Phil Morris (actor)

Personal life

Morris was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and is the son of actor Greg Morris. He also is the younger brother of actress Iona Morris. Morris is a practitioner of Wing Chun under Sifu Hawkins Cheung.

Career

Morris's first acting role was as a child when he appeared in the 1966 Star Trek episode "Miri". Star Trek was, at the time, shot at the same studio (Desilu Productions) that produced Mission: Impossible, where his father was working. He made his feature film debut in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in a small role and later guest-starred on Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager.

In the mid-1980s, he portrayed law student (later attorney) Tyrone Jackson on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless. During a major storyline, his character used heavy theatrical make-up to appear Caucasian, in order to go undercover to expose an organized crime organization. In the 1990s, Morris played a recurring character, the Johnnie Cochran-inspired defense attorney Jackie Chiles, on the comedy Seinfeld and co-starred in the TV remake of Mission: Impossible as tech wizard Grant Collier (son of Barney Collier, who was played in the original series by Morris's real-life father Greg Morris). He also said in an interview that he grew up watching the original Mission: Impossible, with series' lead Peter Graves, whom Morris came to consider his acting mentor. Through his childhood, Morris knew Graves' real-life children. The friendship continued, until Peter Graves' death on March 14, 2010, which devastated Morris. He voiced the supporting role of Dr. Sweet in Disney's 2001 film Atlantis: The Lost Empire as well as its 2003 sequel, Atlantis: Milo's Return. He played one of Will Smith's college professors on the NBC show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and played Dr. Clay Spencer on the then-UPN television show Girlfriends.

In the January 25, 2007, episode of the CW television series Smallville, Morris portrayed the DC Comics superhero The Martian Manhunter/John Jones, which is a recurring but small character in the series. He reprised that role on the show's sixth-season finale on May 17, 2007, as well as the episodes "Bizarro" and "Cure" in the seventh season and the episodes "Odyssey", "Prey", and "Bulletproof" in the eighth season. He reprised this role in the ninth-season episodes "Absolute Justice", "Checkmate", and "Salvation".

As a voice actor, he portrayed the villains Imperiex on Legion of Superheroes, and as the Immortal Caveman Vandal Savage on Justice League and Justice League: Doom. He voiced W'Kabi in the animated series Black Panther. He appeared on one episode each of the series CSI: Miami and Seven Days. Though largely unnoticed, Morris also was the voice of Paul the Apostle in Zondervan's The Bible Experience. Morris also made a cameo appearance as Miles Dyson in photographs in the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He played the voice of the character Doc Saturday in the animated show The Secret Saturdays. He also played a major supporting role in the PlayStation 2 game Ratchet: Deadlocked, Merc, one of the combat bots that accompany Ratchet during his journey. He also voiced the character of Thurgood Stubbs on the animated show The PJs, after Eddie Murphy's departure. He did several voices in the animated film Dead Space: Downfall as Hansen and Glenn. He currently plays Delroy Jones on the TV One series Love That Girl!, Saint Walker on the Cartoon Network series Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and Ultra Richard on the Cartoon Hangover series SuperF*ckers. In 2012, Phil Morris also made an uncredited appearance in Aqua Something You Know Whatever as Zucotti Manicotti. He also voices Plank in Sofia the First, starting from "The Floating Palace"; Green Arrow and Hawkman in the film Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League; and Vandal Savage in the film Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash.