Lamorne Morris
Morris at the 2022WonderCon
Born	(1983-08-14)August 14, 1983 (age 42) Chicago,Illinois, U.S.
Occupations	Actor comedian
Years active	2002–present
Children	1[1]

Lamorne Morris (born August 14, 1983) is an American actor and comedian. He has played the roles ofWinston Bishop in theFox sitcomNew Girl (2011–2018), Daniel inCall Me Kat, Darrin Morris in theNational Geographic docudramaValley of the Boom (2019), about the 90s tech boom, cartoonist Keef Knight in theHulu comedyWoke (2020–2022),^[2] and North Dakota State Trooper Whitley "Witt" Farr in thefifth season ofFargo, for which he won aPrimetime Emmy Award.^[3] He has also had supporting roles in the filmsBarbershop: The Next Cut (2016),Game Night (2018),Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), andYesterday (2019).

Morris grew up on the South Side of Chicago. As a teenager he moved to the western suburb ofGlen Ellyn, where he attendedGlenbard South High School. Attorney and political candidateQasim Rashid was a classmate of his.^[4][5] His mother worked for theUnited States Postal Service.^[6] He also has a brother, Devon.^[7] Before he discovered acting, Morris was a class clown who would frequently be sent to detention.^[8]

Morris graduated from theCollege of DuPage in 2003 where he studied theatre and received theChris Farley Memorial Acting Scholarship.^[9] He also attended the Second City Training Center, and was a member of Second City's Outreach And Diversity Ensemble. While studying at Second City, Morris worked as a server at Ed Debevic's, a retro-themed diner where the servers act rude to the diners.^[8]

Morris appeared in commercials forState Farm Insurance,Taco Bell,Twix,Miller Lite,Las Vegas,7 Up, Edge,Sears,Microsoft Windows,Chili's,McDonald's,Ford, and Hornitos Tequila. In 2019, he became the spokesperson for the Canadian-basedBank of Montreal and the Chicago-based Bank of Montreal subsidiaryBMO Harris Bank.^[5]

Morris started out as an on-air personality forBET, hostingHotWyred, an interactive tech and gaming show as well as the daily music and entertainment news showBET Now in addition to other appearances. Morris also hosted the game showBrainRush onCartoon Network as part of CN Real.^[9]

Morris's breakthrough came when he was cast as Winston Bishop in the comedy seriesNew Girl onFox (2011–2018).^[10] Morris did not appear until the second episode^[11] - originally,Damon Wayans Jr. was a member of the cast, in the role of Coach. However, Wayans's other comedy series,Happy Endings, had already been picked up for a second season on rival networkABC. The producers ofNew Girl initially planned to recast Wayans's role,^[12] but later decided not to recast and instead wrote his character out in the second episode. Morris cowrote the season 4 episode "Par 5" and directed the final season episode in which Winston reconnects with his dad, played byJ.B. Smoove.^[13][6]

In November 2018 it was announced that Morris would be starring in a half-hoursitcom,Woke, based on cartoonistKeith Knight's autobiographical comic stripThe K Chronicles onHulu.^[14] It ran for two seasons, released in 2020 and 2022, and was canceled in June 2022.^[15]

Morris has also appeared in the filmsBarbershop: The Next Cut (2016),Game Night (2018),The Christmas Chronicles (2018),Jumanji: The Next Level (2019),Yesterday (2019),Bloodshot (2020), andDesperados (2020).

During theCOVID-19 lockdown, Morris co-created and starred in the scripted action-comedy podcastUnwanted for QCODE. The 8-episode series revolves around a pair of slackers who attempt to capture an escaped murderer hiding in their town for a million-dollar reward.^[16]

In April 2021, it was announced that Morris would co-star in an Indie horror film titledNight Shift, alongsidePhoebe Tonkin andMadison Hu. The film will be directed by Paul and Benjamin China.^[17]

He began cohostingWelcome to Our Show, aNew Girlrewatch podcast with co-starsHannah Simone andZooey Deschanel, distributed byIHeartRadio, in January 2022.^[18] In 2022, he was cast as North Dakota State Trooper Whitley "Witt" Farr in thefifth season of theFXblack comedy-crime dramaanthology seriesFargo, which premiered in November 2023 and concluded in January 2024. For his performance he won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.^[19]

In July 2024, it was announced Morris was set to playRobbie Robertson in the upcomingSpider-Noir television show onAmazon Prime Video.^[20] Filming is set to begin in September 2024 inLos Angeles.^[21]

ComedianGarrett Morris (no relation), whom Morris played inSaturday Night, has had a big impact on his career path as an entertainer.^[22] Morris is a baseball, basketball, and bowling fan. He supports semi-retired professional bowlerPete Weber and theChicago White Sox. Morris has also stated that every room in his house has something to do with basketball.^[23]

• Lamorne Morris atIMDb

• 1983 births
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century American comedians
• 21st-century American male actors
• African-American male comedians
• African-American comedians
• African-American television personalities
• American game show hosts
• American male comedians
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• American male voice actors
• College of DuPage alumni
• Comedians from Chicago
• Living people
• Male actors from Chicago
• Male actors from Glen Ellyn, Illinois
• Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners

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