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Jennifer Morrison

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For the spouse of the former Prime Minister of Australia, see Jenny Morrison.

Jennifer Morrison
Morrison at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Jennifer Marie Morrison

(1979-04-12) April 12, 1979 (age 45)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materLoyola University Chicago
Occupations
  • Actress
  • director
  • producer
Years active1994–2019
PartnerGerardo Celasco (2019–present)[1]
Children1

Jennifer Marie Morrison[2] (born April 12, 1979)[3] is an American actress and director. She is most known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series House (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy series Once Upon a Time (2011–2018). She has also portrayed Zoey Pierson, one of Ted Mosby's love interests, on the comedy series How I Met Your Mother, Winona Kirk, mother of James T. Kirk in the 2009 science-fiction film Star Trek, and Tess Conlon in the 2011 sports drama film Warrior. She made her feature-film directorial debut with Sun Dogs (2017).

Early life

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Morrison was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She is the oldest of three children.[4] Her father, David, is a retired music teacher and high-school band director who was named Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2003.[5]

Morrison attended South Middle School, and then graduated from Prospect High School (where her parents worked) in 1997. She was an All-State clarinet player in the school's marching band, sang in the choir, and was a cheerleader in the school pep squad.[6] She attended Loyola University Chicago, where she majored in theatre and minored in English, graduating in 2000. She studied at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.[7]

Career

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Beginnings and film roles (1992–2010)

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Morrison at the Fox Broadcasting Company upfronts in 2008

Morrison started her career as a child model, appearing in print advertisements for JCPenney and Montgomery Ward, and commercials for Rice Krispies and Mondo. She was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids with basketball star Michael Jordan in May 1992.[8] Morrison made her feature-film debut at the age of 14 in the 1994 film Intersection, and later appeared as Samantha in Stir of Echoes (1999). Morrison's first leading role came in the 2000 film Urban Legends: Final Cut, and she has since gone on to appear in films including Grind (2003), Surviving Christmas (2004), and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005).

In 2004, Morrison won the role of immunologist Allison Cameron on House. She played the role for the first six seasons of the show, from 2004 to 2009. Morrison's character left in the 2009 episode "Teamwork",[9] but returned in the 2010 episode "Lockdown" to conclude Cameron's story. Morrison returned for the series finale "Everybody Dies" in 2012. In 2006, Morrison starred in and produced the independent film Flourish.[10] She is also one of the producers who found Glee during its early draft and brought it to attention of writer Ryan Murphy, who adapted it into a television series. Morrison did not stay involved creatively, but is credited as an associate producer on the first season for her involvement in finding it and helping it get into the right hands.[11]

In 2007, Morrison appeared as Kirce James in the computer game Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, a character who frequently interacts with the player during the course of the GDI campaign.[12] Her film projects that year included Big Stan and The Murder of Princess Diana, a television film based on the book of the same name by Noel Botham. Produced by Lifetime and Working Title Television, Morrison portrays an American journalist who witnesses the car crash in which Diana, Princess of Wales was killed. In 2009, Morrison returned to the big screen, appearing in the opening scene of J. J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot as James T. Kirk's mother, Winona. After her contract on House was not renewed, it was announced in December 2009[13] that Morrison had won the role of Kate Keller, Helen Keller's mother, in the Broadway-bound revival of The Miracle Worker.[14]

Once Upon a Time and television (2011–present)

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Morrison attending the 2012 People's Choice Awards

In the fall of 2010, Morrison appeared as a guest star in the fourth episode of NBC's Chase. She played the role of Faith, a single mother-turned-fugitive, who embarks on a bloody killing spree across Texas with her little daughter.[15] She then joined the cast of CBS's How I Met Your Mother as recurring character Zoey Pierson, a mischievous architecture nerd and love interest of main character Ted Mosby's, and "the biggest female character we've maybe ever added to the show in Ted's life", according to executive producer Craig Thomas.[16][17][18]

In 2011, Morrison appeared in Warrior, a film about two estranged brothers who enter a mixed martial arts tournament and are forced to confront their struggling relationship with each other and with their father. Morrison plays the wife of Joel Edgerton's character, struggling to keep her family together.[11] Starting in October 2011, Morrison had a starring role in ABC's Once Upon a Time. She played the role of Emma Swan, a bail-bonds collector who turns out to be the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

