Biography for
Jim Morrison (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

8 December 1943, Melbourne, Florida, USA

Date of Death

3 July 1971, Paris, France (heart failure)

Birth Name

James Douglas Morrison

Nickname

The Lizard King
Erotic Politician
American Poet
Dionysus
Mr. Mojo Risin'

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Mini Biography

Jim Morrison was born on December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida. His father was a U.S. Naval Officer who fought in World War II. Jim eventually became so estranged from his parents that he would later claim that they were dead. Not much is known about his early years, although he claimed in interviews that he began writing poetry in sixth grade and filled his notebooks with writings throughout high school. Jim moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he enrolled himself in the film program at UCLA. He read books constantly and told friends that he planned to model his life based on the hedonistic French poet Rimbaud. In 1965, after Jim graduated from UCLA, he drifted into the hippie scene at Venice Beach, taking drugs (LSD was his favorite), sleeping under the boardwalk, and writing poems. One day at the beach, Jim ran into Ray Manzarek, a former classmate from UCLA who was a keyboardist in a struggling rock band. When Jim showed Ray some of his poems, he insisted to Jim that they should put together a band for him to sing his poems. Ray and Jim recruited Robbie Krieger as a guitarist and John Densomore at the drummer and began calling themselves the Doors. By 1966 the group was playing in Sunset Strip nightclubs. After moving to more respectable clubs, the group became known for its charismatic stage personality and its hypnotic music, which was highlighted by Ray's eerie keyboard sounds and Robbie's jazzy guitar music. With some misgivings, Elektra Records president Jac Holzman signed them for a recording contract. In January 1967 the first album "The Doors" was released and immediately received universal acclaim. With Jim being the chief lyricist and his songs for the album ranging from "The Crystal Ship" to "Break on Through" to the 11-minute "The End." The song "Light My Fire" became the group's first hit single and projected them to number one on the top music charts. Jim gained a reputation for erratic public behavior. On December 9, 1967, Jim was arrested onstage during a concert in New Haven, Connecticut for attempting to incite a riot by telling the crowd that a policeman had sprayed him and journalist Patricia Kennealy with mace backstage before the concert. In 1968, the group made the top charts again with their album "Waiting for the Sun" in June which contained the number-one hit "Hello, I Love You." But things came to a head on March 1, 1969 during a concert in Miami, Florida where Jim was arrested afterwards for exposing himself to the audience and using profanity. As as result of Jim's legal troubles the group lost their bookings for the next several months. Recorded before the Miami incident, their 1969 album "The Soft Parade" kept them in the top charts. The group followed up with their next album in 1970 called "Morrison Hotel" and "Absolutely Live," neither of which sold well. In August 1970, Jim was brought to trial for the Miami incident where he was acquitted of charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, but found guilty of indecent exposure and profanity, and was sentenced to eight months in prison. But he remained free on bail while the verdict was being appealed. The group made a comeback with their 1971 album "L.A. Woman" which featured Jim's top hits "Riders of the Storm" and "Love Her Madly." When the last of his appeals was denied and the possibility of jail hanging over him, as well as his fast, stressful lifestyle, Jim decided that he was through being a rock and roll star and in March 1971 he and Pamela moved to Paris, France where he intended to continue his literary ambitions. On July 3, 1971, Jim Morrison was found dead in his bathtub in his apartment in Paris at the age of 27. The local police listed the cause of death as heart failure, although most assume that his heart failure was alcohol, even drug related. News of his death was withheld for nearly a week, which fueled rumors that he faked his death. Three years later, in August 1974, Pamela died in Paris from a heroin overdose. Coincidentally she too was 27 years old when she died.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Patay

Trade Mark

Often fell down on purpose during performances.

Would often improvise lyrics or poetry during songs.

Leather pants

Dark lyrics

His wild stage antics and singing

Dark crooning voice

Shoulder Length Hair

His Boots

Trivia

Born at 11:55am-EWT

Buried at Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.

Had long term relationship with Pamela Courson, but never married.

Lived most of his infamous career in a cheap hotel on La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles

Once wed to Patricia Kennely by a Pagan ritual called handfasting. The marriage was never legally recognized, but Patricia did change her last name to "Morrison"

In 1970, shortly after the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, he reportedly told friends at a bar "You're drinking with number three."

Morrison's grave in Paris, France, is reportedly the city's 4th most popular attraction after the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Louvre.

Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Doors) in 1993.

Refused to appear at Woodstock because he was paranoid that someone would take a shot at him as he performed onstage.

Needed special permission to appear at the Isle of Wight festival in England due to the fact that he was still on trial for his indecent exposure arrest the previous year.

