Judy Morris

Infobox Person
name = Judy Morris

---

image_size = 150px
caption = Judy Morris playing character "Prue Fletcher" in episode 445 (to air in 1974) of the
Homicide TV series
birth_date = 1947
birth_place = Queensland, Australia
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Actor, Film Director, Screenwriter
notable roles = Mother and Son, Bangkok Hilton

Judy Morris (born 1947 in Queensland, Australia) is an Australian actor, film director and screenwriter, well known for the variety of roles she played in 54 different television shows and films, but most recently for co-writing a musical epic about the life of penguins in Antarctica which became "Happy Feet", Australia's largest animated film project to date.cite web | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/the-penguin-suite/2006/11/30/1164777710443.html | title = The Penguin Suite | publisher = Fairfax Digital | accessdate = 2007-04-15] cite web | url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0606688/ | title = Judy Morris (1) | publisher = IMDB | accessdate = 2007-04-12]

Television roles as a child actor

Morris’s first role came at the age of 10 when she was part of the cast of the television episode "Picture of the Magi" a "Family Theatre" production which aired about 1957 on the Mutual Broadcasting System in the United States. She then performed in two other roles in the USA, at the age of 10 on the "The Loretta Young Show", and in 1960, at the age of 13, on "The Chevy Mystery Show" hosted on that occasion by Vincent Price.cite web | url = http://www.tv.com/the-chevy-mystery-show/dead-mans-walk/episode/145958/summary.html?tag=ep_list;title;6 | title = The Chevy Mystery Hour – “Dead Man’s Walk” | publisher = TV.com | accessdate = 2007-04-15]

Roles from 1967 until 1979

Returning to Australia, Morris's next role was not to come until she reached the age of 20 when, in 1967, she worked in the television series, "Bellbird". Impressing casting agents, she was cast in numerous well known television series, including (see drop-down filmography list for further details) seven episodes in "Division 4", four episodes in "Matlock Police" and three episodes in the "Homicide series".

During this time she also moved to more provocative (for its time) television, especially in the sex series of "Alvin Purple", and then under the direction of Tim Burstall as Sybil the babysitter in ' (one of four parts of a portmanteau film that showed various aspects of human sexuality). In this part Morris awakens the sexuality of the boy that she is babysitting. For her part, Morris won the 1973 Australian Film Industry (AFI) Best Actress in a Lead Role"'.cite web | url = http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/06/39/libido.html| title = The Genesis of Libido | publisher = Senses of Cinema | accessdate = 2007-04-15] cite web | url = http://www.pdgv.com.au/news/2005-06-16_02.html | title =News Flash – Libido lives on DVD | publisher = Producers and Directors Guild of Victoria | accessdate = 2007-04-15] cite web | url = http://www.film.org.au/article_awards.htm | title = The Best In Australian Film | publisher = film.org.au | accessdate = 2007-04-15]

Morris then played the part of "Sam" in the 1978 movie "In Search of Anna", before receiving top billing as the wife "Jill Cowper" in the 1979 black comedy "The Plumber", which began its life as a small 6 week television series, directed by Peter Weir but following its success was produced as a DVD titled "The Mad Plumber".cite web | url = http://www.peterweircave.com/plumber/index.html| title = The Plumber| publisher = IMDB | accessdate = 2007-04-15]

Roles from 1980 until 2000

The 1980s brought further success. She starred in "Maybe This Time" (1980), "Strata" (1983), "Phar Lap" (1983) and played the part of "Catherine Faulkner", the mother of the main character, "Kat Stanton", (played by Nicole Kidman) in "Bangkok Hilton" (1989).cite web | url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096540/plotsummary | title = Bangkok Hilton (mini) | publisher = IMDB | accessdate = 2007-04-12 ] .

During and after this work she also played the supporting role of "Liz Beare", the daughter-in-law of "Maggie Beare" (played by Ruth Cracknell) in the "Mother and Son" series that ran from 1984 to 1994.

Following this, amongst other work, she was cast in the role of "Mrs Muggleton" in eight episodes of the "Spellbinder" (1995) television series.

Writing and directing

Morris wrote and directed the comedy "Luigi's Ladies" in 1989 and then teamed up with George Miller, Mark Lamprelland Dick King-Smith to write "" in 1998; an episode of "Dinotopia" in 2002 and then most recently co-wrote the story to the film "Happy Feet" (along with Warren Coleman, John Collee, and once again, George Miller).

"Happy Feet" was the first Australian animated film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and for her part in writing it Morris was nominated for an Annie Award.

Awards

Morris has been nominated for several awards in her career including:
*1973 Nominated and won Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for Best Actress in a Lead Role for "Libido: The Child.cite web | url = http://www.afi.org.au/awards/pastwinners/Features_1969-2005.pdf | title = AFI Award Winners 1969-2005 | publisher = Australian Film Institute | accessdate = 2007-04-12 ]
*1977 Nominated by the AFI for the Best Actress in a lead role for her work in "The Picture Show Man".
*1980 Nominated by the AFI for Best Actress in a lead role for "Maybe This Time".
*1986 Nominated by the AFI for Best Actress in a lead role for "The More Things Change".
*2007 Nominated for an Annie Award for the Best writing in an Animated Production for "Happy Feet". [ [http://www.annieawards.com/foryourconsideration.htm 'Annie Awards' List of Award Nominees and Winners] ]

References

ee also

*Alvin Purple
*Bangkok Hilton
*Division 4
*Happy Feet
*Homicide
*Matlock Police
*Mother and Son

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0606688/ Judy Morris' IMDB Profile]
* [http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/artists/m/Judy-Morris/index-592045.html Information on Judy Morris]
* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/imdb/actor/nm0606688 Other Information on Judy Morris]

Persondata
NAME= Judy Morris
SHORT DESCRIPTION=actor, screenwriter, film director
DATE OF BIRTH=1947
PLACE OF BIRTH=Queensland, Australia