Joe Morton
Encyclopedia
Joseph Thomas "Joe" Morton, Jr. (born October 18, 1947) is an American stage, television, and film actor.
, a borough of New York City
, New York
. He is the son of Evelyn, a secretary, and Joseph Thomas Morton, Sr., a U.S. army intelligence officer
. Because of his father's profession, he spent parts of his childhood in West Germany
and Okinawa. Morton graduated from Hofstra University
.
debut in Hair
, appeared in Salvation
, and was nominated for a Tony Award
for Raisin
. He has appeared in over 70 movies, including Terminator 2: Judgment Day
(as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson) and Blues Brothers 2000
(as 'Cabel "Cab" Chamberlain', based upon the late Cab Calloway
), and has made many notable TV guest appearances, including his appearances as Dr. Steven Hamilton
in the first two seasons of Smallville
.
On television, Morton has starred in the Sanford and Son
spin-off
Grady
(1975–1976), Equal Justice (1990–91), Under One Roof (1995), and E-Ring
(2005). More recently, he portrayed the jack-of-all-trades scientist, Henry Deacon, as a regular on Sci-Fi Channel's Eureka
(2006-). Morton has also directed and produced. He has made several appearances as a defense attorney on Law & Order
.
On daytime, Morton has had roles on Search for Tomorrow
(Dr. James Foster, 1973–74), Another World
(Dr. Abel Marsh and Leo Mars, 1983–84), and All My Children
(Dr. Zeke McMillan, 2002).
Early life
Morton was born in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, a borough of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is the son of Evelyn, a secretary, and Joseph Thomas Morton, Sr., a U.S. army intelligence officer
Intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
. Because of his father's profession, he spent parts of his childhood in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and Okinawa. Morton graduated from Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
.
Career
Morton made his BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
, appeared in Salvation
Salvation (musical)
Salvation was a 1969 Off-Broadway rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Peter Link & C.C. Courtney. It opened on September 24, 1969 at the Jan Hus Playhouse and ending on April 19, 1970 after 239 performances.-Production:...
, and was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Raisin
Raisin (musical)
Raisin is a musical theatre adaptation of the Lorraine Hansberry play A Raisin in the Sun, with songs by Judd Woldin and Robert Brittan, and a book by Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zaltzberg....
. He has appeared in over 70 movies, including Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
(as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson) and Blues Brothers 2000
Blues Brothers 2000
Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, the film featured Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameos by many musicians.-Plot:...
(as 'Cabel "Cab" Chamberlain', based upon the late Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
), and has made many notable TV guest appearances, including his appearances as Dr. Steven Hamilton
Characters of Smallville
Smallville is an American television series developed by writer/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and was initially broadcast by The WB. After its fifth season, the WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which is the current broadcaster for the show in the United States. The show features a...
in the first two seasons of Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
.
On television, Morton has starred in the Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
Grady
Grady (TV series)
Grady was an spin-off of the sitcom, Sanford and Son. In this series, Fred Sanford's widower friend Grady moves out of Watts and moves in with his daughter and her family in Westwood. Executive producer Norman Lear served as a consultant to the show.Redd Foxx made a special guest appearance as...
(1975–1976), Equal Justice (1990–91), Under One Roof (1995), and E-Ring
E-Ring
E-Ring is an American television military drama, created by Ken Robinson and David McKenna and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, that premiered on NBC on September 21, 2005...
(2005). More recently, he portrayed the jack-of-all-trades scientist, Henry Deacon, as a regular on Sci-Fi Channel's Eureka
Eureka (TV series)
Eureka is an American science fiction television series that premiered on Syfy on July 18, 2006. Since then four seasons have aired, and a fifth is currently being filmed. The second half of season 4 began on SyFy on July 11, 2011 and ended on September 19, 2011...
(2006-). Morton has also directed and produced. He has made several appearances as a defense attorney on Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
.
On daytime, Morton has had roles on Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
(Dr. James Foster, 1973–74), Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
(Dr. Abel Marsh and Leo Mars, 1983–84), and All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
(Dr. Zeke McMillan, 2002).
Personal life
In October 1984, Morton married Nora Chavooshian. The couple has three children: daughters Hopi and Seta, and son Ara, as well as a grandson, named Moses.Filmography
- GradyGrady (TV series)Grady was an spin-off of the sitcom, Sanford and Son. In this series, Fred Sanford's widower friend Grady moves out of Watts and moves in with his daughter and her family in Westwood. Executive producer Norman Lear served as a consultant to the show.Redd Foxx made a special guest appearance as...
(1975–1976) (TV) - M*A*S*H (1976) (TV) in Season 4 Episode 17, "Der Tag" as Captain Saunders
- What's Happening!!What's Happening!!What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
(TV Series) (August 12, 1976) "The Birthday Present" as Department Store Manager - Watch Your MouthWatch Your Mouth (TV series)Watch Your Mouth is an American comedy-drama television series which aired on Public Broadcasting Service public television in 1978. The series focused upon Mr. Geeter , a resourceful language skills teacher, and his ethnically diverse group of high schoolers...