In April 2016, Morrison launched her own film production company, Apartment 3C Productions,[19] named after the apartment she shared with her friends during her time at Loyola University Chicago.[20] She directed her first feature film, Sun Dogs, under this label during the summer of 2016.[19] In December 2017, Netflix announced it had acquired worldwide streaming rights to the film.[21]

In March 2017, it was announced that Morrison was cast as Stephanie in an off-Broadway revival of the play The End of Longing.[22] The performance lasted from May 18 to July 1, 2017.[23] On May 8, 2017, Morrison announced via social media that she would not be returning to Once Upon a Time as a series regular for season seven, while also noting that she had agreed to return as a guest for one episode.[24][25] That episode was the season's second, which aired in October 2017.[26] However, she ultimately returned for the series finale, which aired in May 2018.[27]

Morrison co-starred in Amityville: The Awakening as Candice. Originally shot in 2014, the film was released on Google Play on October 12, 2017, with a limited theatrical release on October 28, 2017.[28] In 2017, she made her feature film directorial debut with Sun Dogs, starring Michael Angarano, Melissa Benoist, and Allison Janney.[29] In June 2019, Morrison was confirmed to join the cast of This Is Us in a recurring role for the fourth season as Cassidy Sharp, an alcoholic and Marine veteran grappling with her return to civilian life.[30][31][32][33] She returned to guest star in season 5 and 6.[34]

Personal life

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In 2004, Morrison began dating Australian actor Jesse Spencer, her co-star in House.[35] They were engaged in December 2006, but called it off in August 2007.[36] Morrison dated Puerto Rican actor Amaury Nolasco from 2009 to 2012.[37]

She has been in a relationship with Salvadoran-American actor Gerardo Celasco since 2019.[38] In April 2022, Morrison began referring to Celasco as her husband.[39] In June 2024, Morrison confirmed that she had recently become a mother to a baby girl.[40][41]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Intersection Meaghan Eastman
1994 Miracle on 34th Street Denice
1999 Stir of Echoes Samantha Kozac
2000 Urban Legends: Final Cut Amy Mayfield
2001 The Zeros Joyce
2002 Design Sonya Mallow
2002 Nantucket Alicia
2002 Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie Callie Television film
2002 100 Women Annie
2003 Grind Jamie
2004 Mall Cop Chris
2004 The Sure Hand of God Lily Bowser
2004 Surviving Christmas Missy Vanglider
2004 Lift Sarah Short film
2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith Jade
2006 The Script Christie Short film
2006 Flourish Gabrielle Winters Producer
2007 Big Stan Mindy
2007 The Murder of Princess Diana Rachel Visco Television film
Nominated - Online Film & Television Association Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
2009 Star Trek Winona Kirk Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2009 Table for Three Leslie Green
2011 Bringing Ashley Home Ashley Phillips Television film
Prism Award for Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries
2011 Five Sheila Television film; segment: "Charlotte"
2011 Warrior Tess Conlon
2012 Stars in Shorts Agent Rachel Mintz Segment: "Prodigal"
2012 Knife Fight Angela
2013 Some Girl(s) Sam
2013 Alpha Alert Lt. White
2013 Star Trek Into Darkness Winona Kirk (voice)
2015 To Dust Return Sharon Reynolds Short film
2015 Mattresside Angelica Short film
2016 The Darkness Joy Carter
2016 Albion: The Enchanted Stallion The Abbess
2017 Amityville: The Awakening Candice
2017 Sun Dogs Marie Director, producer
Mammoth Film Festival Award for Best Picture
Mammoth Film Festival Award for Grand Jury Award
Savannah Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Feature
2018 Assassination Nation Margie Duncan
2018 Back Roads Callie Mercer
2018 Alex & the List Katherine Stern Burbank International Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2018 Superfly Detective Mason
2019 The Report Caroline Krass
2019 Batman: Hush Selina Kyle / Catwoman (voice)[42]
2019 All Creatures Here Below Penny
2019 Bombshell Juliet Huddy

