Julian David Morris (born 13 January 1983) is an English actor. After appearing in the British television series ''

The Knock ''The Knock'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British television crime drama, created by Anita Bronson and broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV, which portrayed the activities of customs officers from the London City & South Collection In ...

'' (1996) and ''

Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

'' (2000) during his teenage years, he had his first starring role in the American slasher film '' Cry Wolf'' (2005). He subsequently had supporting roles in the thriller ''

Donkey Punch Donkey punch is the sexual practice of inflicting blunt force trauma to the back of the head or lower back of the receiving partner, during anal or vaginal sex; as an attempt by the penetrating partner, to induce involuntary tightening of interna ...

'' (2008), the historical drama ''

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

'' (2008), and another slasher film ''

Sorority Row ''Sorority Row'' is a 2009 American slasher film directed by Stewart Hendler and written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger. It is a remake of the 1982 film '' The House on Sorority Row'', and stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, ...

'' (2009). Morris has also appeared in American television as a series regular on ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King, which aired on Freeform (TV channel), Freeform from June 8, 2010 to June 27, 2017, based on the novel series Pretty Little L ...

'' and '' Hand of God'', and had recurring roles on ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

'' and ''

New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for Fox that aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around quirky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zo ...

''.

Early life

Morris was born in

Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, England, from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described as one of "a new breed of urban villages" in London ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, and grew up in

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, London, Highgate, Hampstead Garden ...

. He is the son of South African-born Glen and Zimbabwean-born Andrea Morris, and spent a lot of time in both countries growing up. He has a younger sister, Amy, and is from a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family.

Career

Morris began acting at the

Anna Scher Theatre The Anna Scher Theatre is an independent and co-educational performing arts school based in Islington, Greater London. It was founded in 1968 by Anna Scher. It is considered among the first schools of its kind geared towards working class stud ...

in London. It was there, when he was 13, that a director on the British drama series ''

'' spotted him and asked him to play a boy pushed into the drug trade. Morris continued his intensive training under Anna Scher for the next eight years. In this period more opportunities arose, and after appearing in several television shows, films and commercials, he went on to spend three seasons with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, working with directors such as

Steven Pimlott Steven Charles Pimlott (18 April 1953 – 14 February 2007) was an English opera and theatre director, whose obituary in ''The Times'' hailed him as "one of the most versatile and inventive theatre directors of his generation". His output ran t ...

Tim Albery Tim Bronson Reginald Albery (born 20 May 1952) is an English stage director, best known for his productions of opera. Life and career Albery was born in Harpenden, the son of the impresario Donald Albery and grandson of the producer Sir Brons ...

and

Elijah Moshinsky Elijah Moshinsky (8 January 1946 – 14 January 2021) was an Australian opera director, theatre director and television director who worked for the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal National Theatre, and BBC Television, among o ...

, and alongside actors like

Simon Russell Beale Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He has been described by ''The Independent'' as "the greatest stage actor of his generation". He has received various accolades, including two BAFTA Awards, three Olivier Awar ...

Samuel West Samuel Alexander Joseph West (born 19 June 1966) is an English actor, theatre director, and narrator. He has directed on stage and radio, and worked as an actor in theatre, film, television, and radio. West was nominated for the BAFTA Award f ...

and

Roger Allam Roger William Allam (born 26 October 1953) is a British actor who has performed on stage, in film, on television and radio. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical ''Les Misérables'', First Officer D ...

. Morris made his US debut in the 2005

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

'' Cry Wolf'' as lead character Owen Matthews, followed by the role of James Edwards in the 2006 drama film ''Whirlygirl''. Morris was next seen in the independent horror film ''

'' as Josh, critically honoured after its screening at the 2008

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. He also appeared in ''

'' starring

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

and the

Sugababes The Sugababes are an English girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by Ron Tom, the manager of All Saints, ...

video "

Freak Like Me "Freak like Me" is a song by American R&B singer Adina Howard, released on January 25, 1995, by labels East West and Lola Waxx, as the debut single from her first album, '' Do You Wanna Ride?'' (1995). The song reached number two on the US '' ...

". Morris next had a supporting role in the

'' as Andy. In 2010, he played the recurring role of Agent Owen in '' 24''. Julian Morris 2013

Morris was part of the main cast of the 2010

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

documentary-style

dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

series ''

My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band The Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend. One of the band's most recognizable songs, it was placed number 11 by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the " 500 Greatest S ...

'', playing "The Rich Kid" Anders Holt. Morris also starred in the teen drama ''

'' as Dr. Wren Kingston. In July 2012, Morris joined the ABC series ''

'' as Prince Phillip. Morris starred as Victor in the film ''

Kelly + Victor ''Kelly + Victor'' is a 2012 romantic drama film written and directed by Kieran Evans, based on Niall Griffiths's 2002 novel of the same name. Starring Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Julian Morris, the film follows a young couple embarking on a ...

'', which premiered on 16 October 2012 at the

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 fe ...

, and was released theatrically in the UK on 20 September 2013. The film won the

BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer The BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer is a film award presented annually at the British Academy Film Awards in London. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a British organisation t ...

in 2014. The following year, Morris portrayed the lead role of Gareth in the fantasy adventure film '' Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse''. In March 2014, Morris was cast as Reverend Paul Curtis in the

Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

pilot '' Hand of God''. The pilot was ordered to full series by Amazon Studios in October 2014. In August 2014, he landed a recurring guest role on the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

sitcom ''

'', playing Ryan Geauxinue. In May 2016, Morris landed a major role in the film '' Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House'' playing

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the honorific title of associate editor though the Post no longer employs ...

, the Washington Post reporter who teamed with Carl Bernstein to expose the Watergate dealings. In 2017 he played the part of Adam Berryman in the two-part TV drama ''

Man in an Orange Shirt ''Man in an Orange Shirt'' is a two-part British television movie from the BBC. It was produced by Kudos Film and Television and premiered on 31 July 2017 at BBC One. The film drama tells three love stories from two generations of a family, in ...

'' (part of

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television's Gay Britannia season), opposite

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...

Personal life

Morris lives in Los Angeles, California. Morris's grandfather was captured by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

during World War II and was sent to a concentration camp in Italy for two months. In April 2021, Morris said during an interview that he felt what his grandfather had gone through while performing in ''Valkyrie''. On 2 December 2021, Morris announced on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

that he was celebrating his 18th anniversary with his partner, Landon Ross. Shortly after, it was reported that the two had married recently.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Julian LGBTQ people from London Living people 1983 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Anna Scher Theatre School English expatriate male actors in the United States English LGBTQ actors English male child actors English male film actors English male television actors English people of Jewish descent English people of South African descent English people of Zambian descent Jewish English male actors LGBTQ Jews British LGBTQ male actors Male actors from London Actors from the London Borough of Haringey Royal Shakespeare Company members People from Crouch End People from Muswell Hill