Anita Rose Morris (March 14, 1943 – March 2, 1994) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She began her career performing in Broadway musicals, including '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', ''

Seesaw A seesaw (also known as a teeter-totter or teeterboard) is a long, narrow board supported by a single pivot point, most commonly located at the midpoint between both ends; as one end goes up, the other goes down. These are most commonly found a ...

'' and ''

Nine 9 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 9 or nine may also refer to: Dates * AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era * 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era * 9, numerical symbol for the month of September Places * Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...

'', for which she received a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nomination. During her career, Morris had starring roles in a number of films, include ''

The Hotel New Hampshire ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' is a 1981 coming of age novel by American writer John Irving, his fifth published novel. Plot This novel is the story of the Berrys, a quirky New Hampshire family composed of a married couple, Win and Mary, and th ...

'' (1984), '' Absolute Beginners'' (1986), ''

Ruthless People ''Ruthless People'' is a 1986 American black comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and written by Dale Launer. It stars Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Anita Morris, and Helen Slater, with Bill Pullman ...

'' (1986), ''

Aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

'' (1987), '' 18 Again!'' (1988), '' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1989) and ''

A Sinful Life ''A Sinful Life'' is a 1989 American comedy film directed by William Schreiner and written by Melanie Graham. The film stars Anita Morris, Dennis Christopher, Shelly Desai, Rita Gomez, David Labiosa and Rick Overton. The film was released on June ...

'' (1989). She had leading roles in two short-lived television series in 1980s: the NBC prime time soap opera ''

Berrenger's ''Berrenger's'' is an American prime-time soap opera television series created by Diana Gould that aired on NBC from January 5 to March 9, 1985. The series revolved around the Berrenger family, a New York dynasty which owned the glamorous depart ...

'' (1985), and the Fox sitcom '' Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' (1987).

Career

Morris' most prominent film role was as Carol Dodsworth, the mistress to

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

, in ''

''; her most prominent stage role was her sensual performance as Carla in the musical ''

'' opposite

Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

. While nominated for a Best Featured Actress

as Carla, she lost to

Liliane Montevecchi Liliane Montevecchi (October 13, 1932 – June 29, 2018) was a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer. Career Montevecchi took her first dance classes at 8 with Pierre Duprez, primo ballerino of the Opera in Paris, France. She entered the Co ...

, also in ''Nine''. 21 years later,

Jane Krakowski Jane Krakowski (; ; born October 11, 1968) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer. She is best known for her starring role as Jenna Maroney in the NBC satirical comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013, 2020), for which she received four ...

won the Tony Award in the same category as Morris, playing Carla in a revival with

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Antonio Ba ...

. Her signature number in ''Nine'' was "A Call from the Vatican", and she also sang "Simple", late in act two. She was scheduled to perform the former at the Tony Awards in 1982, but the television censors found her outfit too revealing. Her stage work began in the

American Mime Theatre The American Mime Theatre is a professional performing company and training school based in New York City. It was founded in 1952 by Paul J. Curtis (August 29, 1927– April 28, 2012). It is the oldest continuing professional mime Multipurpose In ...

, and carried her to Broadway both for ''Nine'', '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', ''

'', ''

The Magic Show ''The Magic Show'' is a one-act musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Bob Randall. It starred magician Doug Henning. Produced by Edgar Lansbury, Joseph Beruh, and Ivan Reitman, it opened on May 28, 1974 at the Cort T ...

'' (cast album and video/DVD), '' Sugar Babies'' (replacement for the "Soubrette" originated by

Ann Jillian Ann Jillian (born Ann Jura Nauseda; January 29, 1950) is a retired American actress and singer whose career began as a child actress in 1960. She is best known for her role as the sultry Cassie Cranston on the 1980s sitcom ''It's a Living''. Ea ...

) and ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

''. Morris portrayed

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...

's lover Rhonda Ray in ''

'' (1984). Other film work included ''

The Happy Hooker ''The Happy Hooker: My Own Story'' is a best-selling memoir by Xaviera Hollander, a call girl, published in 1971. It sold over 20 million copies. Robin Moore, who took Hollander's dictations of the book's contents, came up with the title, while Y ...

'' (1975), ''

Maria's Lovers ''Maria's Lovers'' is a 1984 American drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky and starring Nastassja Kinski, John Savage, and Robert Mitchum. The plot follows a soldier returning from World War II who marries the woman of his dreams, but he ...

'' (1984), '' Absolute Beginners'' (1986) with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, '' Blue City'' (1986) with

Judd Nelson Judd Asher Nelson (born November 28, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as John Bender in ''The Breakfast Club'', Alec Newbury in ''St. Elmo's Fire'', Joe Hunt in '' Billionaire Boys Club'', Nick Peretti in ''New Jack Cit ...

, ''

'' (1986) with

and Bette Midler, '' 18 Again!'' (1988) with

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

, '' Bloodhounds of Broadway'' (1989) with Madonna and

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

, ''

'' (1989), '' Martians Go Home'' (1989) with

Randy Quaid Randy Randall Rudy Quaid (born October 1, 1950) is an American actor known for his roles in both serious drama and light comedy. He was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role in ''The Last Detail'' i ...

, ''

Off and Running ''Off and Running'' is a 1991 American comedy mystery film starring singer and actress Cyndi Lauper, David Keith and directed by Edward Bianchi. Plot Lauper stars as a mermaid-themed lounge singer who gets involved with a caring but troubled ...

'' (1991) with

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

, '' Little Miss Millions'' (1993) with Jennifer Love Hewitt, ''

Me and the Kid ''Me and the Kid'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Dan Curtis. It stars Danny Aiello, Alex Zuckerman, Joe Pantoliano, Cathy Moriarty, David Dukes, Anita Morris, Ben Stein, Demond Wilson and Abe Vigoda. Plot A couple of ex-cons ...

'' (1993), and ''

Radioland Murders ''Radioland Murders'' is a 1994 American comedy thriller film directed by Mel Smith and executive produced by George Lucas. ''Radioland Murders'' is set in the 1939 atmosphere of old-time radio and pays homage to the screwball comedy films of the ...

'' (1994), which was her final film role. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she played guest roles in sitcoms and dramas, including ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...

'', '' Who's the Boss?'', '' Murder, She Wrote'', ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', '' Melrose Place'', '' Matlock'', ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'', '' Murphy Brown'' and ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...

''. In 1984, Morris was featured in

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' music video "

She Was Hot "She Was Hot" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1983 album ''Undercover''. Recording on "She Was Hot" first began in late 1982. Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song is a traditional rock 'n' roll num ...

Life and death

Morris was born in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

, to Eloise (née Chappell), who was involved in theatrical production, and James Badgett Morris, a doctor. She was married to

Grover Dale Grover Dale is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, theater director, and publisher. Early life Dale was born Grover Robert Aitken in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Emma Bertha (Ammon) and Ronal Rittenhouse Aitken, a restaurateur. He stud ...

in 1973 and had a son,

James Badge Dale James Badge Dale (born May 1, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chase Edmunds in '' 24'', Robert Leckie in '' The Pacific'', State Trooper Barrigan in Martin Scorsese's ''The Departed'', Luke Lewenden in '' The Grey'', Eric Sa ...

, in 1978, who developed an acting career beginning in 1990. She developed

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

in 1980, and was given only five years to live. She lived for another 14 years before she died on March 2, 1994, and was buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Durham, North Carolina.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Anita 1943 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American dancers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers Actresses from Durham, North Carolina Actresses from North Carolina American female dancers American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American television actresses Burials in North Carolina Dancers from North Carolina Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from ovarian cancer Musicians from Durham, North Carolina