Jonathon Morris
Encyclopedia
Jonathon Morris is an English
actor and former television presenter
.
's comedy Bread
, in which he starred for the series' entire five-year run between 1986-1991, and which made him a well-known face on British Television.
Prior to Bread
, he had appeared as a regular in the early 1980s ITV comedy That Beryl Marston!, and in leading roles in two of the BBC's Sunday Classic Serial adaptations, Beau Geste in 1982 and The Prisoner of Zenda
in 1984. He had also played guest roles in The Professionals
, Doctor Who
and Granada's short-lived soap The Practice
.
His rise to fame in Bread
led to Morris forging a career as a presenter. He presented CBBC
game show The Movie Game from 1991–93, replacing Phillip Schofield
. He made a number of appearances on the popular '90s Channel 5 game show Night Fever
. In 2005, Morris competed in the third series of Channel 4
sports-based reality
show The Games. He withdrew from the series halfway through and was replaced by former Hear’Say
singer Danny Foster.
His acting career after Bread
continued, although he faded from the limelight during the 1990s. He appeared in Carlton's revival of the Comedy Playhouse
series in 1993, and in 1995 he played El Gallo in the film version of The Fantasticks
(released in 2000) where he played the con-man who enchanted his con's heart. He has also played Ash, a vampire, in two films of the Full Moon Entertainment production studios. The Fantasticks (2000), Vampire Journals (1997), and Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm introduced Morris to US audiences.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor and former television presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
.
Career
Morris is best known for his role as Adrian Boswell in Carla LaneCarla Lane
Carla Lane, OBE is an English television writer responsible for many successful sitcoms, including The Liver Birds , Butterflies , and Bread ....
's comedy Bread
Bread (TV series)
Bread was a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991....
, in which he starred for the series' entire five-year run between 1986-1991, and which made him a well-known face on British Television.
Prior to Bread
Bread (TV series)
Bread was a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991....
, he had appeared as a regular in the early 1980s ITV comedy That Beryl Marston!, and in leading roles in two of the BBC's Sunday Classic Serial adaptations, Beau Geste in 1982 and The Prisoner of Zenda
The Prisoner of Zenda
The Prisoner of Zenda is an adventure novel by Anthony Hope, published in 1894. The king of the fictional country of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus unable to attend his own coronation. Political forces are such that in order for the king to retain his crown his...
in 1984. He had also played guest roles in The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and Granada's short-lived soap The Practice
The Practice (1985 TV series)
The Practice was a 1985 British television soap opera produced for ITV by Granada Television, which aired for two series in 1985 and 1986. The series was first introduced as a twice-weekly medical drama in January 1985, becoming Granada's second regular networked soap opera along with Coronation...
.
His rise to fame in Bread
Bread (TV series)
Bread was a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991....
led to Morris forging a career as a presenter. He presented CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
game show The Movie Game from 1991–93, replacing Phillip Schofield
Phillip Schofield
Phillip Bryan Schofield is an English broadcaster and television personality best known for presenting shows such as This Morning, Dancing on Ice, and various game shows including The Cube.-Early life and career:...
. He made a number of appearances on the popular '90s Channel 5 game show Night Fever
Night Fever (TV series)
Night Fever was a karaoke style panel game show airing in the United Kingdom on Channel 5. It was hosted by Suggs and in the early series he was helped by 'The Big Guy in the Sky' - a disembodied voice giving the scores, and later by 'Wolfie' - John Ireland dressed as Mozart...
. In 2005, Morris competed in the third series of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sports-based reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show The Games. He withdrew from the series halfway through and was replaced by former Hear’Say
Hear’Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
singer Danny Foster.
His acting career after Bread
Bread (TV series)
Bread was a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991....
continued, although he faded from the limelight during the 1990s. He appeared in Carlton's revival of the Comedy Playhouse
ITV Playhouse
ITV Playhouse was a UK comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a...
series in 1993, and in 1995 he played El Gallo in the film version of The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks (film)
The Fantasticks is a 1995 musical film directed by Michael Ritchie. The screenplay by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt is based on their record-breaking off-Broadway production of the same name, which ran for 17,162 performances...
(released in 2000) where he played the con-man who enchanted his con's heart. He has also played Ash, a vampire, in two films of the Full Moon Entertainment production studios. The Fantasticks (2000), Vampire Journals (1997), and Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm introduced Morris to US audiences.