Heather Morris
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Heather Elizabeth Morris (born February 1, 1987) is an American actress, dancer, singer, and model. She played the role of Brittany S. Pierce in the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''.


Early life

Morris was born in
Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak tr ...
, and raised in
Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...
. She began dancing in early childhood. Morris competed at a young age in a variety of styles including
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, tap, and
contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
. Her father died of cancer when she was 14 years old. After graduating from Desert Mountain High School, where she was
homecoming queen Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...
, Morris spent a year at Arizona State University before moving to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
to pursue a dance career.


Career

Morris' first significant appearance was in 2006 on ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...
'' Season 2 where she made it through "Vegas Week" without being cut, but failed to make the final 20 by a vote of 3 to 2. Not discouraged, Morris actively pursued a career in dancing. Her big break came in 2007 via Beyoncé. Morris was one of Beyoncé's backup dancers on ''
The Beyoncé Experience The Beyoncé Experience was the third concert tour by American singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was staged in support of her second studio album, '' B'Day'' (2006). The Beyoncé Experience consisted of 96 shows in 2007 over five legs. Fan-club ticket ...
'' world tour and, following that, worked again with Beyoncé on a mini "
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé, from her third studio album, ''I Am... Sasha Fierce'' (2008). Columbia Records released "Single Ladies" as a Single (music), single on October 13, 2008, as a A-side ...
" promotional tour that included 2008 performances on the ''
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...
'', ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'', ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
'', ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'', and MTV's ''
Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...
'' finale. She also danced backup for Beyoncé and
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...
at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008. She later appeared in a small role in the movie '' Fired Up'', where she met choreographer
Zach Woodlee Zach Woodlee (born April 27, 1977) is an American choreographer and dancer. He was choreographer and co-producer of the TV series '' Glee''. He has choreographed many other films such as '' Hairspray'' and '' Bedtime Stories''. Biography Earl ...
. Following that film, Woodlee brought Morris in to dance on other shows he was choreographing, including episodes of ''
Eli Stone ''Eli Stone'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series, named for its title character. The series was created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who also served as executive producers alongside Ken Olin who directed the pilot, wit ...
'' and '' Swingtown'', and the movie '' Bedtime Stories''; eventually, Morris landed a role as Brittany on ''Glee''. In December 2010, Morris was named the Celebrity Style Ambassador for FLIRT! Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder cosmetics line. In 2010, Morris made the ''Maxim'' Hot 100 list, coming in at number 85. On the
AfterEllen AfterEllen (also known as AfterEllen.com) is an American culture website founded in 2002, with a focus on entertainment, interviews, reviews, and news of interest to the lesbian and bisexual women's community. The site covers pop culture and lifes ...
hot 100 list, she was ranked #2 behind her close friend
Naya Rivera Naya Marie Rivera (; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'', she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...
. In 2011, Morris starred in a back-to-school commercial for Staples Canada that featured her dancing. In the October 2011 issue of ''Fitness'' magazine, she stated that she had her breast implants removed. "Implants were something I thought I wanted when I was younger, and now I don't. It was hard being active with them, because my chest was always sore. It hurt a lot, and I didn't like always being in pain, so they had to go!" Her breast implant surgery was done sometime between her time on ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...
'' at age 18, and age 21 when she was a backup dancer for Beyoncé.


''Glee''

