David Morrissey | |
|---|---|
 Morrissey in May 2015 | |
| Born | David Mark Joseph Morrissey (1964-06-21)21 June 1964 (age 61) Liverpool, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He had numerous small roles in films and television series throughout the 1990s before achieving wider recognition for playingGordon Brown inThe Deal (2003), Stephen Collins inState of Play (2003),The Governor in thethird, andfourth seasons ofThe Walking Dead (2012–2015), and DCS Ian St Clair inSherwood (2022–present). He has also acted extensively on stage with companies such as theRoyal Shakespeare Company andRoyal National Theatre.
Morrissey has directed short films and the television dramasSweet Revenge (2001) andPasser By (2004). His feature-lengthdirectorial debut, the television filmDon't Worry About Me (2010), premiered onBBC Two. He was nominated for theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actor forState of Play and won a Best Actor award from theRoyal Television Society forThe Deal. He was awarded anhonorary doctorate byEdge Hill University in 2016.
David Mark Joseph Morrissey[1] was born in theKensington area of Liverpool on 21 June 1964,[2] the son ofLittlewoods employee Joan and cobbler Joe Morrissey.[3][4] He has two older brothers named Tony and Paul, and an older sister named Karen.[5][6] The family lived at 45 Seldon Street in Kensington. Decades later, as part ofNational Museums Liverpool's Eight Hundred Lives project, Morrissey wrote that the house had been in his family since at least 1900; his grandmother had been married there and his mother was born there. In 1971, the family moved to a larger and more modern house on the new estates atKnotty Ash, while Seldon Street was later demolished.[7][dead link]
Morrissey was greatly interested in film, television, andGene Kelly musicals as a child.[8] He decided to become an actor after seeing a broadcast ofKes on television.[9] At St Margaret Mary's Primary School, he was encouraged by a teacher named Miss Keller, who cast him as theScarecrow in a school production ofThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz when he was 11 years old. Keller left the school soon after, leaving him without encouragement.[10][11] His secondary school,De La Salle School, had no drama classes and made him think that the fear of bullying often dissuaded pupils from participating in lessons.[3][12] On the advice of a cousin, he joined theEveryman Youth Theatre. For the first couple of weeks, he was quite shy and did not join in with the workshops. When he eventually participated, he ended up appearing in their production ofFighting Chance, a play about the1981 riots in Liverpool.[11]
By the age of 14, Morrissey was one of two youth theatre members who sat on the board of the Everyman Theatre.[13] His contemporaries includedCathy Tyson, brothersMark andStephen McGann, andIan Hart, the last being his friend since they were both five years old. He became friends with the McGann brothers and they introduced him to their brotherPaul, who was on a break from his studies at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).[14][15] When he was 15 years old, his father developed a terminal blood disorder, and was ill for some time before dying of a haemorrhage at the age of 54 in the family home.[3][4][16] After leaving school at the age of 16, Morrissey moved toWolverhampton to join a theatre company there, where he worked on sets and costumes.[17]
In 1982, Morrissey auditioned forOne Summer, a television series byWilly Russell forYorkshire Television andChannel 4 about two Liverpool boys who run away toWales one summer. Russell had been attached to the Everyman for many years, and Morrissey had seen him while he was working behind the bar downstairs from the theatre, though the two had never been introduced.[11] Morrissey went to at least eight auditions, and in one read for the part of Icky oppositePaul McGann, who was reading for Billy. McGann, five years older than Morrissey, believed that he was too old to be playing the part of 16-year-old Billy and stepped back from the production, leaving the role to go to Morrissey.Spencer Leigh got the part of Icky and Ian Hart played the supporting role of Rabbit. Russell had a professional disagreement with the directorGordon Flemyng and producerKeith Richardson over the casting of 18-year-old Morrissey and Leigh; he believed that the sympathy of 16-year-olds running away was lost by casting older actors. Russell subsequently had his name removed from the credits of the original broadcast.[11][18] After filmingOne Summer for five months, Morrissey went travelling inKenya with his cousins. When he returned to Britain,One Summer was being broadcast, and he dealt with the new experience of being recognised in public.[11]
