Judith Ann Morris (born 17 February 1947) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

character actress, as well as a film director and screenwriter, well known for the variety of roles she played in 58 different television shows and films, starting her career as a child actress and appearing on screen until 1999, since then she has worked on film writing and directing, most recently for co-writing and co-directing a musical epic about the life of

penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

s in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

which became ''

Happy Feet ''Happy Feet'' is a 2006 computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by George Miller. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, and E.G ...

'', Australia's largest animated film project to date.

Early career

Morris's first role came at the age of 10 when she was part of the cast of the television episode "Picture of the Magi" a ''

Family Theater ''Family Theater'' is a weekly half-hour dramatic anthology radio program which aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the United States from February 13, 1947, to September 11, 1957. Production history ''Family Theater'' developed from a R ...

'' production which aired about 1957 on the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

in the United States. She then performed in two other roles in the US, at the age of 10 on the '' Loretta Young Show'', and in 1960, at the age of 13, on ''

The Chevy Mystery Show ''The Chevy Mystery Show'', aka ''Sunday Mystery Hour'', is an American television anthology series featuring a different mystery each week. It was produced by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and Dinah Shore's production company . The p ...

'' hosted on that occasion by

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

Career

Returning to Australia, Morris's next role was not to come until she reached the age of 20 when, in 1967, she worked in the ABC television series, '' Bellbird''. Impressing casting agents, she was cast in numerous well known television series, including (see drop-down filmography list for further details) seven episodes in ''

Division 4 ''Division 4'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network between 1969 and 1975 for 301 episodes. Synopsis The series was one of the first dramas to follow up on the enormous success o ...

'', four episodes in ''

Matlock Police ''Matlock Police'' is an Australian television police drama series made by Crawford Productions for the 0-10 Network (now known as the 10 Network) between 1971 and 1976. The series focused on the police station and crime in the Victorian town o ...

'' and three episodes in '' Homicide series''. In 1970, she starred in the short portmanteau film '' 3 to Go''. During this time she also moved to more provocative (for its time) television, especially in the sex series of ''

Alvin Purple ''Alvin Purple'' is a 1973 Australian sex comedy film starring Graeme Blundell in the title role; the screenplay was written by Alan Hopgood and directed by Tim Burstall, through his production company Hexagon Productions and Village Roadshow ...

'', and then under the direction of

Tim Burstall Timothy Burstall AM (20 April 1927 – 19 April 2004) was an English Australian film director, writer and producer, best known for hit Australian movie ''Alvin Purple'' (1973) and its sequel ''Alvin Rides Again''. Burstall's films featured ea ...

as Sybil the babysitter in '' Libido: The Child'' (one of four parts of a portmanteau film that showed various aspects of human sexuality). In this part Morris awakens the sexuality of the boy that she is babysitting. For her part, Morris won the 1973 Australian Film Industry (AFI) Best Actress in a Lead Role. Morris then played the part of "Sam" in the 1978 movie '' In Search of Anna'', before receiving top billing as the wife "Jill Cowper" in the 1979 black comedy '' The Plumber'', which began its life as a small 6 week television series directed by

Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born August 21, 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He's known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ''Gallipoli'' (1981), ''Witness ...

but following its success was produced as a DVD titled ''The Mad Plumber''. The 1980s brought further success. She starred in '' Maybe This Time'' (1980), ''

Strata In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...

'' (1983), ''

Phar Lap Phar Lap (4 October 1926 – 5 April 1932) was a champion New Zealand–bred Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as New Zealand's greatest racehorse ever. Achieving incredible success during his distinguished career, his initial ...

'' (1983) as Bea Davis, the wife of

's owner David J. Davis, and played the part of "Catherine Faulkner", the mother of the main character, "Kat Stanton", (played by

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

) in ''

Bangkok Hilton ''Bangkok Hilton'' is a three-part Australian mini-series made in 1989 by Kennedy Miller Productions and directed by Ken Cameron. The title of the mini-series is the nickname of a fictional Bangkok prison in which the main protagonist (Nicole ...

