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