Morrissey had planned to study at RADA in London, but his colleagues at the Everyman encouraged him not to as he already had hisEquity card. HisOne Summer co-starJames Hazeldine convinced him otherwise, and he went to London for a year. He became homesick while there and did not enjoy the way RADA was turning him into a "bland actor".[14] On a visit back to Liverpool he toldPaul McGann's mother that he was considering leaving the college. Back in London, McGann met with him and reassured him that he had been through the same homesickness phase when he first went to RADA. Morrissey continued his studies at RADA and graduated on 1 December 1985.[15][19]
After a year at RADA, Morrissey went back to Liverpool to perform inWCPC at theLiverpool Playhouse.[11] He then didLe Cid andTwelfth Night withCheek by Jowl, and spent two years with theRoyal Shakespeare Company (RSC), principally with directorDeborah Warner for whom he played the Bastard inKing John in 1988. He saw the role as a learning opportunity, as he had often wondered at RADA if he would ever have the chance to act in classical theatre.[11] His performance has been described as "the most contentious characterisation of the production"; he received negative critical reaction fromThe Daily Telegraph andIndependent critics, but a positive opinion from theFinancial Times.[20] InThe Guardian,Nicholas de Jongh wrote, "The Bastard, who has the most complex syntax in early Shakespeare, half defeats David Morrissey. His slurred, sometimes unintelligible diction helps to deflate the Bastard, but his bawling rhetoric strikes as mere sham rather than fierce plain speaking."[21] Morrissey also spent time with theNational, where he played the title role inPeer Gynt (1990).[22]Michael Billington praised the unkempt energy of his performance.[23] During this time, he lived on the housing estate inWhite City, where he and his flatmates were the frequent victims of burglars.[24][25]
Morrissey's second television role came in 1987 when he played the 18-year-old chauffeur George Bowman, whose obsession with his employer and loverAlma Rattenbury (Helen Mirren) leads him to murder her husband, in anAnglia Television adaptation ofTerence Rattigan's playCause Célèbre.[26] At the end of the 1980s, Morrissey met directorJohn Madden for the first time. Madden was looking for an actor who could portray an ordinary man who turns out to be a mass murderer, in his filmThe Widowmaker (1990). He knew Morrissey was right for the part in his first audition.[11] The next year, Morrissey appeared asTheseus in an episode ofThe Storyteller directed by Madden ("Theseus and the Minotaur", 1991), and asLittle John inRobin Hood (1991).[27]Robin Hood's cinema release clashed with that ofRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). The latter, starringKevin Costner in the title role, was a box office hit and left Morrissey's version forgotten. Morrissey was out of work in film and television for eight months after it was released. Eventually, he was cast in a leading role as a CID officer in the BBC television dramaClubland (1991). He almost lost the role a week into rehearsals when his appendix ruptured. In order to keep the part, and a flat inCrouch End he had just bought, Morrissey performed while he still had his stitches in.[24]
His role inThe Widowmaker led to him being offered and taking many obsessive character roles; he played police officers inBlack and Blue,Framed,Between the Lines andOut of the Blue, and soldierAndy McNab inThe One That Got Away (1996).[8][11] Morrissey first met screenwriterPeter Bowker when he played Detective Sergeant Jim Llewyn in the second series of Bowker'sOut of the Blue.[28] In 1994, he played customs officer Gerry Birch in the first series ofThe Knock, and Stephen Finney in the six-part ITV seriesFinney. InFinney, Morrissey assumed the role originated bySting inStormy Monday (Mike Figgis, 1988). He was the first choice for the part and had to learn to play thedouble bass.[29]
