--- name: "Chester Morris" canonical: "https://film.one/person/chester-morris" roles: ["Actor"] born: "16 February 1901" died: "11 September 1970" reviewed_on_fi1m: 1 average_as: "actor" average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-19T21:38:13.124434+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Chester Morris Actor. Born 16 February 1901 in New York City, New York, USA. Died 11 September 1970. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 16 February 1901, New York City, New York, USA - **Died:** 11 September 1970 - **Also known as:** John Chester Brooks Morris - **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Morris, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q983420, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0606431/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34754 ## Streaming the US now - **Tubi:** [*The Big House*](https://film.one/film/the-big-house.md) (78) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Chester Morris > Chester Morris's gift was doing less than everyone around him. In *The Big House* his stillness is what makes Wallace Beery look enormous. Hollywood spent the next two decades finding smaller and smaller uses for it. In *The Big House* (1930), three men share a cell: a murderer, a frightened rich boy and a forger, and the forger is the one you stop watching. That is the performance. Wallace Beery's Butch fills every doorway George W. Hill puts him in. Robert Montgomery's Kent is the weak one and does not hide it. Chester Morris's Morgan keeps his head down and his voice level, and the film uses him as the fixed point the other two are measured against. Take him out and Beery is just loud. Morris came to sound pictures from the stage, where he had been working since he was fifteen, and *Alibi* (1929), his first talkie, put him where the studios would keep him: a gangster, square-jawed and slicked back. *The Big House* made him a leading man. For a few years he was the hard man in pre-Code pictures opposite the big female stars, Jean Harlow among them in *Red-Headed Woman* (1932). Then, by the mid-1930s, the parts got smaller and the pictures cheaper; *Five Came Back* (1939) came out of that stretch. After it came Boston Blackie, fourteen films between 1941 and 1949, which paid the bills and fixed the label. He spent the rest of his working life mostly on stage and in television. The standard complaint is that he had none of the wit of Cagney or Powell in the same sort of role. This is true and it is not quite the point. Morris did not do sparkle; he did the man who has already worked out the odds and is waiting to see whether anyone else has. He knew it about himself. "Anybody can play nice boys," he said of a stage part, and his screen career is largely a record of him declining to. The trouble is that Hollywood had one use for a quiet hard man in 1930 and a cheaper one by 1940. We felt his limits most sharply in *The Big House* itself, in the scenes outside the walls with Leila Hyams, where the script orders a romance and the two of them obey it. Morris is patient and courteous and there is nothing between him and Hyams that the script did not put there, and for a quarter of an hour we were faintly embarrassed on his behalf, a good actor being polite to a story he had no part in. Put him back in the mess hall and he is fine again. He needed a room with pressure in it. If you know the name at all it is probably from the Blackie films, and that is the wrong door. Start in the cell block, with the man who is not talking, and notice how much of the film is arranged around his silence. Then decide whether fourteen detective pictures were the right thing to do with it. ## Biography Chester Morris (born John Chester Brooks Morris) was an American stage, film, television and radio actor. He made his Broadway debut in 1918 and transitioned to sound films with the 1929 crime drama *Alibi*, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Morris appeared in several notable early sound films, including *The Divorcee* (1930) and *The Big House* (1930), in which he played John Morgan. He is best remembered for portraying the criminal-turned-detective Boston Blackie in a series of fourteen films released by Columbia Pictures between 1941 and 1949. He continued working in television and occasional films until his death in 1970. