James W. Morrison

Who was James W. Morrison?

James W. Morrison was an American actor. He appeared in 187 films between 1911 and 1927.

He was born in Mattoon, Illinois, USA, on November 15, 1888. He went to the University of Chicago and then the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Vitagraph Studios then hired him for a salary of $25 a week, and he debuted in a 30-minute film of A Tales of Two Cities released by Vitagraph in February 1911. Morrison was one of the primary actors of Vitagraph from 1911-16.

In 1916, Morrison signed a contract with Ivan Abramson's Ivan Film Productions, appearing in seven Ivan melodramas from 1916 and 1918, starting with 1916's The Sex Lure. Enlighten Thy Daughter was the most popular of these films. In 1918, Morrison appeared in Vitagraph's Over the Top, which Morrison later said was one of his favorite films. Morrison continued to play roles into the 1920s, last acting in 1926.

He later published two novels, Road End and April Luck. He taught speech and drama classes at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn for many years.

Morrison died in New York, New York on November 15, 1974.