Morrissey made his first appearance in aTony Marchant drama playing Michael Ride inInto the Fire (1996), and the following year played the lead role of Shaun Southerns in Marchant's BBC seriesHolding On (1997).[11] Southerns, a crooked tax inspector, was the first of many "men in turmoil" roles for Morrissey, and it earned him a nomination for theRoyal Television Society (RTS) Programme Award for Best Male Actor the next year.[22][30] In 1998, he appeared inOur Mutual Friend alongside Paul McGann. As he was a fan ofthe book, Morrissey asked directorJulian Farino if he could play Eugene Wrayburn, but the role went to McGann. Farino had Morrissey in mind to play schoolmaster Bradley Headstone, a part Morrissey was reluctant to take until he read the script. He studied the role and decided to take it on the basis that the character was unloved and that his motivation by social class causes his mental health problems.[22] His performance was described by a writer forThe Guardian as bringing "unprecedented depth to a character [...] who is more commonly portrayed as just another horrible Dickens git."[14] In the same year, he playedChristopher "Kiffer" Finzi inAnand Tucker'sHilary and Jackie. His roles inOur Mutual Friend andHilary and Jackie were described as his breakthrough roles byZoe Williams ofThe Guardian.[14]
In 1999, Morrissey returned to the theatre for the first and last time in nine years to play Pip and Theo inThree Days of Rain (Robin Lefevre,Donmar Warehouse). He continued to take in offers for stage roles, but turned them down because he did not want to be away from his family for long periods.[31] Writing inTime Out, Jane Edwardes suggested that his role as Kiffer inHilary and Jackie had inspired his casting as Pip inThree Days of Rain as the characters have similarities with each other. Morrissey was attracted to the role because the play began with a long speech and the cast and crew had only two weeks' rehearsal time.[32] Next, he starred inSome Voices (2000), playing Pete. Morrissey researched the character of Pete, a chef, by shadowing the head chef at the Terrace Restaurant inKensington, London and chopping vegetables in the kitchen for two hours a day.[11] AnIndependent critic called him "an instinctive actor who can use his whole body to convey an inner turbulence".[33] For his next film role asNazi Captain Weber inCaptain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), Morrissey researched theHitler Youth and readGitta Sereny's biography ofAlbert Speer,Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth.[22] As with all of his roles, Morrissey created an extensive back story for Weber to build up the character.[11]
Morrissey returned to television in 2002 playing Franny Rothwell, a factory canteen worker who wants to adopt his dead sister's son, in an episode ofPaul Abbott'sClocking Off. His performance was described as characteristically powerful inThe Independent.[34] He also played tabloid journalist Dave Dewston in the four-part BBC serialMurder, and prison officer Mike in the part-improvised single dramaOut of Control. He researched the latter part by shadowing prison officers in ayoung offenders' institution for a week.[35][34] At the beginning of 2003, he played the role of Richie MacGregor inThis Little Life, a television drama about a mother who has to cope with her 16-week-premature baby. Morrissey researched premature births by speaking to paediatricians at theRoyal Free Hospital inHampstead.[11]
Morrissey's next major leading role was as Member of Parliament (MP) Stephen Collins in Paul Abbott's BBC serialState of Play (2003). Morrissey received the scripts for the first three episodes and was keen to read the last three. They had not been completed when he originally requested them but Abbott told him how Collins' story concludes. Unsure how to approach the role, Morrissey was advised by his friend, director Paul Greengrass, to get Collins' job as politician right. Morrissey contactedState of Play producerHilary Bevan Jones, who set up meetings between Morrissey and select committee membersKevin Barron andFabian Hamilton. Both politicians educated Morrissey on how difficult it is to commute to London from a constituency outside the capital.[11] Morrissey was also able to shadowPeter Mandelson around the House of Commons for a fortnight.[3] He questioned Mandelson about his job as a cabinet minister but did not ask about his personal life.[36] Mandelson told him about how politics can quickly "seduce" MPs who have worked hard to get into Parliament.[11]
That same year, he playedGordon Brown inPeter Morgan's single dramaThe Deal (2003), abouta pact made between Brown andTony Blair (Michael Sheen) in 1994. Unlike his research for the fictionalState of Play, Morrissey discovered that no politicians wanted to talk to him for this fact-based drama, so he turned to journalistsJon Snow andSimon Hoggart.[22] He also travelled to Brown's hometown ofKirkcaldy and immersed himself in numerous biographies of the man, including Ross Wilson's documentary films on New Labour in the year surrounding the1997 election.[37][38] When speaking to many of Brown's friends to gain insight into his "private persona", Morrissey discovered that Brown was funny, approachable and charming, which were characteristics he did not see in his "public persona".[38] To look like Brown, Morrissey had his hair dyed and permed, and put on 2 stone (28 lb/13 kg) in body weight in six weeks.[22][39] The director Stephen Frears originally wanted to cast aScottish actor as Brown but was persuaded by other production staff to cast Morrissey.[40][41]