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (1) - *The Big House* (1930), Fi1m 78, as John Morgan — [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-house.md) ## Complete filmography (107) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *The Great White Hope* (1970), as Pop Weaver - *Cimarron Strip* (1967), series, Actor - *The Big Parade of Comedy* (1964), as Jimmie Burnham in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage) - *Kraft Suspense Theatre* (1963), series, as Blaine Davis - *Espionage* (1963), series, as Harry Kemp - *Ben Casey* (1961), series, Actor - *Dr. Kildare* (1961), series, as Tom Monahan - *A String of Beads* (1961), as Walter Harmon - *Route 66* (1960), series, as Mr. Hull, Emmett McNeill - *Checkmate* (1960), series, as Albert DeWitt - *Diagnosis: Unknown* (1960), series, Actor - *The Computer Comes to Marketing* (1960), as Oscar - *Play of the Week* (1959), series, as Swanson - *Rawhide* (1959), series, as Hugh Clements - *Pursuit* (1958), series, as Moody - *Naked City* (1958), series, as Frank Manfred - *Child of Trouble* (1957), as Warden - *Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre* (1956), series, as Frank Simmons - *The She-Creature* (1956), as Dr. Carlo Lombardi - *Unchained* (1955), as Kenyon Scudder - *Gang Busters* (1952), series, as Host - *Schlitz Playhouse of Stars* (1951), series, as The Dansker - *Tales of Tomorrow* (1951), series, Actor - *Lux Video Theatre* (1950), series, as Lefty - *Cameo Theatre* (1950), series, as Merlini - *Robert Montgomery Presents* (1950), series, as Col. Bobo Nolan - *Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture* (1949), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *Suspense* (1949), series, as Edwards - *Studio One* (1948), series, as Jack Feeney, Jack Sparling, Sam Benson, Warden Garry - *Trapped by Boston Blackie* (1948), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *Blind Spot* (1947), as Jeffrey Andrews - *Boston Blackie and the Law* (1946), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *The Phantom Thief* (1946), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *Miss Susie Slagle's* (1946), as Paul (uncredited) - *A Close Call for Boston Blackie* (1946), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black / Cyrus Peyton - *One Way to Love* (1946), as Barry Cole - *Boston Blackie's Rendezvous* (1945), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion* (1945), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *Rough, Tough and Ready* (1945), as Brad Crowder - *Double Exposure* (1944), as Larry Burke - *One Mysterious Night* (1944), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *Secret Command* (1944), as Jeff Gallagher - *Gambler's Choice* (1944), as Ross Hadley - *The Chance of a Lifetime* (1943), as Horatio 'Boston Blackie' Black - *Tornado* (1943), as Pete Ramsey - *High Explosive* (1943), as Buzz Mitchell - *Aerial Gunner* (1943), as Foxy Pattis - *After Midnight with Boston Blackie* (1943), as Boston Blackie - *Wrecking Crew* (1942), as Duke Mason - *Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood* (1942), as Boston Blackie - *I Live on Danger* (1942), as Jeff Morrell - *Alias Boston Blackie* (1942), as Boston Blackie - *Canal Zone* (1942), as 'Hardtack' Hamilton - *Confessions of Boston Blackie* (1941), as Boston Blackie - *No Hands on the Clock* (1941), as Detective Humphrey Campbell - *Meet Boston Blackie* (1941), as Boston Blackie - *Girl from God's Country* (1940), as Jim Holden / Dr. Gary Currier - *Wagons Westward* (1940), as David Cook / Tom Cook - *The Marines Fly High* (1940), as Lt. Jim Malone - *Thunder Afloat* (1939), as 'Rocky' Blake - *Five Came Back* (1939), as Bill Brooks - *Blind Alley* (1939), as Hal Wilson - *Pacific Liner* (1939), as Doctor Craig - *Smashing the Rackets* (1938), as Jim "Socker" Conway - *Sky Giant* (1938), as Kenneth 'Ken' Stockton - *Law of the Underworld* (1938), as Gene Fillmore - *Sunday Night at the Trocadero* (1937), as Chester Morris - *Flight from Glory* (1937), as Paul Smith - *I Promise to Pay* (1937), as Eddie Lang - *Devil's Playground* (1937), as Robert Mason - *They Met in a Taxi* (1936), as Jimmy Donlin - *Counterfeit* (1936), as John Joseph Madden - *Frankie and Johnnie* (1936), as Johnnie Drew - *Moonlight Murder* (1936), as Steve Farrell - *Three Godfathers* (1936), as Robert 'Bob' Sangster - *Pirate Party on Catalina Isle* (1935), as Pirate Captain (uncredited) - *Pursuit* (1935), as Mitch Mitchell - *Public Hero Number 1* (1935), as Jeff Crane - *Princess O'Hara* (1935), as Vic Toledo - *I've Been Around* (1935), as Eric Foster - *Society Doctor* (1935), as Dr. Morgan - *The Gay Bride* (1934), as Jimmie 'Office Boy' Burnham - *Gift of Gab* (1934), as Doyle - *Embarrassing Moments* (1934), as Jerry Randolph - *Let's Talk It Over* (1934), as Mike McGann - *King for a Night* (1933), as Bud Williams - *Golden