Biography for
Howard Morris (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

4 September 1919, New York City, New York, USA

Date of Death

21 May 2005, Los Angeles, California, USA (heart ailment)

Birth Name

Howard Jerome Morris

Nickname

Howie

Mini Biography

This short, quicksilver comic of TV's "Golden Age" has been heard more than seen in the last few decades, as he possesses one of the finest vocal instruments around for animation. Howard ("Howie") Morris was born in New York City in 1919 and forged his own destiny after a chance meeting with Carl Reiner in a radio workshop. Following the war in which they entertained troops together, they performed in the stage musical "Call Me Mister", then came aboard as part of Sid Caesar's repertory/writing company in the classic sketch shows of the 50s. After years of "second banana" success, however, Morris sought his own solo identity and went off to pursue work as an actor, director and voice artist. Since the early 60s, he has been a main staple of the Hanna-Barbera Productions vocal team, offering hundreds and hundreds of voices for "The Flintstones" (1960), "The Jetsons" (1962), "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (1971), and other such Saturday morning shows. Interspersed have been some catchy offbeat characterizations in front of the camera. He has given zest to a number of standard comedy films including Boys' Night Out (1962) with Kim Novak, The Nutty Professor (1963) and Way... Way Out (1966), both with Jerry Lewis, and Mel Brooks' spoofs High Anxiety (1977) and History of the World: Part I (1981). Morris has directed Danny Thomas and Andy Griffith in their respective sitcoms, and made a wonderfully eccentric impression on-camera as the grizzled rock-tosser Ernest T. Bass in Griffiths' vehicle. He was so popular in that role, it was brought back faithfully for three seasons. The director of such comedy film fluff as Who's Minding the Mint? (1967), With Six You Get Eggroll (1968), and Woody Allen's Don't Drink the Water (1969), Morris continued on with directing commercials and popping up here and there well into the 1990s.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Spouse

Dolores A Wylie	(9 November 1962 - April 1977) (divorced) 4 children
Mary Helen McGowan	(1945 - ?) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Howard's voice has been a regular in "Hanna-Barbera" cartoons from the 60's until the present.

Directed the classic black-and-white pilot of TV's "Get Smart" (1965).

Performed Army tour productions of "Hamlet" and "Macbeth" for Maurice Evans during WWII. Ironically, Howard was Carl Reiner's sergeant at the time and Reiner also performed.

In the 1970s, he directed some McDonaldland commercials featuring Ronald, the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and friends. Morris also performed the voice of Mayor McCheese throughout the decade.

He served as the voice of the Qantas Airlines Koala for the airline's famous television commercials during the 1980s. He also as well as television's Atom Ant in "The Atom Ant Show," Beetle Bailey and General Halftrack in "Beetle Bailey and His Friends," and Jughead Jones and Big Moose Mason in "The Archie Show."

Had four children: David, Gabrielle, Kim, and Devra

He was always surprised by his notoriety because he only appeared five times as Ernest T. Bass. Mountain Wedding/29 April, '63; E.T.B. Joins the Army/14 October, '63; My Fair E.T.B./3 February, '64; The Education of E.T.B./12 October, '64; Malcom at the Crossroads/27 September, '65. He made other appearances as different characters, George and Leonard and one uncredited voice over.

Buried at Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California.