Joe Morton

Joseph Thomas Morton Jr. (born October 18, 1947) is an American stage, television and film actor. He has worked with film director John Sayles in The Brother from Another Planet (1984), City of Hope (1991) and Lone Star (1996). Other films he has appeared in include Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Of Mice and Men (1992), Speed (1994), Apt Pupil (1998), What Lies Beneath (2000), Ali (2001), Paycheck (2003), Stealth (2005), and American Gangster (2007).[1]

Not to be confused with Joseph Morton (correspondent) or Joseph Morton (governor).

Joe Morton
Morton in February 2019
Born	Joseph Thomas Morton Jr. (1947-10-18) October 18, 1947 Harlem, New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Hofstra University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1970–present
Children	3

In 2014, Morton won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Eli Pope, Olivia Pope's father, in Scandal,[2] and is known for playing the role of Henry Deacon on the popular TV series Eureka.

Early life

Morton was born in Harlem, the son of Evelyn, a secretary, and Joseph Thomas Morton Sr., a U.S. Army intelligence officer.[3][4] Because of his father's military service, he spent parts of his childhood in West Germany and Okinawa.[5] When Morton was 10 years old, his father died.[6]

Morton graduated from Andrew Jackson High School[7] and studied drama at Hofstra University.[8]

Career

Morton made his Broadway debut in Hair, appeared in Salvation, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Raisin. He has appeared in over 70 movies, including John Sayles' The Brother from Another Planet (as The Brother), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (as Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson) and Blues Brothers 2000 (as Cabel "Cab" Chamberlain, based upon the late Cab Calloway). He also played Police Lieutenant Herb "Mac" McMahon, in Speed. On daytime, Morton has had roles on Search for Tomorrow (Dr. James Foster, 1973–74), Another World (Dr. Abel Marsh and Leo Mars, 1983–84), and All My Children (Dr. Zeke McMillan, 2002).[9] In 2002, he appeared on the London stage in the play Art.

Morton has made many notable TV guest appearances, including his appearances as Dr. Steven Hamilton in the first two seasons of Smallville. He starred in the Sanford and Son spin-off Grady (1975–76), M*A*S*H* (battalion aid surgeon Capt. Nick Saunders, 1976), Under One Roof (1995) and E-Ring (2005). He portrayed the jack-of-all-trades scientist Henry Deacon as a regular on Syfy Channel's Eureka (2006–12). Morton played the role of Eli Pope on the hit drama Scandal, a role for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.[10]

In 2016, Morton portrayed the activist and comedian Dick Gregory in the play Turn Me Loose at the Westside Theatre in Manhattan.[11] Morton portrayed Dr. Silas Stone, father of Victor Stone/Cyborg, in a cameo role in the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, part of the DC Extended Universe. He reprised the character in the film Justice League (2017).[12]

From 2018 to 2020, Morton has co-starred as Reverend Arthur Finer in the CBS series God Friended Me.[13]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977	Between the Lines	Ahmed
1979	...And Justice for All	Prison Doctor
1982	The Clairvoyant	Detective Rich
1983	Curse of the Pink Panther	Charlie
1984	The Brother from Another Planet	The Brother
1985	Trouble in Mind	Solo
1986	Crossroads	Scratch's assistant
1987	Stranded	Sheriff McMahon
1988	The Good Mother	Frank Williams
	Zelly and Me	Earl
1989	Tap	Nicky
1990	The Lost Platoon	World War II Soldier
1991	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	Dr. Miles Bennett Dyson
	City of Hope	Wynn
1992	Forever Young	Cameron
Of Mice and Men	Crooks
1994	Speed	Lieutenant "Mac" McMahon
	The Inkwell	Kenny Tate
1995	The Walking Dead	Sergeant Barkley
1996	Executive Decision	Sergeant Campbell “Cappy” Matheny
	Lone Star	Delmore Payne
1997	The Pest	Mr. Kent
	Speed 2: Cruise Control	Captain "Mac" McMahon	Uncredited cameo
	Trouble on the Corner	Detective Bill
	Miss Evers' Boys	Dr. Sam Brodus
1998	Blues Brothers 2000	Cabel Chamberlain
	Final Act	N/A	Short film
	Apt Pupil	Dan Richler
1999	Mutiny	Thurgood Marshall
	The Astronaut's Wife	Sherman Reese
2000	Bounce	Jim Weller
	What Lies Beneath	Dr. Drayton
2001	Ali	Chauncey Eskridge
2002	Dragonfly	Hugh Campbell
2003	Thoughtcrimes	John Harper
	Paycheck	Agent Dodge
	Jasper, Texas	Walter Diggles
2004	Breaking Dawn	Professor Simon
	Sunday on the Rocks		Director
2005	Lenny the Wonder Dog	Dr. Island
	Back in the Day	Rev. James Packer
	Stealth	Dick Marshfield
2006	The Night Listener	Ashe
2007	American Gangster	Charlie Williams
	Badland	Max Astin
2008	La Linea	Hodges
	Wherever You Are	Dr. Livingston
2010	The Mulberry Tree	Samuel R. Freeman
2013	Home	Donald Hall
2016	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice	Silas Stone	Cameo
2017	Justice League
2019	Godzilla: King of the Monsters	Houston Brooks
2021	Zack Snyder's Justice League	Silas Stone