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2001 The Chronicle Gwen Episode: "Let Sleeping Dogs Fry"
2001 Touched by an Angel Melissa Episode: "Most Likely to Succeed"
2001–2002 Dawson's Creek Melanie Shay Thompson 2 episodes
2002 Any Day Now Mandy Singer Episode: "In Too Deep"
2002 The Random Years Megan Episode: "Pilot"
2004–2012 House Dr. Allison Cameron Main role (Season 1–6); Guest star (Season 8)
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009)
2009 The Super Hero Squad Show Wasp 3 episodes; voice role
2010 Chase Faith Maples Episode: "Paranoia"
2010–2014 How I Met Your Mother Zoey Pierson 13 episodes
2011–2018 Once Upon a Time Emma Swan Leading role (Season 1–6); Special guest star (Season 7)
Nominated - People's Choice Award for Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (shared with Colin O'Donoghue) (2014)
Nominated - Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award for Favorite TV Actress (2015)
Nominated - People's Choice Award for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress (2015–2017)
Nominated – Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Family TV Actress (2016)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress, Sci-Fi/Fantasy (2015, 2017)
Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Liplock (shared with Colin O'Donoghue) (2015–2017)
2019–2022 This Is Us Cassidy Sharp Recurring role (Season 4, 6);[43] Guest role (Season 5)
2023 Will Trent Abigail Bentley-Campano SEASON 1 [44]
2024 Tracker Lizzy Hawking Episode: "The Storm"[45]

Director

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Year Title Notes
2017 Warning Labels Short
Nominated - Tribeca Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Short
2017 Sun Dogs Director, producer, actress
Won - Mammoth Film Festival Award for Best Picture
Won - Mammoth Film Festival Award for Grand Jury Award
Won - Savannah Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Feature
2018 Fabled TV series
2019 Euphoria Episode: “'03 Bonnie and Clyde” [46]
2021 One of Us Is Lying Episode: "Pilot"
2021-23 Dr. Death Episodes: "Dock Ellis", "An Occurrence at Randall Kirby's Sink", "Like Magic", "Worth The Risk", "The Horizon"
2021 Joe Pickett Episodes: "Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up", "The Most Hated Man in 12 Sleeps"
2022 Surface Episode: "It Was Always Going to End This Way"
2023 Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode: "You Can't Just Walk Out of a Drive-In"
2024 Tracker Episode: "Trust Fall"

Music videos

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Year Title Artist Notes
2002 "Too Bad About Your Girl" The Donnas
2003 "Shut Up" Nick Lachey
2015 "What I Want" Will Butler
2015 "Demon Days (Do It All Again)" Wild Wild Horses Also director

Theatre

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Year Title Role Venue
2010 The Miracle Worker Kate Keller Circle in the Square Theatre
2017 The End of Longing Stephanie Lucille Lortel Theatre
2024 The Penelopiad Penelope Goodman Theatre

