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Garrett Isaac MorrisLibrary of Congress Copyright Office (1973). Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Parts 3-4: Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery Jan-Dec 1973: Vol 27 No 1-2. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 45. . "MORRIS, GARRETT ISAAC. The secret place, lv. A play. © Garrett Isaac Morris; 27Mar73; DU86443." (born February 1, 1937) is an American actor, comedian and singer. He was part of the original cast and was the first black cast member of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980.
He also played Jimmy on The Jeffersons (1983–1984). Morris had one of the starring roles, as Junior "Uncle Junior" King, on the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, which aired from 1996 to 2001. Morris also had a regular role as Earl Washington on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, from 2011 to 2017.
He is also known for his role in the sitcom Martin as Stan Winters, from 1992 to 1995, until he suffered an injury. Also, he made two guest appearances on The Wayans Bros. in season one, episode one as himself and again on episode ten as the brothers' uncle Leon (1995). He played a concerned teacher in the film Cooley High (1975), Slide in Car Wash (1976), and Carl in The Census Taker (1984).
In 2024, Morris was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Periodically on SNL he sang classical music: once a Mozart aria "Dalla Sua Pace", Don Ottavio's aria from Don Giovanni when guest-host Walter Matthau designated him as a "musical guest...in place of the usual crap", and once a Franz Schubert lied while the titles on the screen expressed his colleagues' purported displeasure at having to accommodate a misguided request by him. In February 1977, he sang Tchaikovsky Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt barefoot in colorful Caribbean dress while subtitles explained he had just returned from Jamaica where he had picked up a girl by claiming to be Harry Belafonte.
One of Morris' best known characters on SNL was the Dominican baseball player Chico Escuela. Chico spoke only limited and halting English, so the joke centered on his responding to almost any question with his catch phrase: "Baseball... been berra berra good... to me". Another recurring bit, used in the newscast segment Weekend Update, involved Morris being presented as "Headmaster of the New York School for the hard of hearing" and assisting the newscaster by shouting the main headlines, in a parody of the then-common practice of providing sign language interpretation in an inset on the screen as an aid to the deaf viewer.
According to the book Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, Morris was frequently unhappy during his tenure on SNL from 1975 to 1980, and expressed the opinion that he was usually typecast in stereotypical roles. In 2024's Saturday Night, directed by Jason Reitman, which dramatically details SNL's opening night, Morris's restless unhappiness is portrayed by actor Lamorne Morris (no relation).
Black performers who have followed Morris on SNL have at times been publicly concerned with experiencing the same fate Morris did. Eddie Murphy, for example, told TV Guide in the early 1980s that SNL producer Jean Doumanian "had tried to Garrett Morris me". (1986). 9780688050993, Beech Tree Books. ISBN 9780688050993
Morris, then at 38, was the eldest of the original cast members when SNL debuted in 1975. As such, he is also the eldest surviving cast member.
In 1985, he guested on Murder, She Wrote as Lafayette Duquesne. In 1986, Morris began playing Arnold "Sporty" James, on the NBC cop drama Hunter, starring Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer through 1989. Morris appeared in Married... with Children as Russ, one of Al's poker buddies, in "The Poker Game", in a 1987 season 1 episode and again in the season 3 episode "Requiem for a Dead Barber".Levant, B. (Director). (1987). The Poker Game (season 1, episode 8). Embassy Communications. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANraTbHcD1k He also appeared in the 1992 horror comedy Severed Ties starring Oliver Reed.Santostefano, D. (Director). (1992). Severed Ties. Fangoria.
Morris also had regular roles on Diff'rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, Hill Street Blues, 227, and Roc. He also appeared in an episode of Who's the Boss, "Sam's Car" (1989), playing the role of Officer Audette.Kelada, A. (Director). (1988, October 18). Sam’s Car (season 5, episode 1). Hunter-Cohan Productions. He was a regular cast member on The Jamie Foxx Show, playing Jamie's uncle, Junior King.
In 1998, Morris appeared as himself in the fourth episode of the fifth season of the TV series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast. In 2002, Morris made a cameo appearance on an episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Brittany Murphy. In 2006, Morris reprised his role as "Headmaster of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing" in a cameo on the TV series Family Guy, in the episode "Barely Legal." Barely Legal (season 5, episode 8). (2006, December 17). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYwB38Vsh7A
In August 2008, Morris played the role of Reverend Pratt in the family comedy drama film, The Longshots, starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer.