Morris was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was asked by Woodlee to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's " Single Ladies" dance to the ''Glee'' actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany. Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liners. Jarrett Wieselman of the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
'' opined that Morris had "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now" and a ''LA Times'' writer mentioned having a "comedy crush on Morris, who plays the galactically dim Glee Club cheerleader Brittany". When a promotional clip for the episode " Sectionals" indicated that Brittany Pierce and
Santana Lopez Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character was portrayed by Naya Rivera, and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by ...
had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, writing for lesbian entertainment website After Ellen, praised the pairing, referring to them by the
portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words Snarker called the two her "new favorite ''Glee'' pairing", commenting that: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and
Naya Rivera Naya Marie Rivera (; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'', she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...
(Santana) have had minimal screen time, they've made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel — I'm on Team Brittana now." Morris' role became more prominent during the final nine episodes of season one and, due to the overwhelmingly positive response to her character, was promoted to official series regular status during season two. She was at the center of the second episode, " Britney/Brittany" (a tribute to Britney Spears), where she made her singing debut covering Spears' " I'm a Slave 4 U" solo and dueting with
Naya Rivera Naya Marie Rivera (; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'', she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...
on " Me Against the Music". She later got many other singing and dancing solos. The second half of season two saw Morris' character engage in a lesbian storyline with Rivera's character. The arc and Rivera's and Morris' performances were met with critical acclaim. As on ''Glee'', Morris was best friends in real life with co-star Rivera, until Rivera’s death in 2020. In Season 3, her and Rivera's characters continue with the lesbian storyline. Morris had a large role in the episode " Prom-asaurus". During the season finale, she reveals that she has an 0.0 GPA and that she will not be graduating. During the 2011 Glee Tour, Morris performed Britney Spears' song "I'm a Slave 4 U". She also had a dance spotlight with castmate Harry Shum Jr. during Naya Rivera's performance of " Valerie", and was one of the dancers in the "Single Ladies" and "Safety Dance" numbers. Morris co-wrote and appeared in a January 2011 video for the comedy website
Funny or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a re ...
, "Nuthin' But A Glee Thang" a parody of "
Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, ''The Chronic'' (1992). The album's first single, "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," reaching number 2 on the ' ...
" by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg. Co-written with actresses Ashley Lendzion and
Riki Lindhome Erika "Riki" Lindhome (born March 5, 1979) is an American actress, comedian, and musician. She is best known as a singer and songwriter for the comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. After making her television debut in 2002 with minor roles in t ...
, the video features appearances from ''Modern Familys
Sofia Vergara Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has ...
and Morris' ''Glee'' castmates
Matthew Morrison Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox television show '' Glee'' (2009–2015). He has starred in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadw ...
,
Cory Monteith Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series '' Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series bef ...
, Harry Shum Jr., and
Naya Rivera Naya Marie Rivera (; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series '' Glee'', she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...
. On June 28, 2013, it was reported that Morris would not be returning as regular on ''Glee'' fifth season. However, Morris reprised her role for the show's hundredth episode and the final episode of the show's fifth season. Morris also appeared in five episodes in the show's sixth and final season, including the series finale.


''Dancing with the Stars'', ''The Masked Dancer''

On March 1, 2017, Morris was revealed as one of the contestants who would compete on season 24 of '' Dancing with the Stars''. Her participation in the show has been criticized, with many citing her professional dancing experience as an unfair advantage. The producers defended their decision to cast Morris by saying that she doesn't have ballroom or partnering experience. She was paired with professional dancer
Maksim Chmerkovskiy Maksim "Maks" Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy ( uk, Максим Олександрович Чмерковський ; born January 17, 1980) is a Ukrainian-American Latin–ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known ...
, though she danced with troupe member
Alan Bersten Alan Bersten (born 26 May 1994) is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer. He was a contestant on the tenth season of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' and is currently a professional dancer and choreographer on ''Dancing with the Stars ...
starting on the second until the fifth week of the competition due to Chmerkovskiy suffering a calf muscle injury. Morris and Chmerkovskiy reunited to dance in the sixth week of the competition on April 24, 2017, but were eliminated despite receiving the first perfect score of the season and topping the results board. On October 22, 2022, Morris was revealed to be the winner of the second season of ''The Masked Dancer''. She participated in the show under the character of "Scissors".


Personal life

Morris is married to Taylor Hubbell, whom she began dating when he was a college baseball player. They attended the same high school in Arizona, but did not know each other there. They began dating after Morris moved to Los Angeles and Hubbell contacted her on Myspace. In a 2011 interview with '' Fitness'', Morris said of Hubbell, "I want to marry him so bad. That's what I really care about. I want to marry Taylor and have kids with him. I love acting, but if it affects my relationship, then I won't continue doing it." After graduating from the University of Louisiana in
Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757 ...
, Hubbell began living with Morris in Los Angeles in early 2012. Morris gave birth to their first child, a son, on September 28, 2013, and he was named after Taylor Hubbell's older cousin. On August 28, 2014, it was announced that she and Hubbell were engaged, and they married on May 16, 2015. In August 2015, she announced via social media that they were expecting their second child. In an interview with E! News, she revealed that the second child would be a boy. She gave birth to their second son on February 11, 2016.


Filmography


Film


Television


Music videos


Awards and nominations


Discography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Heather 1987 births 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from California Actresses from Scottsdale, Arizona American female dancers American female models American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Dancers from California Female models from California Living people Musicians from Scottsdale, Arizona People from Thousand Oaks, California Singers from Arizona Singers from California So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series) contestants