Johnnie Morris (June 15, 1887 – October 7, 1969) was an American actor and comedian who began his career in

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and then worked in the movies.

Biography

Morris was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1905, he was hired by Gene Leroy to be part of the Leroy Trio, a Vaudeville act which featured Leroy as a drag singer with two teenage singers supporting him. The other member of the group was a 15-year-old Julius Marx in his professional debut. The Trio first performed at the Ramona Theatre, in

Grand Rapids, MI Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the second-most populous city in Michigan. The Gran ...

on July 16, 1905. The diminutive actor played newsboys, jockeys, and characters named 'Peewee' in a film career that lasted from 1912 to 1942. One of his most notable roles was that of Pappy Yokum in the 1940 film version of ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in multiple newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies living in the impoverished fictional mountain village of Dogpatch, ...

''. He died on October 7, 1969, in

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

Partial filmography

* '' Love and Learn'' (1928) - Bum (as Johnny Morris) * '' The Fifty-Fifty Girl'' (1928) * '' The Street of Sin'' (1928) * '' Big Money'' (1930) * '' Once in a Lifetime'' (1932) * '' Sons of the Legion'' (1938) * '' The Gentleman from Arizona'' (1939) * ''

'' (1940) - Pappy Yokum

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Johnny 1887 births 1969 deaths American male comedians American vaudeville performers American male silent film actors American male film actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American comedians Comedians from New York City