Garrett Morris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Garrett Morris
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Morris in 2013
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Garrett Isaac Morris
February 1, 1936 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Education | Juilliard School Dillard University (BM) |
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| Years active | 1960–present |
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| Spouse(s) | Freda Morris (m. 1984–2018) |
Garrett Isaac Morris (born February 1, 1937) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He was one of the first actors on the famous TV show Saturday Night Live. He was also the very first Black cast member on the show. Garrett Morris was on Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980.
He is also well-known for playing different characters on other popular TV shows. These include Jimmy on The Jeffersons and Junior "Uncle Junior" King on The Jamie Foxx Show. He also played Earl Washington on the sitcom 2 Broke Girls. You might also remember him as Stan Winters on the TV series Martin.
Contents
Garrett Morris's Early Life and Career
Garrett Morris was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 1, 1937. He grew up in a part of the city called Gert Town. From a young age, he loved to sing in his church choir.
He studied music at the Juilliard School and graduated from Dillard University in 1958. Early in his career, he sang with a group called The Belafonte Folk Singers. In 1960, he even recorded songs with famous musicians like Pete Seeger.
Morris also performed in many Broadway musicals. These included shows like Hallelujah, Baby!. He also worked at the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School in Harlem. This was a very important time for Black artists.
Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live
Garrett Morris joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) because the show's creator, Lorne Michaels, liked a play he had written. Morris was then asked to join the cast. He was on the show from 1975 to 1980.
On SNL, Morris sometimes showed off his singing talent. He would sing classical music pieces. This was a fun surprise for the audience.
Famous Characters on Saturday Night Live
One of Morris's most famous characters was Chico Escuela. Chico was a baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He spoke very little English. His funny catchphrase was: "Baseball... been berra berra good... to me."
Another popular character was the "News for the Hard of Hearing" translator. Morris would shout the news headlines. This was a funny way to make fun of how sign language interpretation was sometimes shown on TV.
Even though he was famous on SNL, Morris sometimes felt unhappy. He thought he was often given the same kinds of roles. Other Black performers who joined SNL later worried about this too.
Recurring Characters Garrett Morris Played
- Chico Escuela, a baseball player for the New York Mets.
- Cliff, a street-smart friend to the Festrunk Brothers.
- Grant Robinson, Jr., one of The Nerds.
- Hodo, a friend of Miles Cowperthwaite.
- Merkon, the leader of the Coneheads.
- The "News for the Hard of Hearing" translator on Weekend Update.
Garrett Morris's Later Career
After Saturday Night Live, Garrett Morris continued to act in many movies and TV shows. In 1976, he was in the movie Car Wash. He played a character named Slide. He also appeared in five episodes of The Jeffersons in the early 1980s.
In 1985, he was in the movie The Stuff. He played a character called "Chocolate Chip Charlie." He also had a regular role on the TV show Hunter as Arnold "Sporty" James. He appeared in Married... with Children as one of Al's poker friends.
Morris had many regular roles on other TV shows. These included Diff'rent Strokes, Hill Street Blues, and Roc. He was a main cast member on The Jamie Foxx Show. He played Jamie's uncle, Junior King, for the entire time the show was on TV.
In 2007, the mayor of Los Angeles honored Garrett Morris. He even declared February 9, 2007, "Garrett Morris Day." Morris also owned his own comedy club in Los Angeles.
He appeared in commercials for Nintendo DS and Miller Lite. In 2011, he got a main role as Earl in the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls. During the show, he faced a lawsuit about his income. However, a representative for the show said he had not done anything wrong.
In 2015, Morris had a small role in the superhero movie Ant-Man. This was a nod to an old SNL sketch where he played the character. He has also appeared in shows like This Is Us and A Black Lady Sketch Show.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Where's Poppa? | Garrett | |
| 1971 | The Anderson Tapes | Sgt. Everson | |
| 1975 | Cooley High | Mr. Mason | |
| 1976 | Car Wash | Slide | |
| 1980 | How to Beat the High Cost of Living | Power & Light Man | |
| 1984 | The Census Taker | Harvey | |
| 1985 | The Stuff | "Chocolate Chip Charlie" W. Hobbs | |
| 1987 | Critical Condition | ||
| The Underachievers | Dummont | ||
| 1989 | Dance to Win | - | |
| 1991 | Children of the Night | Matty | |
| Motorama | Andy | ||
| Blackbird Fly | - | Short film | |
| 1992 | Severed Ties | Stripes | |
| 1993 | Coneheads | Capt. Orecruiser | |
| 1995 | Black Scorpion | Argyle | |
| 1996 | Black Rose of Harlem | Wisdom | |
| Santa with Muscles | Clayton | ||
| Almost Blue | Charles | ||
| 1997 | Black Scorpion II | Argyle | |