His acting inState of Play andThe Deal won him considerable acclaim; he was nominated for theBritish Academy Television Award for Best Actor for his role as Collins but lost to his co-starBill Nighy.[42] His performance inThe Deal was acclaimed byCharlie Whelan, Gordon Brown's former spin doctor, andTim Allan, a deputy press secretary of Tony Blair.[43][44] ABBC News Online writer praised Morrissey's grasp of Brown's physical tics in a review that criticised the rest of the film.[45] Morrissey's performance won the RTS Programme Award for Best Male Actor the next year, this time beating Nighy.[46][47] The RTS jury wrote of Morrissey, "The strength of this performance brought to the screen, and to life, all of the characteristics and traits of the man he portrayed in a way that was both credible and convincing."[48] In 2009, Morrissey declined the opportunity to play Brown again inThe Special Relationship, Morgan's third Blair film, as he did not want to get into the mindset of playing Brown for just one scene.[49]
Morrissey was eager to play a comic role after starring in these dramas. He subsequently reunited with Peter Bowker for the BBC One musical serialBlackpool, in which he playsBlackpool arcade owner Ripley Holden.[16] Bowker remembered Morrissey fromOut of the Blue and wanted to build on the actor's sense of humour and to cast him against type.[28] Before filming began, Morrissey spent four days in Blackpool talking to the locals and finding out how the arcades worked.[3] His performance was described inThe Daily Telegraph as "a powerful mixture of barely suppressed danger and vulnerable, boyish charm."[50] A public poll onbbc.co.uk ranked him the second best actor of 2004.[51] Morrissey reprised the role in 2006 in the one-off sequelViva Blackpool!. He was pleased to revive Ripley after filming dramatic roles since the original serial.[52]
The following years saw Morrissey cast in two high-profile feature films; while filming theBrian Jones biopicStoned (2005), he got an audition for psychiatrist Dr. Michael Glass, the male lead inBasic Instinct 2 (2006). He was flown out toLos Angeles for a one-hour screen test withSharon Stone. Their immediate rapport led to the screen test being extended by another hour and Morrissey's casting in the role.[35][22] Morrissey had enjoyed thefirst film and liked the script for the sequel. He read up on psychiatry and worked out in a gym for the nudity scenes.[35] The film was a box office and critical failure.[53][54]The Washington Post criticised the film's focus on Morrissey's character and called the actor "overmatched by Stone" and "a sad sack",[55] and theSeattle Post-Intelligencer called him "a charisma-challenged non-entity".[56] The sameWashington Post critic later wrote in theLos Angeles Times that because Morrissey was not a film star, the chemistry between him and Stone had been spoiled.[57]Nathan Rabin ofThe A.V. Club wrote that Morrissey had "the charisma of beige wallpaper" and that "the producers could have replaced him halfway through shooting with a handsome mahogany coat rack and nobody would be able to tell the difference".[58] The bad reviews depressed Morrissey, and he briefly considered giving up acting, but instead saw the role as a chance to learn.[9]
Immediately after filmingBasic Instinct 2, he began work onThe Reaping (2007) inLouisiana, in which he played science teacher Doug Blackwell oppositeHilary Swank. The role had been offered to him quite late in pre-production, and he flew toBaton Rouge the Monday afterBasic Instinct 2 wrapped. He took the role because he was a fan of Swank, and Hopkins' filmThe Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), and he preferred thethriller aspect of theReaping script above the horror aspect. After a week of filming, production had to be suspended whenHurricane Katrina hit the state. He found the filming schedule quite demanding, particularly the three weeks of night filming and a scene in which his character is attacked by a plague of locusts, most of which werecomputer-generated in post-production but some were real on camera.[59][60]The Reaping was released in 2007 and performed badly in cinemas. Despite the failures of both films, Morrissey was grateful that they opened him up to more film offers from Hollywood.[35]