(1978) (TV) - Curse of the Pink PantherCurse of the Pink PantherCurse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film, the eighth installment of the The Pink Panther series of films started by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s....
(1983) - The Brother from Another PlanetThe Brother from Another PlanetThe Brother from Another Planet is a science fiction film written, directed and edited by John Sayles. It stars Joe Morton as an extraterrestrial who has escaped to Earth and who hides in New York City.-Plot:...
(1984) - Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
(1985) (TV) in season 1 episode 17, "The Maze", as Lt. Jack Davis - Trouble in Mind (1985)
- CrossroadsCrossroads (1986 film)Crossroads is a 1986 film starring Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca and Jami Gertz, inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson.The film was written by John Fusco and directed by Walter Hill and featured an original score featuring Ry Cooder and Steve Vai on the soundtrack's guitar, and...
(1986) - The Good MotherThe Good Mother (1988 film)The Good Mother is a 1988 American drama film and an adaptation of Sue Miller's novel of the same name. Directed by Leonard Nimoy, the film Diane Keaton and Liam Neeson in the leading roles...
(1988) - TapTap (film)Tap is a 1989 film drama written and directed by Nick Castle. It stars Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.-Plot:Max Washington, just released from prison after serving time for burglary, is a talented tap dancer...
(1989) - ChallengerChallenger (TV film)Challenger is an ABC TV-movie based on the events surrounding the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Its production was somewhat controversial as the families of the astronauts generally objected to it. The film concentrates on the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the O-rings that...
(1990) (TV) as Dr. Ronald McNairRonald McNairRonald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.-Background:... - Equal Justice (1990–1991) (TV)
- Terminator 2: Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment DayTerminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
(1991) as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson - City of Hope (1991)
- A Different World (1992) (TV) as Byron Douglas III
- Forever YoungForever Young (film)Forever Young is a 1992 film, directed by Steve Miner, starring Mel Gibson, Elijah Wood and Jamie Lee Curtis. The screenplay was written by J.J. Abrams from an original story, "The Rest of Daniel". The original music score is composed by Jerry Goldsmith...
(1992) - Of Mice and MenOf Mice and Men (1992 film)Of Mice and Men is a 1992 American film starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, directed and produced by Gary Sinise. It is the third movie adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1937 novel of the same name, and was preceded by the 1939 film version and the 1981 television movie.- Plot :George Milton is...
(1992) - Nacht des Terrors - Mord in New York City as Cedric Sandiford (1992)
- TriBeCaTriBeCa (TV series)TriBeCa was a television drama anthology series created by David J. Burke and co-produced with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal for TriBeCa Productions in 1993 that aired on the Fox Network...
(1993) (TV) - Speed as Lieutenant II "Mac" McMahon (1994)
- The InkwellThe InkwellThe Inkwell is a 1994 romantic comedy/drama film, directed by Matty Rich. This movie stars Larenz Tate, Joe Morton, Suzzanne Douglass, Glynn Turman, and Vanessa Bell Calloway...
(1994) - Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
(1994) (TV) - Under One Roof (1995) (TV)
- The Walking DeadThe Walking Dead (1995 film)The Walking Dead is a 1995 war film written and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II starring Allen Payne, Joe Morton and Eddie Griffin. The film depicts the lives of five marines who are all assigned to rescue to a group of POWs during the Vietnam War in 1972. It opened to poor reviews and low box...
(1995) - Executive DecisionExecutive DecisionExecutive Decision is a 1996 action film, directed by Stuart Baird and starring Kurt Russell, Halle Berry and Steven Seagal. The original music was composed by Jerry Goldsmith...
(1996) - Touched by an AngelTouched by an AngelTouched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
(1996) (TV) - Lone StarLone Star (1996 film)Lone Star is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors.-Plot:In this ensemble...
(1996) - The Pest (1997)
- Speed 2: Cruise ControlSpeed 2: Cruise ControlSpeed 2: Cruise Control is a 1997 action–thriller film, and a sequel to Speed . The film was produced and directed by Jan de Bont, and written by Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson, based on a story by de Bont and McCormick. Sandra Bullock stars in the film, reprising her role from Speed,...
(1997) - Trouble on the CornerTrouble on the CornerTrouble on the Corner is a 1997 Crime, Drama Film in which Tony Goldwyn plays Jeff Steward, a psychologist, takes good care of his patients mostly living in the same apartment. One day a piece of the bathroom ceiling collapse so he can watch the woman living in the upper apartment taking a bath...
(1997) - Miss Evers' BoysMiss Evers' BoysMiss Evers' Boys is a 1997 HBO television film starring Alfre Woodard and Laurence Fishburne, based on the true story of the decades-long Tuskegee experiment. It was directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted from the 1992 stage play written by David Feldshuh...