Harvest* (1933), as Chris Martin - *Tomorrow at Seven* (1933), as Neil Broderick - *Infernal Machine* (1933), as Robert Holden - *Blondie Johnson* (1933), as R. Burton "Danny" Jones - *Breach of Promise* (1932), as James Pomeroy - *Red-Headed Woman* (1932), as William 'Bill' / 'Willie' Legendre Jr. - *Sinners in the Sun* (1932), as Jimmie Martin - *The Miracle Man* (1932), as John 'Doc' Madison - *Cock of the Air* (1932), as Lt. Roger Craig - *Corsair* (1931), as John Hawks - *The Bat Whispers* (1930), as Detective Anderson - *The Big House* (1930), as John Morgan — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-house.md) - *The Divorcee* (1930), as Ted - *The Case of Sergeant Grischa* (1930), as Sergeant Grischa - *She Couldn't Say No* (1930), as Jerry Casey - *Playing Around* (1930), as Nickey Solomon - *Second Choice* (1930), as Don Warren - *The Show of Shows* (1929), as Performer in $20 Bet Sketch and 'Bicycle Built for Two' Numbers - *Woman Trap* (1929), as Ray Malone - *Fast Life* (1929), as Paul Palmer - *Alibi* (1929), as Chick Williams ## Gallery - ![Chester Morris, film actor. From the back: "Chester Morris, star of 'Alibi,' Roland West's all-talking picture, will be heard in radio version of this underworl (1929)](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-2514a2f03333.jpg) Chester Morris, film actor. From the back: "Chester Morris, star of 'Alibi,' Roland West's all-talking picture, will be heard in radio version of this underworl (1929) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Chester_Morris%2C_film_actor_%28SAYRE_7181%29.jpg/1280px-Chester_Morris%2C_film_actor_%28SAYRE_7181%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chester Morris (1934)](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-8884504db708.jpg) Chester Morris (1934) — Picturegoer Magazine, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Chester_Morris_pg234.jpg/1280px-Chester_Morris_pg234.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chester Morris](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-124d67cd1ee5.jpg) Chester Morris — Film screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Chester_Morris_in_Corsair.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Still from the American drama film Alibi (1929). Subjects (LCTGM): motion pictures, actors, actresses](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-85dbb8445ff0.jpg) Still from the American drama film Alibi (1929). Subjects (LCTGM): motion pictures, actors, actresses — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Alibi_%28SAYRE_15779%29.jpg/1280px-Alibi_%28SAYRE_15779%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chester Morris](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-d65e25c57a32.jpg) Chester Morris — Image via TMDB - ![Chester Morris](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-873111ba70ba.jpg) Chester Morris — Image via TMDB - ![Chester Morris](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-bf1ccd7d8248.jpg) Chester Morris — Image via TMDB - ![Still from the American drama film The Case of Sergeant Grischa (1930). Subjects (LCTGM): motion pictures, actors](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-2881b0aa6745.jpg) Still from the American drama film The Case of Sergeant Grischa (1930). Subjects (LCTGM): motion pictures, actors — Unknown photographerUnknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9d/Case_of_Sergeant_Grischa_%28SAYRE_15813%29.jpg/1280px-Case_of_Sergeant_Grischa_%28SAYRE_15813%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chester Morris and Norma Shearer as Ted Martin and Jerry Martin in the American drama film The Divorcee (1930).](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-9c3f690aad89.jpg) Chester Morris and Norma Shearer as Ted Martin and Jerry Martin in the American drama film The Divorcee (1930). — Robert Z. Leonard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Chester_Morris_and_Norma_Shearer_in_The_Divorcee_%281930%29.jpg/1280px-Chester_Morris_and_Norma_Shearer_in_The_Divorcee_%281930%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Chester Morris](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-70c932d38718.jpg) Chester Morris — Image via TMDB - ![Chester Morris](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-beb29af48a40.jpg) Chester Morris — Image via TMDB - ![Chester Morris](https://film.one/media/person/1224802/gallery-463c24a102be.jpg) Chester Morris — Image via TMDB ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated - 1929: Best Actor (nominated), for *Alibi* *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/chester-morris