'' (1989). In 1986 Morris was cast as Margaret 'Meg' Stenning in the miniseries ''The Last Frontier'', that also starred

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill, Robards received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Cannes ...

as her father Edward Stenning, fellow Australian

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...

as her brother, the black sheep of the family, Nick Stenning, and American actress Linda Evans as Kate Adamson-Hannon. (This miniseries was released on 3 November 1986). During and after this work she also played the role of "Liz Beare", the daughter-in-law of "Maggie Beare" (played by

Ruth Cracknell Ruth Winifred Cracknell AM (6 July 1925 – 13 May 2002) was an Australian character and comic actress, comedienne and author, her career encompassing all genres including radio, theatre, television and film. She appeared in many dramatic as we ...

) in the ''

Mother and Son ''Mother and Son'' is an Australian television sitcom that was broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris. It ...

'' series that ran from 1984 to 1994. She also starred as an American photographer in ''

Razorback The feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are Americanisms applied to feral pigs or boar-pig hybrids. Definition A feral pi ...

''. Following this, amongst other work, she was cast in the role of "Mrs Muggleton" in eight episodes of the '' Spellbinder'' (1995) television series. In 1996, she had voiced Melba the Crocodile from an animated TV show called Crocadoo.

Writing and directing

Morris wrote and directed the comedy '' Luigi's Ladies'' in 1989. Later she teamed up with George Miller and

Dick King-Smith Ronald Gordon King-Smith OBE (27 March 1922 – 4 January 2011), was an English writer of children's books, primarily using the pen name Dick King-Smith. He is best known for ''The Sheep-Pig'' (1983). It was adapted as the movie ''Babe'' (1995 ...

to write '' Babe: Pig in the City'' in 1998. An episode of ''

Dinotopia ''Dinotopia'' is a series of illustrated fantasy books, created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is set in the titular Dinotopia, an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and Sapience, sapient dinosaurs who have learned to H ...

'' in 2002 and then most recently co-wrote the story to the film ''

'' (along with Warren Coleman,

John Collee John Gerald Collee (born 1955) is a Scottish screenwriter whose film scripts include ''Master and Commander'' (2003), ''Happy Feet'' (2006), '' Creation'' (2009), and ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' (2013). He is also a journalist and a novelist. Co ...

, and once again, George Miller). ''Happy Feet'' was the first Australian animated film to win the

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

, and for her part in writing it Morris was nominated for an

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...

. She later wrote the screenplay for

Fred Schepisi Frederic Alan Schepisi ( ; Kael, Pauline (1984). ''Taking It All In''. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 55. born 26 December 1939) is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter. His credits include ''The Chant of Jimmie B ...

's 2011 film, '' The Eye of the Storm'', based on the novel of the same title.

Awards

Morris has been nominated for several awards in her career including: *1973 Nominated and won

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

(AFI) award for Best Actress in a Lead Role for '' Libido: The Child.'' *1977 Nominated by the AFI for the Best Actress in a lead role for her work in ''

The Picture Show Man ''The Picture Show Man'' is a 1977 Australian film about a travelling film exhibitor (John Meillon) in the 1920s. He has to deal with the rebelliousness of his son ( Harold Hopkins) and a rival American exhibitor (Rod Taylor). The film was Rod Ta ...

''. *1980 Nominated by the AFI for Best Actress in a lead role for '' Maybe This Time''. *1986 Nominated by the AFI for Best Actress in a lead role for ''

The More Things Change The More Things Change may refer to: *"The More Things Change", a song by Cinderella on their 1990 album ''Heartbreak Station'' *'' The More Things Change...'', a 1997 album by Machine Head *"The More Things Change", a song by Bon Jovi on their 2010 ...

''. *2007 Nominated for an

for the Best writing in an Animated Production for ''

''.'Annie Awards' List of Award Nominees and Winners

Filmography

Film

Television

Other works

Awards

*1973 Nominated and won

(AFI) award for Best Actress in a Lead Role for '' Libido: The Child.'' *1977 Nominated by the AFI for the Best Actress in a lead role for her work in ''

''. *1980 Nominated by the AFI for Best Actress in a lead role for '' Maybe This Time''. *1986 Nominated by the AFI for Best Actress in a lead role for ''

''. *2007 Nominated for an

for the Best writing in an Animated Production for ''

''.

References

External links

*
Information on Judy Morris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Judy 1947 births Australian child actresses Australian film directors Australian screenwriters Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Australian women film directors Best Actress AACTA Award winners Living people Logie Award winners People from Queensland