References

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  1. ^ Vasquez, Lane (April 14, 2021). "What Has Jennifer Morrison Been Up To Since 'Once Upon A Time'?". TheThings. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Jennifer Morrison Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "UPI Almanac for Wednesday, April 12, 2023". United Press International. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023. actor Jennifer Morrison in 1979 (age 44)
  4. ^ "Sequins & Suspenders". Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  5. ^ "Band Teacher Marches on As 2003 Teacher of the Year". Illinois State Board of Education. March 22, 2003. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  6. ^ Spencer, Amy (September 10, 2014). "Jennifer Morrison rules the red carpet". New York Post. New York City: News Corp. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  7. ^ Wiser, Paige (February 27, 2012). "Once Upon a Time's Jennifer Morrison tells Her Story". Michigan Avenue. Atlanta, Georgia: Modern Luxury Media. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  8. ^ "Vintage Michael Jordan". SI Kids. May 1992. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  9. ^ Ausiello, Michael (November 16, 2009). "'House' exclusive: Jennifer Morrison speaks out about departure". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  10. ^ Riley, Jenelle (February 23, 2006). "Jennifer Morrison With 'Flourish'". Backstage. New York City: Backstage, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Jennifer Morrison：Answers to Twitter questions..." Facebook. April 10, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Semel, Paul (May 31, 2007). "Playing House with C&C3's Jennifer Morrison". Game Spy. Irvine, California: IGN Entertainment. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  13. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 13, 2009). "'House' alum news: Jennifer Morrison heads to Broadway!". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  14. ^ The Broadway League. "The official source for Broadway Information". IBDB. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  15. ^ Keck, William (August 20, 2010). "House's Morrison To Co-Star With Real-Life Love on NBC's Chase". TVGuide.com. New York City: CBS Corporation. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  16. ^ Ausiello, Michael (September 9, 2010). "Done deal: Jennifer Morrison hits the 'Mother' lode". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 9, 2010). "'House' Alumna Jennifer Morrison Joins CBS Comedy 'How I Met Your Mother'". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  18. ^ Keck, William (September 26, 2010). "Keck's Exclusives: Is Jennifer Morrison HIMYM's Mother?". TVGuide.com. New York City: CBS Corporation. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Lincoln, Ross (April 22, 2016). "Jennifer Morrison Launches Apartment 3C Productions; Directorial Debut 'Sun Dogs' Is First Project". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  20. ^ Taras, Rebecca (June 13, 2014). "Jennifer Morrison: Life Outside The Once Upon A Time Fairy Tale". Refinery29. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  21. ^ White, Peter (December 15, 2017). "Jennifer Morrison's Directorial Debut 'Sun Dogs' Lands At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  22. ^ Millward, Tom (March 23, 2017). "MCC Theater announces full cast of End of Longing". New York Theatre Guide. New York City. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  23. ^ Clement, Olivia (May 25, 2017). "Matthew Perry's The End of Longing Extends". Playbill. London, England: Playbill, Inc. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2017). "'Once Upon A Time': Jennifer Morrison Exits, Others Near Deals For Season 7". Deadline Hollywood.
  25. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 8, 2017). "'Once Upon a Time' Shocker: Star Jennifer Morrison to Exit". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  26. ^ Webb Mitrovich, Matt (August 6, 2017). "Once Upon a Time Creators/Cast Tease Rumple's Menacing New Identity, Regina/Henry Reunion and More". TVLine. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  27. ^ Webb Mitrovich, Matt (March 21, 2018). "'Once Upon a Time': Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas and Emilie de Ravin Return for Series Finale". TVLine. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  28. ^ Davies, Trevor (September 22, 2017). "The oft-delayed Amityville: The Awakening finally has a release date and will stream for free on Google Play". Critical Hit. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  29. ^ Abrams, Natalie (April 4, 2018). "Sun Dogs: Jennifer Morrison finds surprising comedy in deep directorial debut". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  30. ^ Murphy, Helen (June 19, 2019). "Jennifer Morrison Is Joining This Is Us in 'Substantial' Season 4 Role". PEOPLE. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  31. ^ Morrison, Jennifer. "THIS IS US!!! #thisisus @nbcthisisus". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  32. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (June 19, 2019). "Jennifer Morrison Joins 'This Is Us' in 'Substantial' Season 4 Role". TV Insider. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  33. ^ Newsweek Staff (October 17, 2019). "Jennifer Morrison on working on 'This Is Us' Season 4 and working with 'unbelievable talent' Dan Fogelman". Newsweek. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  34. ^ Barrientos, Selena (February 2, 2022). "'This Is Us' Fans Can't Stop Debating Over Cassidy's Return in the Latest Season 6 Episode". Good Housekeeping. Hearst. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  35. ^ "Engaged House Stars Prepare to Tie the Knot". People. New York City. July 6, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  36. ^ Jordan, Julie (August 15, 2007). "House Costars Call Off Engagement". People. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  37. ^ "Jennifer Morrison rules the red carpet". New York Post. September 10, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  38. ^ Vasquez, Lane (April 14, 2021). "What Has Jennifer Morrison Been Up To Since 'Once Upon A Time'?". TheThings. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  39. ^ Dupre, Elyse (April 8, 2022). "Jennifer Morrison Seems to Confirm Marriage to Gerardo Celasco". E! News. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  40. ^ "Jennifer Morrison". The Bare Magazine. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  41. ^ "10 KATYA APEKINA MOTHER DOLL". Apartment 3C Productions. June 28, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  42. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (March 27, 2019). "Batman: Hush Movie - Exclusive First Look Photo and Voice Cast News". IGN. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  43. ^ "This Is Us Season 4 Twist! See the Trailer & Meet the New Cast". E! Online. August 31, 2019.
  44. ^ ""Will Trent" Pilot (TV Episode 2023) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDB". IMDB. January 8, 2023.
  45. ^ "The Storm". IMDb. May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  46. ^ "Breaking News - HBO Drama Series "Euphoria," Starring Zendaya, Debuts June 16". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
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