Greg Morris - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Morris began his acting career in the 1960s making guest appearances on many TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Ben Casey. In 1966, he was cast in his most recognizable role as the electronics expert Barney Collier in the TV series Mission: Impossible. Morris, Peter Lupus and Bob Johnson were the only actors to remain with the series throughout its entire run.

While in college, Morris was active in theater and hosted the late afternoon Jazz radio show, "Tea-Time," on the University of Iowa's station, WSUI. He co-produced concerts at the university with a student friend.

After Iowa, Greg's first professional stage role was in The Death of Bessie Smith. One of his earliest television roles was a cameo appearance on The Dick Van Dyke Show, when Rob and Laura think they've gotten the wrong baby from the hospital. In the 1963–1964 season, he appeared on ABC's drama about college life, Channing, starring Jason Evers and Henry Jones.

After Mission: Impossible was cancelled, Morris appeared in movies and made guest TV appearances before he was cast as Lt. David Nelson during the second season of the TV series Vega$. After the cancellation of the series in 1981, Morris continued to make guest TV appearances in the next decade, including a few episodes in the short-lived 1980s remake of the Mission: Impossible TV series, which starred his son Phil Morris, who was cast as Grant Collier, the son of Barney. He also appeared in a couple of episodes of the TV series What's Happening!! as Lawrence Nelson (father of Dwayne) and in three episodes of The Jeffersons, in which he reprised his role of an electronics expert (although not as Barney Collier) in a quasi-spoof of the Mission: Impossible series. Morris was also a frequent guest star on "Password" and "Password Plus" in the 1960's & 70's.