John Morris (Australian actor)

Morris was a paratrooper in the Australian Army before starting his acting career .^[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]

Morris is the brother of Australian federal MP Madeleine King.^[7]