Julian David Morris (born 13 January 1983[1]) is an English actor. After appearing in the British television series The Knock (1996) and Fish (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 (2008), the historical drama Valkyrie (2008), and another slasher film Sorority Row (2009).

Julian Morris
Morris at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Julian David Morris

(1983-01-13) 13 January 1983 (age 41)
Crouch End, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1996–present
Known forPretty Little Liars
Hand Of God
New Girl
SpouseLandon Ross

Morris has also appeared in American television as a series regular on Pretty Little Liars and Hand of God, and had recurring roles on Once Upon a Time and New Girl.

Early life

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Morris was born in Crouch End, North London, and grew up in Muswell Hill.[2] 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.[2] He has a younger sister, Amy, and is from a Jewish family.[3][4]

Career

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Morris began acting at the Anna Scher Theatre in London.[5] It was there, when he was 13, that a director on the British drama series The Knock spotted him and asked him to play a boy pushed into the drug trade.[6] 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, working with directors such as Steven Pimlott, Tim Albery and Elijah Moshinsky, and alongside actors like Simon Russell Beale, Samuel West and Roger Allam.

Morris made his US debut in the 2005 slasher film Cry Wolf as lead character Owen Matthews,[7] followed by the role of James Edwards in the 2006 drama film Whirlygirl.[8]

Morris was next seen in the independent horror film Donkey Punch as Josh, critically honoured after its screening at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.[9] He also appeared in Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise and the Sugababes video "Freak Like Me". Morris next had a supporting role in the slasher film Sorority Row as Andy. In 2010, he played the recurring role of Agent Owen in 24.

 
Morris on set of Once Upon A Time in March 2013

Morris was part of the main cast of the 2010 ABC documentary-style dramedy series My Generation, playing "The Rich Kid" Anders Holt.[10] Morris also starred in the teen drama Pretty Little Liars as Dr. Wren Kingston. In July 2012, Morris joined the ABC series Once Upon a Time as Prince Phillip.[11]

Morris starred as Victor in the film Kelly + Victor, which premiered on 16 October 2012 at the BFI London Film Festival, 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 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 pilot Hand of God.[12] The pilot was ordered to full series by Amazon Studios in October 2014.[13] In August 2014, he landed a recurring guest role on the Fox sitcom New Girl, 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, the Washington Post reporter who teamed with Carl Bernstein to expose the Watergate dealings.[14]

In 2017 he played the part of Adam Berryman in the two-part TV drama Man in an Orange Shirt (part of BBC television's Gay Britannia season), opposite Vanessa Redgrave.[15]

Personal life

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Morris lives in Los Angeles, California.[16]

Morris's grandfather was captured by the Nazis 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.[17]

On 2 December 2021, Morris announced on Instagram that he was celebrating his 18th anniversary with his partner, Landon Ross.[18][19] Shortly after, it was reported that the two had married recently.[20]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref
1999 Don't Go Breaking My Heart Charlie [21]
2002 Spin Fiz Short film [22]
2005 Cry Wolf Owen Matthews [23]
2006 Whirlygirl James [24]
2008 Donkey Punch Josh [25]
2008 Valkyrie Young Lieutenant – Desert [26]
2009 Sorority Row Andy [27]
2010 Privileged Spencer Stephens [28]
2012 Beyond Farley [29]
2012 Kelly + Victor Victor [30]
2014 Something Wicked Ryan [31]
2014 Take Flight Walt Short film [32]
2015 Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse Gareth [33]
2017 Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House Bob Woodward [14]
2018 Viper Club Andy [34]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 The Knock Dafyd Ellis 1 episode
1999 Kid in the Corner School boy unknown episodes
2000 Fish Carl Lumsden Main role
2004 Agatha Christie's Marple Dennis Clement Episode: "The Murder at the Vicarage"
2007 Shark Dylan Crawford Episode: "Teacher's Pet"
2008–2009 ER Dr. Andrew Wade Recurring role, 7 episodes
2009 Privileged Simon Episode: "All About a Brand New You"
2009 Eleventh Hour Quinn Episode: "Subway"
2010 24 Agent Owen Recurring role, 6 episodes
2010–2013;
2017
Pretty Little Liars Wren Kingston Recurring role, 20 episodes
2010 My Generation Anders Holt Main role
2012 Men at Work Damien Episode: Pilot
2012–2014 Once Upon a Time Prince Phillip Recurring role, 6 episodes
2014–2017 Hand of God Reverend Paul Curtis Main role
2014–2015 New Girl Ryan Geauxinue Recurring role, 7 episodes
2017 Man in an Orange Shirt Adam Berryman Miniseries
2017 Little Women John Brooke Miniseries
2019 The Morning Show Andrew 1 episode
2020 The Good Fight Major Bringham 1 episode
2021 A Royal Queens Christmas Colin Hallmark TV Movie
2022 The Presence of Love Daniel Hallmark TV Movie