In 2011, Morris had a cameo role as a Catholic priest on the episode "Three Boys" on the Showtime series Shameless. He was cast as Earl in the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls, which premiered on September 19, 2011. During the second season he faced a lawsuit from the Global Agency accusing him of not paying 10% of his income from the show as agreed. However, a rep from the show stated that he had not actually failed to do so.
In 2018, Morris appeared in the NBC show This Is Us. In 2019, Morris appeared in the fifth episode of A Black Lady Sketch Show, titled "Why Are Her Pies Wet, Lord?"
At the time of the shooting, Morris was starring on Martin as Martin's first boss, Stan Winters. Morris' shooting rendered him temporarily unable to continue in the role; he was written out of the show by having the character become a national fugitive. The scene where he is about to undergo plastic surgery was shot on the hospital bed Morris occupied while recuperating from the 1994 assault. He made a final appearance as Stan during the show's third season, walking with a cane due to Morris' real injuries, but the reason given for Stan was that he had crashed his car during a police chase.
He also operated and was the host of his own comedy club, The Downtown Comedy Club, in downtown Los Angeles. On February 9, 2007, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa honored Garrett Morris for his work and contributions to the black community. He declared February 9, 2007, Garrett Morris Day and named The Downtown Comedy Club the official club of Los Angeles.
In 2024, Morris was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
| 1970 | Where's Poppa? | Garrett | |
| 1971 | The Anderson Tapes | Sgt. Everson | |
| 1975 | Cooley High | Mr. Mason | |
| 1976 | Car Wash | Slide | |
| 1980 | How to Beat the High Cost of Living | Power & Light Man | |
| 1984 | The Census Taker | Harvey | |
| 1985 | The Stuff | "Chocolate Chip Charlie" W. Hobbs | |
| 1987 | Critical Condition | Helicopter Junkie | |
| The Underachievers | Dummont | ||
| 1989 | Dance to Win | - | |
| 1991 | Children of the Night | Matty | |
| Motorama | Andy | ||
| Blackbird Fly | - | Short film | |
| 1992 | Severed Ties | Stripes | |
| 1993 | Coneheads | Capt. Orecruiser | |
| 1995 | Black Scorpion | Argyle | |
| 1996 | Black Rose of Harlem | Wisdom | |
| Santa with Muscles | Clayton | ||
| Almost Blue | Charles | ||
| 1997 | Black Scorpion II | Argyle | |
| 1999 | Twin Falls Idaho | Jesus | |
| Palmer's Pick-Up | Tom Bolza | ||
| Graham's Diner | — | ||
| 2001 | Jackpot | Lester Irving | |
| How High | PCC Agent | ||
| 2003 | Connecting Dots | Henry | |
| 2005 | The Salon | Percy | |
| 2007 | Implanted | Kadar | Short film |
| Who's Your Caddy? | The Reverend | ||
| Frank | Billy Hamilton | ||
| Amenic | Amenic | Short film | |
| 2008 | Dog Gone | Police Chief | |
| The Longshots | Reverend Pratt | ||
| 2009 | Bed Ridden | Billings | Short film |
| Just Like Family | Leroy | ||
| Sonny Dreamweaver | God | ||
| 2010 | Pickin' & Grinnin' | Richard A. Trophey | |
| 2011 | Valley of the Sun | Joe | |
| Let Go | Donuts | ||
| 2012 | Pawn Shop | Rey | |
| Freeloaders | Mr. Abaeze | ||
| 2015 | Ant-Man | Cab Driver | |
| 2019 | Grand-Daddy Day Care | Arnold | |
| 1960 | CBS Workshop | — | Episode: "The Bible Salesman" |
| 1963 | General Hospital | Mouth | Regular cast |
| 1973 | Roll Out | Wheels− | Main cast |
| 1974 | Change at 125th Street | Janitor | Television film |
| 1975–80, 2002, 2015, 2025 | Saturday Night Live | Himself / cast member | Main cast (season 1–5), ''Brittany Murphy/Nelly, 40th Anniversary Special, 50th Anniversary Special |
| 1978 | ABC Weekend Special | Frank | Episode: "The Seven Wishes of Joanna Peabody" |
| 1980 | Easter Fever | Jack | Voice, television film A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. |
| 1982 | Diff'rent Strokes | Santa Claus / Mr. Jones | Episode: "Santa's Helper" |
| 1983 | The Invisible Woman | Lt. Greg Larkin | Television film |
