Morris W. Morris

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Morris W. Morris

Morris W. Morris as Mephistopheles in Faust
Born 1845
Jamaica
Died August 20, 1906
Long Island, New York
Occupation Stage actor

Morris W. Morris, known as Lewis Morrison onstage, born in 1845, Jamaica, West Indies, died on 20 August 1906, Long Island, New York, was a stage actor best known for his longtime performance in the role of Mephistopheles in Faust.

Morris served in the Civil War in the Louisiana Native Guards. The Guard, based in New Orleans, was one of the first all-black regiments to fight in the Union Army during the American Civil War. A predecessor regiment by the same name existed in the Confederate Louisiana militia.

After the Civil War, he became a stage actor first performing in New Orleans beginning in minor roles with Edwin Booth and Charlotte Cushman until he was featured in larger parts. He became a well known actor in New Orleans and moved on to the New York stage where he gained greater fame in Faust.

Morris was of Afro-Caribbean heritage. He was married to English-born actress Rose Wood, and by her was the father of actress Adrienne Morrison; by whom he became the grandfather of actresses Barbara Bennett, Joan Bennett and Constance Bennett, and the great-grandfather of Morton Downey, Jr.

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