John Morris (Australian actor)
John Morris | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Harvie Morris 23 March 1963 Shoalwater, Western Australia, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, producer |
| Years active | 1988–present |
John Harvie Morris (born 23 March 1963) 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
Before taking up acting as a career Morris was a paratrooper in the Australian Army.[1]
Morris joined the cast of soap opera Home and Away in June 1988 as Doctor Philip Matheson, the uncle of Steven Matheson (Adam Willits).[2] 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.[2] 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.[2] Philip was killed off and Morris said he was the "first long-established character" to be killed off.[3] 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.[3]
In 1994, Morris joined the supporting cast of Neighbours for 12-weeks as Andrew MacKenzie, the show's first gay character.[4][5]
Morris made a last-minute appearance as Oliver Mellors in the stage adaptation of Lady Chatterley's Lover.[6]
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.[1]
Personal life
Morris is the brother of federal MP Madeleine King.[7]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| Television | |||
| Year | Television | Role | Notes |
| 1988-1989 | Home & Away | Philip Matheson | |
| 1994 | Neighbours | Andrew MacKenzie | |
References
- ^ 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.