| 1983–84 | The Jeffersons | Jimmy | Guest (season 9); Recurring cast (season 10) |
| 1984 | At Your Service | Dwayne | Television film |
| Masquerade | Froog | Episode: "The French Correction" | |
| The New Scooby Doo Mysteries | Additional voices | Season 2 | |
| 1984–85 | It's Your Move | Principal Dwight Ellis | Recurring cast |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Lafayette Duquesne | Episode: "Murder to a Jazz Beat" |
| Hill Street Blues | Derelict | Recurring cast (season 5) | |
| The Twilight Zone | Jake | Episode: "Dealer's Choice" | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Asam Ali Shamba | Episode: "The Wrong Way Home" | |
| Pound Puppies | Chief Williams | Voice, television film | |
| 1986 | The Love Boat | Gary Samuels | Episode: "The Will / Déjà Vu/ The Prediction" |
| New Love, American Style | — | Episode: "Love and the Teddy" | |
| 1986–89 | Hunter | Arnold "Sporty" James | Guest (season 2); Recurring cast (season 3-5) |
| 1987 | 227 | Bob Winslow | Episode: "The Working Game" |
| 1987–89 | Married... with Children | Russ | 2 episodes |
| 1988 | Who's the Boss? | Officer Audette | Episode: "Sam's Car" |
| 1991 | Earth Angel | Joey | Television film |
| 1991–92 | Roc | Wiz | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| 1992 | Maid for Each Other | Harold Brown | Television film |
| 1992–95 | Martin | Stan Winters | Main cast (season 1–2); Guest (season 3) |
| 1993 | Daddy Dearest | Stan | Episode: "American We" |
| 1994 | ER | Edgar Luck | Episode: "ER Confidential" |
| 1995 | The Wayans Bros. | Uncle Leon / Himself | 2 episodes |
| Minor Adjustments | Willie | Episode: "The Ex-Files" | |
| Cleghorne! | Sidney Carlson | Main cast | |
| 1996–2001 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Uncle Junior King | Main cast |
| 1997 | Buzzard | Voice, episode: "Pinocchio" | |
| Boston Common | Sammy Sutherland | Episode: "I.D. Endow" | |
| 1998 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | Himself | Episode: "Cahill" |
| 1999 | G vs E | Kentucky McQuaid | Episode: "Sunday Night Evil" |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Dr. Frank Hollister | Episode: "Prototype" |
| Static Shock | Preacher | Voice, episode: "Child's Play" | |
| Little Richard | Carl Rainey | Television film | |
| 2001 | Justice League | Al McGee | Voice, episode: "In Blackest Night" Pt. 1 |
| According to Jim | Lewis | Episode: "The Turkey Bowl" | |
| The Hughleys | Father Roberts | Episode: "I'm Dreaming of a Slight Christmas" | |
| 2003 | Maniac Magee | Mr. Cobble | Television film |
| 2005 | Noah's Arc | Rev. Allen | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | All of Us | Uncle Cyrus | Episode: "Neesee's Grave Plot" |
| Family Guy | Himself | Episode: "Barely Legal" | |
| 2007 | Halfway Home | Jimmy the Mailman | Episode: "Halfway Impotent" |
| Frangela | Dave | Television film | |
| 2011 | Shameless | Old Priest | Episode: "Three Boys" |
| 2011–17 | 2 Broke Girls | Earl Washington | Main cast |
| 2013 | Psych | Clizby | Episode: "100 Clues" |
| 2017 | Rhett & Link's Buddy System | Ignatius | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2018 | MacGyver | Willy | Episode: "Mardi Gras Beads + Chair" |
| Scandal | Hector | Episode: "Army of One" | |
| Knight Squad | Old Fizzwick | Episode: "Working on the Knight Moves" | |
| This Is Us | Lloyd | Recurring cast (season 2); Guest (season 3) | |
| 2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Deacon Jones | Episode: "Why Are Her Pies Wet, Lord?" |
| 2020 | Family Reunion | Grand Sensei Shandu | Episode: "Remember When Shaka Got Beat Up?" |
| Station 19 | Earl Davis | Episode: "Poor Wandering One" | |
| Self Made | Cleophus Walker | Main cast | |
| 2021 | Fairfax | Albert | Voice role; Episode: "Fairfolks" |
| Grand Crew | Narrator | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2023 | How I Met Your Father | Julian | Episode: "Midwife Crisis" |
| 2025 | The Neighborhood | Jasper | Episode: "Welcome to the Yippedy-Dip" |
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