(1997) (TV) - Blues Brothers 2000Blues Brothers 2000Blues Brothers 2000 is a 1998 American musical comedy film that is a sequel to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Directed by John Landis, the film featured Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman, with cameos by many musicians.-Plot:...
(1998) - Apt PupilApt Pupil (film)Apt Pupil is a 1998 American psychological thriller film based on the eponymous 1982 novella by Stephen King. The film was directed by Bryan Singer and stars Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro...
(1998) - Mutiny (1999)
- The Astronaut's WifeThe Astronaut's WifeThe Astronaut's Wife is a 1999 science fiction/thriller film directed and written by Rand Ravich. It stars Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron.-Plot:...
(1999) - BounceBounce (film)Bounce is a 2000 romantic drama film starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow and directed by Don Roos.-Plot:Advertising executive Buddy has just signed an airline in Chicago as a big client but is later delayed by a snow storm waiting for a flight to Los Angeles on the same airline...
(2000) - What Lies BeneathWhat Lies BeneathWhat Lies Beneath is a 2000 American supernatural horror-thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It stars veteran actors Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a well-to-do couple who experience a strange haunting that uncovers secrets about their past....
(2000) - The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
(2000) (TV) in season 8 episode "Redrum" - AliAli (film)Ali is a 2001 American biographical film directed by Michael Mann. The film tells the story of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974 featuring his capture as of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston , his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, banishment...
(2001) - The PracticeThe PracticeThe Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
(2002) (TV) - SmallvilleSmallville (TV series)Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
(2002–2003) - Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
(2003) (TV) - ThoughtcrimesThoughtcrimesThoughtcrimes is a 2003 film.It is about a high school student named Freya McAllister who begins hearing voices in her head and ends up misdiagnosed as having schizophrenic catalepsy...
(2003) - PaycheckPaycheck (film)Paycheck is a 2003 film adaptation of the short story of the same name by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The film was directed by John Woo and stars Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman and Aaron Eckhart...
(2003) - Lenny the Wonder DogLenny the Wonder DogLenny the Wonder Dog is a 2005 American film directed by Oren Goldman from a screenplay by Michael Winslow, and filmed on location in Florida.- Story :Doctor Island has invented a computer microchip he plans to use to train dogs instantly...
(2005) - JAGJAG (TV series)JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
(2005) (TV) - HouseHouse (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
(2005) (TV) in episode "Role Model" - CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
(2005) - Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
(1992–2005) (TV) (several episodes) - StealthStealth (film)Stealth is a 2005 American science fiction action film starring Jessica Biel, Josh Lucas, Jamie Foxx, and Sam Shepard. The film was directed by Rob Cohen, director of The Fast and the Furious and xXx....
(2005) - E-RingE-RingE-Ring is an American television military drama, created by Ken Robinson and David McKenna and executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, that premiered on NBC on September 21, 2005...
(2005) (TV) - The Night ListenerThe Night Listener (film)The Night Listener is a 2006 psychological horror film directed by Patrick Stettner. The screenplay by Armistead Maupin, Terry Anderson, and Stettner is based on Maupin's 2000 bestselling novel of the same name, which was inspired by actual events in the author's life.-Plot:Gabriel Noone , a...
(2006) as Ashe - EurekaEureka (TV series)Eureka is an American science fiction television series that premiered on Syfy on July 18, 2006. Since then four seasons have aired, and a fifth is currently being filmed. The second half of season 4 began on SyFy on July 11, 2011 and ended on September 19, 2011...
(2006–present) as Henry Deacon - American Gangster (2007)
- Numb3rsNUMB3RSNumb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
(2007) (TV) season 4 episode 70 "Graphic" as a reporter - La LineaLa Linea (film)La Linea is a 2008 action-crime-thriller film directed by James Cotten. La Linea features an ensemble cast that includes Ray Liotta, Armand Assante, Valerie Cruz, Esai Morales, and Andy García.-Plot summary:...
(2008) - Warehouse 13Warehouse 13Warehouse 13 is an American fantasy television series that premiered on July 7, 2009 on the Syfy network.Executive-produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins, the dramatic comedy from Universal Media Studios has been described as borrowing much from 1980s television series Friday the 13th: The...
(2009) in season 1 episode "Regrets" - The Good Wife (2009)
- White CollarWhite Collar (TV series)White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Matt Bomer as con-man Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke. It premiered on October 23, 2009. In December 2009, White Collar was renewed for a second season that began on July 13, 2010...
(2010)
External links
- Joe Morton sings The Devil's Lonely Fire from Badland http://www.cinema.de/kino/trailer/video/musik-video-joe-morton-singt-the-devils-lonely-fire-aus-dem-badland-soundtrack,3275099,ApplicationVideo.html