| 1999 | Twin Falls Idaho | Jesus | |
| Palmer's Pick-Up | Tom Bolza | ||
| Graham's Diner | — | ||
| 2001 | Jackpot | Lester Irving | |
| How High | PCC Agent | ||
| 2003 | Connecting Dots | Henry | |
| 2005 | The Salon | Percy | |
| 2007 | Implanted | Kadar | Short film |
| Who's Your Caddy? | The Reverend | ||
| Frank | Billy Hamilton | ||
| Amenic | Amenic | Short film | |
| 2008 | Dog Gone | Police Chief | |
| The Longshots | Reverend Pratt | ||
| 2009 | Bed Ridden | Billings | Short film |
| Just Like Family | Leroy | ||
| Sonny Dreamweaver | God | ||
| 2010 | Pickin' & Grinnin' | Richard A. Trophey | |
| 2011 | Valley of the Sun | Joe | |
| Let Go | Donuts | ||
| 2012 | Pawn Shop | Rey | |
| Freeloaders | Mr. Abaeze | ||
| 2015 | Ant-Man | Cab Driver | |
| 2019 | Grand-Daddy Day Care | Arnold |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | CBS Workshop | — | Episode: "The Bible Salesman" |
| 1963 | General Hospital | Mouth | Regular cast |
| 1973 | Roll Out | Wheels− | Main cast |
| 1974 | Change at 125th Street | Janitor | Television film |
| 1975–80 | Saturday Night Live | Himself / cast member | Main cast (season 1–5) |
| 1978 | ABC Weekend Special | Frank | Episode: "The Seven Wishes of Joanna Peabody" |
| 1980 | Easter Fever | Jack | Voice, television film |
| 1982 | Diff'rent Strokes | Santa Claus / Mr. Jones | Episode: "Santa's Helper" |
| 1983 | The Invisible Woman | Lt. Greg Larkin | Television film |
| 1983–84 | The Jeffersons | Jimmy | Guest (season 9); Recurring cast (season 10) |
| 1984 | At Your Service | Dwayne | Television film |
| Masquerade | Froog | Episode: "The French Correction" | |
| The New Scooby Doo Mysteries | Additional voices | Season 2 | |
| 1984–85 | It's Your Move | Principal Dwight Ellis | Recurring cast |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Lafayette Duquesne | Episode: "Murder to a Jazz Beat" |
| Hill Street Blues | Derelict | Recurring cast (season 5) | |
| The Twilight Zone | Jake | Episode: "Dealer's Choice" | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Asam Ali Shamba | Episode: "The Wrong Way Home" | |
| Pound Puppies | Chief Williams | Voice, television film | |
| 1986 | The Love Boat | Gary Samuels | Episode: "The Will / Déjà Vu/ The Prediction" |
| New Love, American Style | — | Episode: "Love and the Teddy" | |
| 1986–89 | Hunter | Arnold "Sporty" James | Guest (season 2); Recurring cast (season 3-5) |
| 1987 | 227 | Bob Winslow | Episode: "The Working Game" |
| 1987–89 | Married... with Children | Russ | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Who's the Boss? | Officer Audette | Episode: "Sam's Car" |
| 1991 | Earth Angel | Joey | Television film |
| 1991–92 | Roc | Wiz | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| 1992 | Maid for Each Other | Harold Brown | Television film |
| 1992–95 | Martin | Stan Winters | Main cast (season 1–2); Guest (season 3) |
| 1993 | Daddy Dearest | Stan | Episode: "American We" |
| 1994 | ER | Edgar Luck | Episode: "ER Confidential" |
| 1995 | The Wayans Bros. | Uncle Leon / Himself | 2 episodes |
| Minor Adjustments | Willie | Episode: "The Ex-Files" | |
| Cleghorne! | Sidney Carlson | Main cast | |
| 1996–2001 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Uncle Junior King | Main cast |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Buzzard | Voice, episode: "Pinocchio" |
| Boston Common | Sammy Sutherland | Episode: "I.D. Endow" | |
| 1998 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Himself | Episode: "Cahill" |
| 1999 | G vs E | Kentucky McQuaid | Episode: "Sunday Night Evil" |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Dr. Frank Hollister | Episode: "Prototype" |
| Static Shock | Preacher | Voice, episode: "Child's Play" | |
| Little Richard | Carl Rainey | Television film | |
| 2001 | Justice League | Al McGee | Voice, episode: "In Blackest Night" Pt. 1 |
| According to Jim | Lewis | Episode: "The Turkey Bowl" | |
| The Hughleys | Father Roberts | Episode: "I'm Dreaming of a Slight Christmas" | |
| 2003 | Maniac Magee | Mr. Cobble | Television film |
| 2005 | Noah's Arc | Rev. Allen | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | All of Us | Uncle Cyrus | Episode: "Neesee's Grave Plot" |
| Family Guy | Himself | 1 episode | |
| 2007 | Halfway Home | Jimmy the Mailman | 1 episode |
| Frangela | Dave | Television film | |
| 2011 | Shameless | Old Priest | Episode: "Three Boys" |
| 2011–17 | 2 Broke Girls | Earl Washington | Main cast |
| 2013 | Psych | Clizby | Episode: "100 Clues" |
| 2017 | Rhett & Link's Buddy System | Ignatius | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2018 | MacGyver | Willy | Episode: "Mardi Gras Beads + Chair" |
| Scandal | Hector | Episode: "Army of One" | |
| Knight Squad | Old Fizzwick | Episode: "Working on the Knight Moves" | |
| This Is Us | Lloyd | Recurring cast (season 2); Guest (season 3) |
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| 2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Deacon Jones | Episode: "Why Are Her Pies Wet, Lord?" |
| 2020 | Family Reunion | Grand Sensei Shandu | Episode: "Remember When Shaka Got Beat Up?" |
| Station 19 | Earl Davis | Episode: "Poor Wandering One" | |
| Self Made | Cleophus Walker | Main cast | |
| 2021 | Fairfax | Albert | Voice role; Episode: "Fairfolks" |
| Grand Crew | Narrator | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2023 | How I Met Your Father | Julian | Episode: "Midwife Crisis" |
See also
In Spanish: Garrett Morris para niños
