o' Guns
Charley Patterson
1941
Riding Shotgun
Deputy Sheriff Tub Murphy
1954
Task Force
McKinney
1949
The Marksman
Deputy Marshal Mike Martin
1953
The House Across the Street
Dave Joslin
1949
Stage to Tucson
Barney Broderick
1950
The Kid from Kokomo
Homer Baston
1939
A Kiss in the Dark
Bruce Arnold
1949
Men Are Such Fools
Jimmy Hall
1938
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
1947
Submarine D-1
"Sock" McGillis
1937
John Loves Mary
Lt. Victor O'Leary
1949
The Bushwhackers
Marshal John Harding
1951
The Time of Your Life
Tom
1948
Ladies Must Live
Corey Lake
1940
Out Where the Stars Begin
Wayne Morris
1938
Here Comes Carter
Bill
1936
Johnny One-Eye
Dane Cory
1950
The Desperado
Sam Garrett
1954
The Tougher They Come
Bill Shaw
1950
Deep Valley
Jeff Barker
1947
Texas Bad Man
Walt
1953
Flight Angels
Artie Dixon
1940
The Kid Comes Back
Rush Conway
1938
China Clipper
Navigator on Clipper
1936
Yellow Fin
Mike Donovan
1951
Smart Blonde
Railroad Information Clerk (uncredited)
1937
Once a Doctor
Sailor on Nirvana
1937
The Big Punch
Chris Thorgenson
1948
The Crooked Sky
Mike Conlin
1957
Breakdowns of 1949
Self
1949
Double Alibi
Stephen Wayne
1940
King of Hockey
Bill "Jumbo" Mullins
1936
Star of Texas
Texas Ranger Ed Ryan / Robert Larkin
1953
Brother Rat
Billy Randolph
1938
The Big Gusher
Kenny Blake
1951
Desert Pursuit
Ford Smith
1952
Polo Joe
Spectator (uncredited)
1936
Port of Hell
Stanley Povich
1954
Lord of the Jungle
Jeff Wood
1955
The Smiling Ghost
Alexander "Lucky" Downing
1941
Sierra Passage
Johnny Yorke
1950Sierra Passage
Associate Producer
1950
The Gelignite Gang
Jimmy Baxter
1956
The Younger Brothers
Cole Younger
1949
The Quarterback
Jimmy Jones and Billy Jones
1940
The Master Plan
Major Thomas Brent
1954
The Lonesome Trail
Dandy Dayton
1955
The Green Buddha
Gary Holden
1954
Arctic Flight
Mike Wien
1952
Buffalo Gun
Roche
1961
Cross Channel
Tex Parker
1955Under Southern Stars
Dallas
1937