In March 2006, Morrissey filmed a role inThe Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007) inNew Zealand. While there, he was offered the role of father Danny Brogan inCape Wrath, anEcosse Films series about a family being moved on awitness protection scheme to a mysterious village. He signed on to the seven-part series in September 2006 and filmed the series until the end of the year.[61] He relished working on the character's back story as it confounded the expectations of both him and the audience.[62] The series was broadcast in Britain and America in 2007.[61] The following year, he played the part of Colonel Brandon inAndrew Davies' serialSense and Sensibility. When he first got the script in 2007, he was unsure if British television needed anotherJane Austen adaptation, but he took the role when he saw how Davies had given more screen time to the male characters than they get inthe 1995 film adaptation.[63] He also appeared as Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk inThe Other Boleyn Girl (2008). He compared Norfolk to bassistLemmy fromMotörhead and researched the role by reading history books and literature from the 16th century.[9]
From November 2008 to January 2009, Morrissey returned to the theatre for the first time in nine years to appear in theAlmeida Theatre's British premiere ofNeil LaBute'sIn a Dark Dark House. He played Terry, one of two brothers who had been abused as a child, oppositeSteven Mackintosh and Kira Sternbach. He took the role because he liked LaBute's previous play,The Mercy Seat (2002). After accepting the part, he researched the character by reading case studies of adults who were abused when they were children. He learned about how they coped with the shame of their abuse, and incorporated those feelings into his acting. He was also able to consult LaBute during rehearsals but avoided asking him exactly how to play Terry.[64] InThe Daily Telegraph review that criticised the play,Charles Spencer wrote that Morrissey's was the best performance "as the blue-collar older brother who reveals extraordinary depths of grief, damage and forgiveness that finally light up this dark, flawed play."[65]Benedict Nightingale ofThe Times initially believed that Morrissey's acting was "a bit stiff, almost as if he was waiting for his cues rather than reacting instantaneously to their content" but found him more impressive as the play went on.[66]
In December 2008, he appeared alongside hisBlackpool co-starDavid Tennant in "The Next Doctor", the 2008 Christmas special ofDoctor Who, playing Jackson Lake, a man who believes he isthe Doctor after his mind is affected by alien technology. Morrissey had been asked to appear in the series before but had to turn down the offers due to other commitments.[67] He approached the character like any other dramatic part, and was influenced in his performance by previous Doctor actorsWilliam Hartnell,Patrick Troughton andTom Baker.[68] Secrecy surrounded the exact details of Morrissey's role in the episode; until the day of broadcast his character was referred to only as "the other Doctor".[67] This prompted media speculation that Morrissey would be taking over the lead role after Tennant quit, and in October 2008 he was reported as a favourite of bookmakers.[31] He was pleased that the episode was a "decoy" for the truth that actorMatt Smith had actually been chosen for the part of theEleventh Doctor.[69] In September 2009, he told entertainment websiteDigital Spy that he would gladly return to the show if asked.[70]
In March 2009, Morrissey appeared as corrupt police detective Maurice Jobson inRed Riding, the Channel 4 adaptation ofDavid Peace'sRed Riding novels. Morrissey already knew the directors of the films, enjoyed reading the script and had either worked with his co-stars on other projects, or wanted to work with them. He liked the flaws in the Jobson character and that he differs from typical vigilante police officers portrayed on television.[71] Morrissey said of Jobson, "I think he sets out to be a good cop, he tries to do his job well but he gets involved in some corruption and realises that being a 'bit' corrupt is like being a 'bit' pregnant. You either are or you're not."[69] He received a Best Actor nomination from theBroadcasting Press Guild for the role.[72] At the end of the year, Morrissey playedBobby Dykins in theJohn Lennon biopicNowhere Boy (2009). As a self-confessed "Beatles geek", Morrissey relished the opportunity to star in the film about Lennon's childhood.[73]
