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