Heather Morris: Difference between revisions
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| birth_name = Heather Elizabeth Morris |
| birth_name = Heather Elizabeth Morris |
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| caption = Morris at the [[San Diego Comic-Con International]] in July 2010. |
| caption = Morris at the [[San Diego Comic-Con International]] in July 2010. |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age| |
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|2|1}} |
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| birth_place = [[Thousand Oaks, California]], U.S. |
| birth_place = [[Thousand Oaks, California]], U.S. |
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| occupation = Dancer, actress, singer |
| occupation = Dancer, actress, singer |
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Revision as of 23:55, 10 June 2011
- For the voice actress, see Heather Morris (voice actress).
Heather Morris | |
|---|---|
 Morris at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010. | |
| Born | Heather Elizabeth Morris February 1, 1987 |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, actress, singer |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Heather Elizabeth Morris (born February 1, 1987) is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her role as the cheerleader Brittany S. Pierce in the musical comedy series Glee.
Early life
Morris was born in Thousand Oaks, California and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. She began dancing at the age of one.[1][2] Morris competed at a young age in a variety of styles including jazz, tap, and contemporary. Heather is of Scottish heritage on her father's side.[citation needed] Morris's father died when she was 14 years old. "It's something that is hard for me, because I'm sad about it, but I don't dwell on it," she said during an interview workshop with students in December 2009. "I know he's in a better place, instead of suffering." [3] After graduating high school, Morris decided to enroll in a local university but realized she was in the wrong place so she moved to L.A. instead at age 19.[4]
Career
Morris' first significant appearance was in 2006 on So You Think You Can Dance Season 2 where she made the "green mile" but failed to make the final 20 by a vote of 3-2.[5]
Not discouraged, Morris moved to Los Angeles and actively pursued a career in dancing. Her big break came in 2007 via Beyoncé. Morris was one of Beyoncé's backup dancers on The Beyoncé Experience world tour and, following that, worked again with Beyoncé on a mini "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" promotional tour that included 2008 performances on the American Music Awards,[6] Saturday Night Live,[7] The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Today,[7] and MTV's Total Request Live Finale. She also danced backup for Beyoncé and Tina Turner at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.[8][9] She later appeared in a small role in the movie Fired Up, where she met choreographer Zach Woodlee. Following that film, Woodlee brought Morris in to dance on other shows he was choreographing, including episodes of Eli Stone and Swingtown, the movie Bedtime Stories, and eventually Glee.[2]
Morris was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was asked by Woodlee to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance to the Glee actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany.[7] Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liners.[10] Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post opined that Morris has "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now"[11] and the LA Times wrote of having a "...comedy crush on Morris, who plays the galactically dim Glee Club cheerleader Brittany".[12]
When a promotional clip for the episode "Sectionals" indicated that Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, writing for lesbian entertainment website After Ellen, praised the pairing, referring to them by the portmanteau "Brittana".[13] Snarker called the two her "new favorite Glee pairing", commenting that: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they've made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel — I'm on Team Brittana now."[13]
Due to the positive response to her character, Morris was promoted to official series regular status during season two.[14] She was at the center of the second episode, "Britney/Brittany", (a tribute to Britney Spears) where she made her singing debut covering Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U" solo and dueting with Naya Rivera on "Me Against the Music". As on Glee, Morris is best friends in real life with co-star Rivera.[15]
In December 2010, Morris was named the Celebrity Style Ambassador for FLIRT! Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder cosmetics line.[16]
Morris co-wrote and appeared in a January 2011 video for Funny or Die, "Nuthin' But A Glee Thang," a take-off of the Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg collaboration "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang". Co-written with actresses Ashley Lendzion and Riki Lindhome, the video features appearances from Modern Family's Sofia Vergara and Morris's Glee castmates Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Harry Shum, Jr., and Naya Rivera.[17]
Filmography
| Music Video appearances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Artist | Song Title | Notes |
| 2008 | An-Ya | Nightlife[18] | Dancer |
| 2008 | The White Tie Affair | Candle (Sick and Tired)[19] | Also the Short Film Uncensored.[20] |
| 2008 | Hit the Lights | Drop the Girl[21] | |
| Film appearances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Bedtime Stories | Dancer | Uncredited, Cat dancer |
| 2009 | Fired Up! | Fiona | Also uncredited tumbler/body double |
| Television appearances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | The Beyoncé Experience | Dancer | DVD: The Beyoncé Experience Live |
| 2008 | Swingtown | Dancer | Uncredited, Episode: "Get Down Tonight" |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Dancer | Uncredited, Episodes: "The Path" and "The Humanitarian" |
| 2009- present |
Glee | Brittany Pierce | Season 1 – 21 Episodes: "Showmance" onwards Season 2 – Series Regular Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
| 2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Suit Dancer | Uncredited, Episode: "Girls Versus Suits" |
Discography
References
- ^ "Star from Hit TV Show Visits Good Morning WNY". WKBW. December 31, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ a b http://www.dancespirit.com/articles/2583
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=745VGuMX9Ww
- ^ Erin Balser and Suzanne Gardner. "Don't Stop Believin': The Unofficial Guide to Glee." ECW Press. 2010
- ^ "So You Think You Can Dance 2, June 8: Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas". Reality News Online. September 6, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Beyonce "Single Ladies" American Music Awards
- ^ a b c "Young Entertainers Get a Taste of Hollywood". My Buffalo. December 31, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ Beyonce - Tina Turner - Introduction Performance (Grammy 2008)
- ^ Tina Turner & Beyonce - Proud Mary (Grammy 2008)
- ^ http://scrippsnews.com/content/tv-heather-morris-has-become-reliable-comic-voice-glee
- ^ Wieselman, Jarrett (November 19, 2009). "'Glee's' secret weapon". New York Post. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
- ^ "Underrated / Overrated". The Los Angeles Times. April 25, 2010.
- ^ a b Snarker, Dorothy (December 7, 2009). ""Glee" spoils us with an unexpected coupling". After Ellen. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
- ^ http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/04/27/glee-promotes-brittany-santana/
- ^ "Glee's Summer Fun". OK! US edition. Northern & Shell North America. July 19, 2010. pp. 50–51. issue #29.
- ^ 'Glee's' Heather Morris will FLIRT! with cosmetics line
- ^ http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/a73c447356/nuthin-but-a-glee-thang-with-heather-morris-matthew-morrison-sofia-vergara?playlist=featured_videos
- ^ An-Ya "Nightlife"
- ^ The White Tie Affair "Candle (Sick And Tired) TRL Cut"
- ^ The White Tie Affair "Short Film Uncensored"
- ^ Hit the Lights "Drop the Girl"
External links
- Living people
- American television actors
- American film actors
- Actors from California
- American female singers
- Singers from California
- 1987 births
- So You Think You Can Dance contestants
- American dancers
- California dance occupations
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Musicians from Arizona
- Actors from Arizona