After defying Ed Sullivan and using the lyric "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" while performing "Light My Fire" he and The Doors were never invited back to perform on Ed Sullivan' iconic Sunday night variety show.

Favorite singer was Frank Sinatra.

Was inspired by writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, Norman Mailer and Arthur Rimbaud, among others.

Girlfriend, Pamela Courson opened a boutique financed by Jim called Themis (Goddess of light and beauty).

Was a highly skilled swimmer.

In 1971, while living in Paris, he quit drinking, shaved his thick beard and lost a great deal of weight, beginning a clean and sober new life. However, reports at the time of death continue to depict him as bloated. Some attribute this to congestive heart failure.

In 1966, before signing a record contract with Elektra, he told the band that he would fake his death to increase their notoriety. After Morrison's death in 1971, album sales skyrocketed.

His nickname, "Mr. Mojo Risin'", is an anagram for Jim Morrison.

Is the only performer in rock history to have been arrested on stage during a performance (in New Haven, Connecticut, Dec. 10, 1967).

Is of Irish descent.

The Doors were voted the 41st Greatest Artists in Rock 'n' Roll by Rolling Stone.

During 1965-66, before The Doors were established, Morrison, camping out on Venice rooftops, would peep on girls changing in neighboring apartments, recording everything he witnessed in notebooks (one of which survives).

Reportedly had an I.Q. of 149.

Died two years to the day of the death of The Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones.

Is portrayed by Val Kilmer in Oliver Stone's biopic The Doors (1991). Not only did Kilmer look a lot like Morrison, he did his own singing in the film, and The Doors surviving band members reportedly were so impressed by Kilmer's vocal similarities to Morrison's that they could not distinguish Kilmer's singing voice from Morrison's singing voice (close-up shots use Kilmer's voice, while long-distance shots use Morrison's).

Longtime girlfriend Pamela Courson died of a heroin overdose in 1974.

While on stage he had an outlandish and charismatic persona, offstage he was a very quiet and shy person. In fact, according to Ray Manzarek, Morrison once told him he never really felt comfortable at a party unless Ray or another member of the band were with him.

Is portrayed by Aaron Grain in The Linda McCartney Story (2000) (TV).

Attended Florida State University before moving to California.

Before The Doors made their first album, Jim wanted to use a stage name: "James Phoenix." Keyboardist Ray Manzarek told him, "No way.".

Early in The Doors' career, he proposed a group policy in which all band decisions would be either unanimously agreed upon or discarded, and that each member of the band would have veto power. The others approved his suggestion, and the policy remains in effect to this day, as all Doors-related releases, projects and decisions must have the okay of all three surviving Doors.

Ranked #7 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.

Born in Florida, he grew up in Virginia, New Mexico, and California.

Was of Scottish and Irish Descent.

Was an avid fan of Filmmakers Josef Von Sternberg and Jean Renoir.

Originally intended to become a Film Director.

Contrary to popular belief, the Doors did not disband when Morrison died. The surviving members released two additional studio albums, Other Voices and Full Circle.

Recorded six studio albums with the Doors, though there have been countless posthumous releases.

His Georgia-born father, George Morrison (January 7, 1919 - November 17, 2008) was a Navy rear admiral who once earned distinction as becoming the youngest admiral in the Navy. He also served as operations officer aboard the aircraft carrier Midway and commanded the fleet during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident which contributed to the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, George was aboard the mine-layer Pruitt in Pearl Harbor when it was bombed by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. Though he and Jim were largely estranged, he admitted that he viewed Jim's success with pride a year before his son's death in 1971.

He and the Doors were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6901 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

His birthday (December 8) is also the anniversary of the death of Beatle John Lennon.

Died at 27 years old, making him a member of the "27 Club"; The 27 Club is a group of prominent musicians that died at the age of 27. Other members include Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones, guitarist Jimi Hendrix, singer Janis Joplin, and Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.

Personal Quotes

[Los Angeles, 1969] Let's just say I was testing the bounds of reality. I was curious to see what would happen. That's all it was: just curiosity.

[Dinner Key Auditorium, 3/1/69, the infamous concert where he allegedly exposed himself] We are not talking about no revolution! I'm not talking about no demonstration! I'm talking about having some fun! I'm talking about dancing! I'm talking about love your neighbor 'til it hurts! I'm talking about love! [...] This is your show, anything you want goes!

When you make peace with authority, you become an authority.

Music is a pure expression of joy.

A friend is someone who gives you the complete freedom to be yourself.

I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human being with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most crucial moments.

Erotic politicians, that's what we are. We're interested in everything about revolt, disorder, and all activity that appears to have no meaning.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z