Wayne Morris (born Bert DeWayne Morris Jr.[2] February 17, 1914 – September 14, 1959) was an American film and television actor, as well as a decorated World War IIfighter ace. He appeared in many films, including Paths of Glory (1957), The Bushwackers (1952), and the title role of Kid Galahad (1937).
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 uncle-in-law, CommanderDavid McCampbell, imploring him for the chance to fly fighters. McCampbell said "Give me a letter." He flew the F6F Hellcat off the aircraft carrierUSS Essex with Fighter Squadron 15 (VF-15), the famed "McCampbell Heroes."
After 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 much of the 1950s in low-budget westerns, but also appeared as the cowardly Lieutenant Roget, one of the main characters, in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957).
On television, Morris starred in a 1956 episode of Science Fiction Theater, "Beam of Fire". In 1958, Morris appeared in Gunsmoke as "Nat", a groom almost shot to death. Wayne Morris played "Captain Hathaway" in 1959 on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (in the episode "The Sea Captain"), and posthumously as Sheriff Sam Cloggett in 1960 on New Comedy Showcase (in the episode "They Went Thataway").[citation needed]
Personal life
Morris was first married to tobacco heiress Leonora (Bubbles) Schinasi; the couple later divorced. Eighteen months later, Morris married the 19-year-old Patricia Ann O'Rourke at the Long Beach, California Naval Air Base February 25, 1942.[6] He had two daughters and a son.[3]
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