Francis Gregory Alan Morris (September 27, 1933 – August 27, 1996), better known as Greg Morris, was an American actor. He was best known for portraying Barney Collier on the television series Mission: Impossible and Lt. David Nelson on Vega$.
Early life and career[]
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to jazz trumpeter Francis Williams,[1] Morris served in the United States Army during the Korean War. While in college at Iowa on the G.I. Bill, Morris was active in college theater and hosted the late afternoon Jazz radio show, "Tea-Time", on the University of Iowa station, WSUI. He co-produced concerts at the university with a student friend. Morris began his television acting career in the 1960s, making guest appearances on numerous TV shows such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Twilight Zone, Branded and Ben Casey. In 1966, Morris was cast in his most recognizable role as the team electronics expert Barney Collier in the TV series Mission: Impossible. Morris and Bob Johnson were the only actors to remain with Mission: Impossible throughout its entire run.
After Iowa, his first professional stage role was in The Death of Bessie Smith. One of his earliest television roles was a cameo appearance on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1963 episode "That's My Boy??", in which Rob Petrie becomes convinced that they have taken home the wrong baby from the hospital. The revelation of Morris's character as the other child's father prompted a record setting bout of laughter from the studio audience.[2] He returned to the show in 1965 playing Frank "Sticks" Mandalay, a drummer, an army buddy of Rob. He also appeared in the 1963–64 season of ABC's drama about college life, Channing, starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones.
After Mission: Impossible was canceled, Morris appeared in several movies and made guest TV appearances, including The Six Million Dollar Man (Episode 1.05, "Little Orphan Airplane", 1974). Morris was then cast as Lt. David Nelson of the Las Vegas Metro Police in the ABC TV detective series Vega$ (1978–1981), co-starring Robert Urich, Bart Braverman, and Phyllis Davis. On March 3, 1981, by which point most filming for the season had concluded, Morris was involved in a serious car accident on I-15 near Las Vegas.
After the cancellation of Vega$, Morris continued to make guest TV appearances, including several episodes in the short-lived 1988–1990 remake of the Mission: Impossible TV series, starring his son Phil Morris. Phil Morris was cast as Grant Collier, the son of Barney. Morris also appeared in two episodes of the TV series What's Happening!! as Lawrence Nelson (father of Dwayne) and in three episodes of The Jeffersons, in which he reprised his role as an electronics expert (although not as Barney Collier) in a comparison sequel of the Mission: Impossible series. Morris was also a frequent guest star on Password, Tattletales, and Password Plus in the 1960s and 1970s.
Shortly before his death in 1996, Morris saw the film version of Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise. He so disliked the movie (as did some of his former co-stars) that he left the theater early,[3] calling it "an abomination".[4]
Personal life[]
Morris married his wife Leona Keyes in 1956, and remained married until his death.[4] Together they had three children, including actor Phil Morris and actress Iona Morris.[4] Leona Morris died on November 2, 2016, aged 81.[5]
Death[]
Morris died on August 27, 1996 of lung and brain cancer in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 62.[6]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The New Interns | Dr. Pete Clarke | |
| The Lively Set | Highway Patrol Officer | ||
| 1965 | The Sword of Ali Baba | Yusef | |
| 1966 | The Doomsday Flight | FBI Agent Balaban | Television film; Written by Rod Serling |
| 1976 | Countdown at Kusini | Red Salter | |
| S.T.A.B. | Richard Hill | Thai film | |
| 1979 | Roots: The Next Generations | Beeman Jones | Miniseries; Part 1 |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | The Intern | Episode: "Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog" |
| Sam Benedict | Victim | Episode: "Of Rusted Cannons and Fallen Sparrows" | |
| Dr. Kildare | Lincoln Ball | Episode: "The Gift of the Koodjanuk" | |
| The Twilight Zone | Lt. Woodard | Episode: "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms" | |
| 1963–1964 | The Lieutenant | Sgt. Perc Linden / Crew Chief | 3 episodes |
| 1963–1965 | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Mr. Peters / Frank "Sticks" Mandalay | 2 episodes |
| 1965 | The Fugitive | Mickey Deming | Episode: "Wings of an Angel" |
| I Spy | Jim Rogers | Episode: "Lori" | |
| 1966–1973 | Mission: Impossible | Barney Collier | Main role |
| 1973 | Mannix | Escaped Convict | Episode: "Climb a Deadly Mountain" |
| 1974 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Josh | Episode: "Little Orphan Airplane" |
| Match Game | Himself | Game Show Participant / Celebrity Guest Star | |
| 1975 | The Streets of San Francisco | Eddie Griffin | Episode: "Merchants of Death" |
| 1976 | Sanford and Son | Willis | 2 episodes |
| 1977–1979 | What's Happening!! | Lawrence Nelson | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Wonder Woman | Caribe | Episode: "Light-Fingered Lady" |
| Quincy, M.E. | Cliff Collier | Episode: "A Night to Raise the Dead" | |
| The Eddie Capra Mysteries | Shelby | Episode: "The Intimate Friends of Janet Wilde" | |
| The Love Boat | Guest star | Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part – Maybe / Chubs / Locked Away" | |
| 1978–1981 | Vega$ | Lt. Dave Nelson / Lt. George Nelson | 57 episodes |
| 1978–1983 | Fantasy Island | Ted Harmon / Chief of Surgery | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | Password Plus | Himself | Game Show Participant / Celebrity Guest Star |
| 1983 | The Fall Guy | Gary Jordan | Episode: "P.S., I Love You" |
| The Jeffersons | Jimmy's Cousin | 3 episodes | |
| 1984 | T.J. Hooker | Dave Reemer | Episode: "Exercise in Murder" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Lt. Andrews | Episode: "Lovers and Other Killers" | |
| 1985 | Super Password | Himself | Game Show Participant / Celebrity Guest Star |
| 1988 | War of the Worlds | General Masters | Episode: "The Second Seal" |
| 1988–1990 | Mission: Impossible | Barney Collier | 3 episodes |
| 1989 | Superboy | Damon | Episode: "The Invisible People" |
| 1995 | TekWar | Hacker | Episode: "Killer Instinct" |
References[]
- ↑ "Francis Williams, Trumpeter; Played With Ellington Band". The New York Times (October 4, 1983). Retrieved on March 27, 2018.
- ↑ "Episode Description: The Dick Van Dyke Show – "That's My Boy??"". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved on April 23, 2009.
- ↑ Tush, Bill (May 26, 1996). "'Mission: Impossible' TV stars disgruntled". CNN. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved on May 4, 2010.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ravo, Nick (August 29, 1996). "Greg Morris, 61, Debonair Star Of TV's 'Mission Impossible'". The New York Times. Retrieved on March 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Leona Alvadeen Keyes Morris Obituary (1935-2016) Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com (November 12, 2016). Retrieved on August 27, 2021.
- ↑ "'Mission: Impossible' actor dies". CNN (August 28, 1996). Archived from the original on February 23, 2019. Retrieved on February 23, 2019.
External links[]
- Greg Morris at Wikipedia
- Greg Morris at the Internet Movie Database
- "Greg Morris". TV.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012.
- 'Mission: Impossible' actor dies
- Greg Morris at Find a Grave