John Morris (Australian actor)
John Morris | |
|---|---|
| Born | Morris John Michael Harvie 23 March 1963 Shoalwater, Western Australia, Australia |
| Education | Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film producer |
| Years active | 1988–present |
Morris John Michael Harvie (born 23 March 1963) professionally known as John Morris[1] is an Australian actor and film producer. He is best known for playing doctor Philip Matheson in the television soap opera Home & Away and Andrew MacKenzie, the first gay character in Neighbours.
Career
[edit]Morris was a paratrooper in the Australian Army before starting his acting career .[2]
Morris joined the cast of soap opera Home and Away in June 1988 as Doctor Philip Matheson, the uncle of Steven Matheson (Adam Willits).[3] Morris was among 150 actors to audition for the role, and he was proud of himself for securing a major role as he had very little acting experience.[3] Philip was intended to boost the show's "hunk value" for viewers between twenty and forty. Morris left after five months with the reason being given as the character not working out as well as planned.[3] Philip was killed off and Morris said he was the "first long-established character" to be killed off.[4] Morris was unaware of how popular he was until he received thousands of letters and messages from fans, and said that he would have asked for the door to be left open for a future return if he had known.[4]
In 1994, Morris joined the supporting cast of Neighbours for 12-weeks as Andrew MacKenzie, the show's first gay character.[5][6]
Morris made a last-minute appearance as Oliver Mellors in the stage adaptation of Lady Chatterley's Lover.[7]
In 2001 Morris played Donald J. Watt in The Singing Forest, a Julia Britton play based on Watt's memoir Stoker about the Auschwitz concentration camp. He had recently been working as a rigger due to his acting work drying up.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Morris is the brother of Australian federal MP Madeleine King.[8]
Filmography (selected)
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988–1989 (68 episodes) | Home and Away | Philip Matheson | Series regular |
| 1993 | Bay City (TV series) | Bernie | |
| 1994 | Neighbours | Andrew MacKenzie | Recurring |
| 1995 | Janus (TV series) | Senior Constable Baxter | |
| 1998 | Ted & Ralph (TV movie) | Narli | |
| 1999 | Water Rats | Mitch | |
| 2008 | Verite | Kyass | |
| 2011 | Surviving Georgia | ||
| 2019 | The Dustwalker | Frank Cole | |
| 2020 | The Heights | Police Officer |
Producer
[edit]| Year | Title | Role |
| 2014 | King of the Mountain | as Producer |
| 2015 | The Dream Children | as Co-producer |
| 2025 | Out for Vengeance' | Associate producer |
| pre-production | Shield Predator | Associate Producer |
References
[edit]- ^ Oram, James. Home and Away: Behind the Scenes.
- ^ a b Lambert, Catherine (4 February 2001). "A soldier's tale comes to light". Sunday Herald-Sun.
- ^ a b c Oram, James (1989). Home and Away: Behind the Scenes. Angus & Robertson. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-207-16315-9.
- ^ a b Clifford, Murray (11 June 1990). "Bunch of killjoys to let the good doc die". Evening Times. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
- ^ Knox, david (8 August 2010). "Neighbours character comes out". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ "But Debbie, I'm gay!". Inside Soap. No. 31. March 1995. p. 43.
- ^ "1995: February 18-24". Television.au. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "First speech". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2021.