Sydney Morton (born 1985) is an American stage and television actress, singer and dancer.

Early life and education

According to Morton, her maternal grandfather appeared on Broadway in 1933 in ''

Run, Little Chillun ''Run, Little Chillun'' or ''Run Little Chillun'' is a folk opera written by Hall Johnson. According to James Vernon Hatch and Leo Hamalian, it is one of the most successful musical dramas of the Harlem Renaissance. It was the first Broadway show ...

'', an all-Black

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

, and her paternal grandfather danced professionally during the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

. Neither of her parents are in the entertainment industry; Morton told an interviewer "it skipped a generation." Morton began dancing at 4. She graduated from Sycamore High School in Cincinnati in 2004. While in school she danced for the College-Conservatory of Music, the

Cincinnati Ballet The Cincinnati Ballet is a professional ballet company founded in 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States and had its first performance in 1964. The current artistic director is Victoria Morgan. Founding Organizing founders Nancy Bauer, Virgini ...

and the

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra is a pops orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, founded in 1977 out of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Its members are also the members of the Cincinnati Symphony, and the Pops is managed by the same ...

. She attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, graduating in 2008 with a degree in musical theatre. She studied at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

and the

Upright Citizens Brigade The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The original incarnation of the group consisted of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Adam McKay, Ri ...

Career

Television

Morton played a recurring character in Spike Lee's ''She's Gotta Have It''. She appeared opposite

Octavia Spencer Octavia Lenora Spencer (born May 25, 1970) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Critics' Choice Awards and three Screen Actors Gu ...

in Netflix's miniseries '' Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker.'' She had a recurring part in NBC's ''Manifest''. In 2021 she was cast as

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III. Meghan was ...

, opposite Jordan Dean, in the title roles in Lifetime's '' Harry & Meghan: Escaping The Palace'' which began production in May 2021 and appeared in fall of 2021.

Stage

She was a member of the original Broadway cast of ''

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

'', working as a swing to cover eight tracks or roles, including those of both white and Black performers. She was also a member of the original Broadway cast of ''Motown'' the 2012 revival of ''Evita''. She played Alex in the US touring company of ''Flashdance''. She appeared previously opposite Dean in the original Broadway cast of ''American Psycho''. She played the title role in ''

An Octoroon ''An Octoroon'' is a play written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. It is an adaptation of Dion Boucicault's ''The Octoroon'', which premiered in 1859. Jacobs-Jenkins reframes Boucicault's play using its original characters and plot, speaking much of ...

'' in the 2017 Berkeley Repertory production. In February and March 2020 she appeared opposite Billy Harrigan Tighe in the pre-Broadway tryout of '' The Secret of My Success'' at the Paramount Theatre; the production was cut short by the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Film

Morton was cast in the 2023 comedy-drama '' A Good Person''.

Personal life

As of 2021 Morton lived in Manhattan with her husband, fellow actor Preston Boyd.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Sydney 21st-century American actresses University of Michigan alumni American stage actresses Living people American television actresses People from Cincinnati Alumni of RADA American musical theatre actresses American dancers American women singers 1985 births