Music videos

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Year Title Artist(s) Ref.
2002 "Freak like Me" Sugababes
2014 "Imagine" (UNICEF: World version) Various [35]

References

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  1. ^ "UPI Almanac for Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021". United Press International. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021. …actor Julian Morris in 1983 (age 38)…
  2. ^ a b Erica (20 February 2013). "Fan Q&A with Julian Morris". ABC Family. p. 5. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  3. ^ Bloom, Nate (14 September 2010). "Jews in the News: Celebrity Scoop: Amanda Bynes and S#*! my dad says". Let My People Grow. Archived from the original on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  4. ^ Cynthia (22 April 2009). "Julian Morris Goes Dark for Donkey Punch". TV of the Absurd. Archived from the original on 20 September 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  5. ^ Barker, Andy (24 November 2008). "Morris Major". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Julian Morris biography and filmography". Tribute. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  7. ^ Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka (13 January 2006). "Cry Wolf is truly toothless". Evening Standard. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. ^ Feiwell, Jill; Hopewell, John (9 November 2003). "Julian Morris". Variety. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Lottery funded films score success at Sundance Film Festival". UK Film Council. 28 January 2008. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  10. ^ "ABC Unveils 2010–11 Primetime Schedule". The Futon Critic. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
  11. ^ Hibberd, James (26 July 2012). "'Once Upon a Time' scoop: 'Pretty Little Liars' actor is Sleeping Beauty's prince – EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Julian Morris Cast in Amazon's 'Hand Of God'; Jama Williamson in NBC's 'Ellen More Or Less'". Deadline Hollywood. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  13. ^ Lewis, Hilary (3 October 2014). "Amazon Picks Up Full Series of 'Hand of God' and Steven Soderbergh's 'Red Oaks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  14. ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (23 May 2016). "Julian Morris Investigates 'Felt'; Sam Hazeldine Joins 'The Hitman's Bodyguard'". Deadline Hollywood.
  15. ^ Rees, Jasper (7 August 2017). "Man in an Orange Shirt's finale is proof that the love of a good man is still a holy grail – review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  16. ^ Wakim, Marielle (3 September 2015). "My LA to Z: Julian Morris". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  17. ^ Randell, Louise (7 April 2021). "A Closer look at Julian Morris' sexuality, family, and career". StylesRant.
  18. ^ Rude, Mey (2 December 2021). "Actor Julian Morris Comes Out In Touching Anniversary Post". Out. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  19. ^ Jakiel, Olivia (2 December 2021). "Pretty Little Liars' Julian Morris Celebrates 18 Years with Boyfriend Landon Ross: 'I Love You'". People. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  20. ^ Ermac, Raffy (28 March 2022). "Actor Julian Morris & Husband Landon Ross Made Their Red Carpet Debut As a Married Couple". Out Magazine.
  21. ^ "Don't Go Breaking My Heart (1998)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Spin (2002)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  23. ^ Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka (10 April 2012). "Cry Wolf is truly toothless". Evening Standard. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  24. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (15 April 2005). "Whirlygirl". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 May 2021 – via Gale.
  25. ^ Holden, Stephen (22 January 2009). "Passion and Pain at Sea, With Fatal Consequences". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Valkyrie (2008)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  27. ^ "Sorority Row (2009)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  28. ^ Kit, Borys (6 December 2006). "Julian Morris is feeling 'Privileged' for director Jonah Salander". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 May 2021 – via Gale.
  29. ^ Holt, Chris (18 February 2012). "DVD Review: Beyond". Starburst. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  30. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (19 September 2013). "Kelly + Victor – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  31. ^ Enk, Bryan (5 December 2012). "Brittany Murphy's final film 'Something Wicked' is finally completed". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  32. ^ "Take Flight". Filmweb. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse". Rotten Tomatoes. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  34. ^ Henderson, Odie (26 October 2018). "Viper Club". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  35. ^ Rowles, Dustin (21 November 2014). "'Imagine' Gets the Star-Studded 'We Are The World' Treatment for UNICEF". Pajiba. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
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