He was described by theBritish Film Institute as one of the most versatile English actors of his generation.[74]
Morrissey was active on screen throughout 2010. He starred as Theunis Swanepoel, the interrogator ofWinnie Madikizela-Mandela, in the BBC single dramaMrs Mandela. His performance was praised byThe Guardian andIndependent critics.[75][76] The following months saw him star asBritish Transport Police officer Mal Craig in the second series of BBC One'sFive Days, Roman soldier Bothos inNeil Marshall's featureCenturion, stalking victim Jan Falkowski inU Be Dead, and Colonel John Arbuthnot in theAgatha Christie's Poirot adaptation ofMurder on the Orient Express.[49][77]
Morrissey returned to a weekly television role at the end of 2010 playing police detective Tom Thorne inThorne, a six-part television series forSky1 that was adapted fromMark Billingham's novelsSleepyhead andScaredy Cat.[78] After readingLifeless during his time filmingThe Water Horse inNew Zealand, Morrissey searched the Internet for more information. He found an interview in which Billingham stated his preference for Morrissey to play Thorne should a screen adaptation ever be made. When he returned to the UK, Morrissey arranged a meeting with Billingham and the two began developing the TV series.[79][80] Morrissey shadowed officers in theMetropolitan Police's murder unit during their duties to learn about their jobs. He discovered that the officers felt undervalued in their jobs, and he incorporated these feelings into the series.[80] Sky first broadcast the series on 10 October. Morrissey received approval for the role; Andrea Mullaney wrote inThe Scotsman, "Morrissey is never less than watchable and he brings a brooding presence to the role of Thorne."[81] and Adam Sweeting for The Arts Desk called him "authentic as the phlegmatic, low-key Thorne."[82]
In 2011, Morrissey starred as Robert Carne inSouth Riding, and played Dunlop in theLionsgate crime drama featureBlitz.[73] In May 2011, he returned to the Everyman Theatre to playthe eponymous king inMacbeth.[1] Morrissey talked about the role tocriminologists, to draw parallels with real-lifeserial killers, and focused on Macbeth's status as a war hero and his childless relationship with Lady Macbeth.[83] Morrissey's performance was commended by Laura Davis in theLiverpool Daily Post, who highlighted his delivery of his lines and portrayal of Macbeth "[shifting] from straight-spined statesman to a fervent slayer".[84] Clare Brenan ofThe Observer offered similar praise but noted that Morrissey's vocal inflections were sometimes "flat and rushed".[85] Continuing his roles in Shakespeare productions, Morrissey played Northumberland in "Richard II", a BBC Two film adaptation of theplay of the same name and the first episode of the seriesThe Hollow Crown, broadcast in July 2012.[86][87]
Morrissey joined the cast ofThe Walking Dead for its third season in 2012. He portrayedThe Governor, a major villain fromthe graphic novel upon which the series is based.[88] Morrissey read the prequel novelRise of the Governor to gain insight into the character and his motivations.[89] He also worked with an accent coach and listened to politicians with Southern accents, includingBill Clinton.[89][90] He returned for the fourth season in 2013,[91] and made a cameo appearance in 2015. In 2014, Morrissey returned to British television in theDavid Nicholls dramaThe 7.39[92] and the three-part serialThe Driver, written byDanny Brocklehurst.[93]
Morrissey was made anHonorary Doctor of Arts (HonDA) byEdge Hill University in 2016.[94][95] From 10 September to 10 October, he starred inHangmen byMartin McDonagh, at theRoyal Court Theatre. The play followed Harry Wade, a former hangman, afterthe abolition of hanging in Great Britain in 1965.[96] In 2017, Morrissey joined the cast of The League of Gentlemen for their 2017 revival.[97]
From January 2018, Morrissey appeared asMark Anthony inJulius Caesar at the newBridge Theatre. That year, he also starred as Inspector Tyador Borlú in the BBC2 dramaThe City and the City, adapted fromChina Miéville'snovel of the same name by screenwriterTony Grisoni.[98]
In 2022, he played the main antagonist Gorka in the Italian horror-fantasy filmDampyr.[99] He also starred in the 2024 sci-fi filmSlingshot.
"People like to think it's a democratic process, but it's not; it's a dictatorship. As an actor I like working with strong directors, and as an actor you're a 'freak' with the control taken away. Directing gives you a real appreciation of the difficulties of other people's jobs."
