Chester Morris

Chester Morris
in Corsair (1931)
Born	John Chester Brooks Morris February 16, 1901(1901-02-16) New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	September 11, 1970 (aged 69) New Hope, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1917–1970

John Chester Brooks Morris (February 16, 1901 – September 11, 1970) was an American actor, perhaps most famous for his role in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s. He was a dark, handsome, firm-jawed actor who appealed to both men and women with his confidence and good-natured humor.

Career

He was born in New York City, the son of actor William Morris. He made his Broadway debut at 15 in Lionel Barrymore's The Copperhead. At 17, he billed himself as "the youngest leading man in the country." His film career began in 1917 in An Amateur Orphan.

Throughout the 1930s, he effortlessly switched between tough guy and slick debonair love interest roles. Morris was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for Alibi (1929) directed by Roland West. He also starred in The Bat Whispers (1930) and Corsair (1931), both directed by West. The Bat Whispers was notable as one of the first films to use the "Magna Screen" 70mm process. Sound films were just taking hold at the time; however theatres were not willing to pay for the added expense of 70 mm projectors and larger, wider screens on top of the cost of sound equipment. The process was abandoned until the 1950s, when film studios used it to lure customers away from their TV sets.

Perhaps his finest role was in the early prison film The Big House (1930), which was a huge success and propelled his career. His career gradually declined in the late 1930s, with roles in B-movies such as Smashing the Rackets (1938) and Five Came Back (1939). His career revived when from 1941 to 1949 he played the character Boston Blackie in 14 low-budget movies produced by Columbia Pictures, starting with Meet Boston Blackie, and one season of radio shows.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, he worked mainly in TV with occasional forays into regional theatre, an exception being the poorly-illuminated The She Creature, where he played Dr. Carlo Lombardi, an even more oily character than he normally played. It was reported in Variety that Morris's Brylcreem expenses exceeded any other item in the film's budget. After his last Boston Blackie movie, he only performed in three more films, including his final role in The Great White Hope (1970).

Personal life

Morris was married to Suzanne Kilborn from September 30, 1927 to their divorce in November 1939. They had two children, Brooks and Cynthia. He married Lillian Kenton Barker on November 30, 1940. They had one child, Kenton.

Morris was dying of cancer when he committed suicide in room 202 at the former Holiday Inn of New Hope by taking an overdose of barbiturates in 1970. At the time of his death, he was appearing in a stage production of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial at the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Partial filmography

• Alibi (1929)
• She Couldn't Say No (1930)
• The Divorcee (1930)
• The Big House (1930)
• The Bat Whispers (1930)
• Corsair (1931)
• The Miracle Man (1932)
• Red-Headed Woman (1932)
• Blondie Johnson (1933)
• The Gay Bride (1934)
• Public Hero No. 1 (1935)
• Three Godfathers (1936)
• Flight From Glory (1937)
• Blind Alley (1939)
• Five Came Back (1939)
• Thunder Afloat (1939)
• Meet Boston Blackie (1941)
• Aerial Gunner (1943)
• Tornado (1943)
• The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)
• Gambler's Choice (1944)
• Double Exposure (1944)
• One Mysterious Night (1944)
• Unchained (1955)
• The She Creature (1957)
• The Great White Hope (1970)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chester Morris

• The Chester Morris Web
• Chester Morris at the Internet Movie Database
• Chester Morris at the Internet Broadway Database
• Photographs and literature
• Chester Morris at Find a Grave