William Morris (actor)

American actor (1861-1936)

William Morris

Morris in 1904

Born|

William Henry Morris

(1861-01-01)January 1, 1861

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Died| January 11, 1936(1936-01-11) (aged 75)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Occupation| Actor
Years active| 1875–1935
Spouse| Etta Hawkins
Children| 5, including Chester Morris

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

## Career[edit]

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.[2]

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

## Personal life[edit]

He was married to actress Etta Hawkins,[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[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

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

## Selected stage appearances[edit]

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

## References[edit]

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.
4. ^ a b 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[edit]

* William Morris at IMDb
* William Morris at the Internet Broadway Database
* William Morris at Find a Grave
* William Morris(NY Public Library)

Authority control

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data
* United States

Other|

* SNAC