In the early 1980s, Morrissey developed a filmmaking craft at the Rathbone Theatre Workshop, aYouth Opportunities Programme that taught school-leavers skills for a year. With the workshop, Morrissey shot short silent films onSuper 8, where he was taught by Bert Byron, who introduced him to US Independent and foreign films for the first time. Although the scheme paid £23.50 a week and took young people off unemployment benefits, Morrissey reflected in 2009 that many of the participants were just used as lackeys.[100] After his acting career escalated, he started directing because he was aware that, as an actor, he was coming into a project quite late into development and then leaving before post-production, and he wanted to see a film through to the end.[11][101] Morrissey has said that he prefers to keep acting and directing separate, and would not direct anything he is acting in.[11]
His first major project wasSomething for the Weekend (1996), which he wrote and produced. Initially calledThe Barber Shop, the title was changed to avoid a clash with another film.[102] His directorial debut, the shortA Secret Audience, centres on a meeting betweenNapoleon Bonaparte andPope Pius VII.[102] His second short,Bring Me Your Love, was based on the short story byCharles Bukowski, and stars Ian Hart as a journalist bringing flowers to his wife in a mental hospital. It was screened in front ofSome Voices. AnIndependent critic wrote thatBring Me Your Love "holds out great promise" for Morrissey andThe Observer reviewer wrote that it was worth seeing but was not as impressive asA Secret Audience.[33][103]Bring Me Your Love was produced by Tubedale Films, a studio Morrissey formed with his brother Paul and wifeEsther Freud.[9] In 2001, Morrissey directedSweet Revenge, a two-part BBC television film starring Paul McGann that got him a BAFTA nomination for Best New Director (Fiction).[104] In 2004, Morrissey reunited with Tony Marchant to direct the two-part television filmPasser By, about a man (James Nesbitt) who witnesses an attack on a woman (Emily Bruni) but does nothing to stop it. Morrissey was brought onto the project after reading the first draft of Marchant's script. The script went through five more drafts before being filmed over 30 days.[11][102] Morrissey developed his directing techniques by watching the directors on films and television series that he acted in; he took the minor role of Tom Keylock inStoned so that he could watch Stephen Woolley at work.[35]
On 20 July 2007, Morrissey was given anHonorary Fellowship fromLiverpool John Moores University for contributions to performing arts.[105] In the same year, he made his feature debut directingDon't Worry About Me, a film about a London boy falling in love with a Liverpool girl. The film was shot on a budget of £100,000 on location in Liverpool in September and October 2007[9][10] and had its world premiere at the 2009London Film Festival.[106] Joseph Galliano wrote inThe Times thatDon't Worry About Me is "a very understated film and feels more like European Art Cinema."[107] The film was broadcast on BBC Two on 7 March 2010 and released on DVD the next day.[106]
In 2009, Morrissey and Mark Billingham launched the production company Sleepyhead, which produced theThorne television series.[78] The company was a part of Stagereel, a production house previously set up by Morrissey's brother Paul. The company bought the rights to adapt theThorne novels and Morrissey was already developing it topitch to television channels when Sky made an offer to broadcast it.[101] As of 2010, Morrissey and Tubedale Films were developing two feature films with financing from theUK Film Council.[101] Morrissey criticised theCameron–Clegg coalition government's decision to close the UK Film Council, as he believed it was an asset to first-time filmmakers.[108] The organisation's funding role was taken over by theBritish Film Institute in 2011.[109]
In 2009, Morrissey and a team of filmmakers ran a series of drama workshops for Palestinian refugee children inBeirut, in conjunction with theUNRWA.[110] On his return to England, he set up the Creative Arts School Trust (CAST), a charity for the purpose of training teachers and continuing the workshops inLebanon and elsewhere.[77][111]
Morrissey is a patron of The SMA Trust (a charity that funds research intospinal muscular atrophy),[112] Liverpool'sUnity Theatre,[113] and the human rights organisationReprieve.[114]
Morrissey was introduced to novelistEsther Freud by actorDanny Webb,[22] and the two dated for around 13 years before marrying in a ceremony onSouthwold Pier on 12 August 2006.[9][115][116] They had a daughter and two sons together[9][117] before separating in 2020.[118] They had split their time between homes inNorth London andWalberswick.[119]
Morrissey is a lifelong supporter of his hometown football teamLiverpool FC[120] and theLabour Party.[121] In 2014, he was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to an open letter inThe Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom inthat year's referendum on the issue.[122]
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Royal Television Society Programme Award | Best Male Actor | Holding On | Nominated[30] |
| 2001 | British Academy Television Craft Award | New Director (Fiction) | Sweet Revenge | Nominated[104] |
| 2003 | Royal Television Society Programme Award | Best Male Actor | The Deal | Won[47] |
| 2003 | British Academy Television Award | Best Actor | State of Play | Nominated[42] |
| 2010 | Broadcasting Press Guild Award | Best Actor | Red Riding | Nominated[72] |
| 2011 | Liverpool Daily Post Arts Awards | Best Actor | Macbeth | Won[123] |
| 2013 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actor | The Walking Dead | Nominated |
| 2014 | Saturn Award | Best Guest Star | The Walking Dead | Nominated |
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