Barboura Morris (born Barboura O'Neill; October 22, 1932 – October 23, 1975) was an American actress and writer. She is most remembered for her roles in

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

productions.

Early years

Morris was born Barboura O'Neill in Los Angeles. She graduated from UCLA, where she won the Best Actress awards two times. Shortly after, she joined the Stumptown Players, a 16-person stock theater company in

Guerneville Guerneville () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is historically known as a logging community. It was founded by the Guerne family in the ...

which was composed of fellow California university undergraduates and alumni.

Career

Acting

Fellow Stumptown player

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

gave Morris a leading role in the cult classic '' Sorority Girl'' (1957). She appeared in many other low-budget movies for Corman, such as ''

The Wasp Woman ''The Wasp Woman'' (also known as ''The Bee Girl'' and ''Insect Woman'') is a 1959 American Independent film, independent science fiction film, science-fiction horror film produced and directed by Roger Corman. Filmed in black-and-white, it st ...

'' and ''

A Bucket of Blood ''A Bucket of Blood'' is a 1959 American comedy horror film directed by Roger Corman. It starred Dick Miller and was set in the West Coast beatnik culture of the late 1950s. The film, produced on a $50,000 budget, was shot in five days and sha ...

''. Morris was often involved in his work with American International Productions. Notably, she starred opposite

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...

in 1958's '' Machine-Gun Kelly'' and costarred with Peter Fonda in 1967's '' The Trip'', written by

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

. Morris' final film role was as Anne Sullivan in ''Helen Keller and Her Teacher'', a 1970 dramatization of Keller's life. Morris' television credits include a 1956 episode of ''

The Man Called X ''The Man Called X'' is an espionage radio drama that aired on CBS and NBC from July 10, 1944, to May 20, 1952. The radio series was later adapted for television and was broadcast for one season, 1956–1957. People Herbert Marshall had the lead ...

'' and a 1959 episode of ''

The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of '' Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main ...

''.

Writing

In 1974, Morris penned an essay titled "Flight 553: the Watergate Murder" that was included in Steve Weissman's ''Big Brother and the Holding Company: the world behind Watergate''. In the piece, Morris implicated

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

in the death of Dorothy Hunt in the United Airlines Flight 533 plane crash. Historian David Greenberg characterizes Morris' claims as one of the

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

conspiracy theories surrounding Nixon following

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...

. The essay was planned as part of a full book to be called ''The Watergate Women'', written by Morris and edited by

Donald Freed Donald Freed (born May 13, 1932) is an American playwright, novelist, screenwriter, historian, teacher and activist. According to Freed's friend and colleague, the late Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, "(Freed) is a writer of blazing imagination, c ...

Personal life

Morris' first marriage was to

Monte Hellman Monte Hellman (; born Monte Jay Himmelbaum; July 12, 1929 – April 20, 2021) was an American film director, producer, writer, and editor. Hellman began his career as an editor's apprentice at ABC TV, and made his directorial debut with the ho ...

, a producer of experimental theater who led the Stumptown company. The two met when Hellman hired Morris for Stumptown and were married from 1954 to 1958. Following her divorce, she had a brief romantic involvement with Roger Corman during the production of ''

'' In 1965, Morris met playwright

at the Los Angeles Art Theater. The couple were married that same year and had one son. Morris and Freed collaborated as writers aligned with the

movement; Morris published under the name Barboura Morris Freed.

Death

Morris died in Santa Monica, one day after her 43rd birthday. She had been battling cancer, but died from a stroke. She was buried in Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery.Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* *
Article on Morris at answers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Barboura 1932 births 1975 deaths American film actresses University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American actresses