Biography
A handsome, dignified African-American actor who has excelled on stage, screen and TV, Morton made his movie breakthrough as the mute extraterrestrial in John Sayles' "The Brother From Another Planet" (1984). A virtuoso performance that recalled some of the silent triumphs of Chaplin and Keaton, Morton's richly expressive turn was the emotional linchpin of a film that earned acclaim largely for its ensemble playing. Most audiences know the …
Latest Tv Credits
1 - 4 of 4
Career Milestones
2006 | Cast in an adaptation of Armistead Maupin's novel "The Night Listener" | |
2005 | Starred as Capt. Dick Marshfield in the big budget "Stealth," with Jamie Foxx | |
2003 | Cast in the film by director John Woo "Paycheck" | |
2002 | Portrayed Dr. Zeke McMillan on "All My Children" | |
2001 | Appeared in the Off-Broadway play "Brutal Imagination" | |
2001 | Rejoined the London production of "Art", featured with Judd Hirsch and Richard Thomas | |
2001 | Cast as the Duke in the New York Shakespeare Festival Central Park staging of "Measure for Measure" | |
1999 | Had supporting role in "The Astronaut's Wife" | |
1998 | Acted in the Broadway play "Art"; also performed in the London production alongside Judd Hirsch | |
1998 | Starred in the short-lived UPN sci-fi medical series "Mercy Point" | |
1997 | Appeared in the award-winning HBO movie "Miss Evers Boys" as one of the doctors treating black men with syphillis | |
1997 | Co-starred in short-lived NBC drama "Prince Street" | |
1995 | Cast as a regular in CBS drama series "New York News" | |
1994 | Appeared in ensemble drama "Under One Roof" (CBS) | |
1994 | Narrated PBS documentary series, "Against the Odds: The Artists of the Harlem Renaissance" | |
1993 | Narrated the well-received PBS documentary series, "The Great Depression" | |
1993 | TV directorial debut with "The Loft" episode of "Tribeca" | |
1993 | Appeared as Carleton, one of two recurring characters on the Fox-TV anthology drama, "Tribeca" | |
| Appeared as a recurring character on "A Different World" | ||
1991 | Starred in Sayles' "City of Hope" | |
| Appeared as a major member of the ensemble cast of "Equal Justice", an ABC-TV legal series | ||
1984 | Played first lead in a major feature, as the title character in John Sayles' "The Brother From Another Planet"; first collaboration with writer-director Sayles | |
| Had regular role of Dr. Abel Marsh in the TV soap "Another World" | ||
1977 | Played first notable role in a feature, as Ahmed in Joan Micklin Silver's "Between the Lines", a character study of the counterculture | |
1975 | Appeared as Hal Marshall, a regular character on the NBC sitcom "Grady", a short-lived NBC spinoff of "Sanford and Son" | |
| Cast as a regular in the TV soap "Search for Tomorrow" | ||
1973 | Starred as Walter Lee Younger in "Raisin", the Broadway musical version of Lorraine Hansberry's drama "A Raisin in the Sun" | |
1972 | Starred in the musical version of "Two Gentlemen of Verona" | |
1968 | Broadway debut at age 20 in the trendsetting musical, "Hair" | |
| First professional acting job in off-Broadway production of "A Month of Sundays", a modern version of the Noah story | ||
| Decided to become an actor on his first day at Hofstra University | ||
| Moved with mother and family to New York | ||
| Remained in Germany until father's death | ||
1958 | Moved with family to Dachau, Germany (date approximate) | |
| Raised in Okinawa, Japan and Europe | ||
Awards
2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in American Gangster |