Sydney Morton
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Sydney Morton (born 1985) is an American stage and television actress, singer and dancer.


Early life and education

According to Morton, her maternal grandfather appeared on Broadway in 1933 in ''
Run, Little Chillun ''Run, Little Chillun'' or ''Run Little Chillun'' is a folk opera written by Hall Johnson. According to James Vernon Hatch and Leo Hamalian, it is one of the most successful musical dramas of the Harlem Renaissance. It was the first Broadway thea ...
'', an all-Black
revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...
, and her paternal grandfather danced professionally during the
Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics, and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the ti ...
. Neither of her parents are in the entertainment industry; Morton told an interviewer "it skipped a generation." Morton began dancing at 4. She graduated from Sycamore High School in Cincinnati in 2004. While in school she danced for the College-Conservatory of Music, the
Cincinnati Ballet The Cincinnati Ballet is a professional ballet company founded as Cincinnati Civic Ballet in 1958, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. After being registered as a company, it had its first performance in 1964. Founding Organizing founde ...
and the
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 out of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Its members are also the members of the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Pops is managed by the sam ...
. She attended the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, graduating in 2008 with a degree in musical theatre. She studied at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...
and the
Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Amy Poehler, Matthew Walsh, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, ...
.


Career


Television

Morton played a recurring character in Spike Lee's ''She's Gotta Have It''. She appeared opposite
Octavia Spencer Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Primetime Emmy ...
in Netflix's miniseries '' Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker.'' She had a recurring part in NBC's ''Manifest''. In 2021 she was cast as
Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son ...
, opposite Jordan Dean, in the title roles in Lifetime's '' Harry & Meghan: Escaping The Palace'' which began production in May 2021 and appeared in fall of 2021.


Stage

She was a member of the original Broadway cast of ''
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...
'', working as a swing to cover eight tracks or roles, including those of both white and Black performers. She was also a member of the original Broadway cast of ''Motown'' the 2012 revival of ''Evita''. She played Alex in the US touring company of ''Flashdance''. She appeared previously opposite Dean in the original Broadway cast of ''American Psycho''. She played the title role in ''
An Octoroon ''An Octoroon'' is a play written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. It is an adaptation of Dion Boucicault's '' The Octoroon'', which premiered in 1859. Jacobs-Jenkins reframes Boucicault's play using its original characters and plot, speaking much of ...
'' in the 2017 Berkeley Repertory production. In February and March 2020 she appeared opposite Billy Harrigan Tighe in the pre-Broadway tryout of '' The Secret of My Success'' at the Paramount Theatre; the production was cut short by the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Morton discussed her work in ''Memphis'' as a musical theatre swing and understudy in Robert Simonson's ''Performance of the Century'' (2012), saying that the swing's biggest challenge is to participate without causing a significant change from other performances. In ''Memphis'' she covered eight tracks or roles, including those of both white and Black performers.


Film

Morton was cast in the 2023 comedy-drama ''
A Good Person ''A Good Person'' is a 2023 American drama film written, directed, and produced by Zach Braff. The film stars Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Celeste O'Connor, Molly Shannon, and Chinaza Uche. ''A Good Person'' was released in the United Stat ...
''.


Personal life

As of 2021 Morton lived in Manhattan with her husband, fellow actor Preston Boyd. They have one daughter.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Sydney 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses University of Michigan alumni American stage actresses Living people American television actresses Entertainers from Cincinnati Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art American musical theatre actresses American dancers American women singers 1985 births African-American dancers African-American women singers