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	Mission: Impossible	Clerk	Episode: "Hunted"
1970	Bracken's World	Yule Buford	Episode: "Love It or Leave It, Change It or Lose It"
1973–1974	Search for Tomorrow	James Foster	Unknown episodes
1975	Sanford and Son	Hal Marshall	Episode: "The Family Man"
1975–1976	Grady	Hal Marshall	10 episodes
1976	M*A*S*H	Captain Saunders	Episode: "Der Tag"
1976	What's Happening!!	Department Store Manager	Episode: "The Birthday Present"
1978	Watch Your Mouth	Raymond Geeter	26 episodes
1978	Lawman Without a Gun	Louis	Television film
1979	Guiding Light	Dan Stennis	Episode: "8295"
1980	Death Penalty	William Terry	Television film
1981	We're Fighting Back	Elgin Jones	Television film
1983	Another World	Dr. Abel Marsh	Episode: "4720"
1983	American Playhouse	Carl Hatch	Episode: "The Files on Jill Hatch: Part 1"
1985	Miami Vice	Lt. Jack Davis	Episode: "The Maze"
1986	Who's the Boss?	Limo Driver	Episode: "Mona's Limo"
1987–1989	The Equalizer	Carter Brock / Slate	4 episodes
1988	Hostile Witness	Tandy	Television film
1988	Alone in the Neon Jungle	Ken Fraker	Television film
1989	Howard Beach: Making The Case for Murder	Cedric Sandiford	Television film (see Howard Beach, Queens § Hate crimes)
1989	A Man Called Hawk	Rev. Marvin Lewis	Episode: "Choice of Chance"
1990–1991	Equal Justice	Mike James	26 episodes
1990	Challenger	Dr. Ronald McNair	Television film
1992	Law & Order	Roland Books	Episode: "Conspiracy"
1992	A Different World	Byron Douglas III	7 episodes
1992	Legacy of Lies	Samuel Flowers	Television film
1993	TriBeCa	Carlton Thomas	7 episodes; directed episode: "The Loft"
1994	Homicide: Life on the Street	Sam Thorn	2 episodes
1994	New York Undercover	Dean/Dinah	Episode: "Blondes Have More Fun"
1995	Under One Roof	Ron Langston	6 episodes
1995	New York News	Mitch Cotter	13 episodes
1995	In the Shadow of Evil	Lt. Royce	Television film
1996	Touched by an Angel	Jake Stone	Episode: "Jacob's Ladder"
1996	Jack Reed: Death and Vengeance	Gordon Thomas	Television film
1997–2000	Prince Street	Lieutenant Tom Warner	6 episodes
1998	Dellaventura	Councilman Caulder	Episode: "David & Goliath"
1998–1999	Mercy Point	Dr. Grote Maxwell	8 episodes
1999	Y2K	Martin Lowell	Television film
1999–2020	American Experience	Narrator	13 episodes
2000–2005	Law & Order	Leon Chiles	4 episodes
2000	The X-Files	Martin Wells	Episode: "Redrum"
2000	Ali: An American Hero	Malcolm X	Television film
2001–2002	Smallville	Dr. Steven Hamilton	4 episodes
2002	Touched by an Angel	Martin	Episode: "The Impossible Dream"
2002	All My Children	Zeke McMillan	Episode: "#1.8387"
2002	The Practice	U.S. Attorney	Episode: "Fire Proof"
2003	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Ray Bevins	Episode: "Grief"
2004	The Jury	James Byron Milton	Episode: "Last Rites"
2004	Whoopi	Martin James	Episode: "Sins of the Sister"
2005–2006	E-Ring	Steve Algazi	9 episodes
2005	JAG	Elroy Johnson	Episode: "Unknown Soldier"
2005	House	Gary H. Wright	Episode: "Role Model"
2005	CSI: NY	Dwight Hillborne	2 episodes
2006–2012	Eureka	Henry Deacon	76 episodes; also directed three episodes
2007	Numb3rs	Reporter	Episode: "Graphic"
2008	Boston Legal	Attorney Steve Duprey	Episode: "Indecent Proposals"
2009–2011	The Good Wife	Daniel Golden	11 episodes
2009	Warehouse 13	Reverend John Hill	Episode: "Regrets"
2009	Brothers & Sisters	Peter Madsen	2 episodes
2009	Great Performances	Eugene Bullard	Episode: "Harlem in Montmartre: A Paris Jazz Story"
2010	White Collar	Kyle Bancroft	Episode: "Prisoner's Dilemma"
2012	Coma	Dr. Nelson	2 episodes
2013–2018	Scandal	Eli Rowan Pope	78 episodes
2015	Proof	Dr. Charles Richmond	10 episodes
2015–2016	Grace and Frankie	Jason	3 episodes
2015	Cleveland Abduction	Agent Solano	Television film
2016	Dinner in America with Brett Gelman	Himself	TV special
2016	All the Way	Roy Wilkins	Television film
2018–2020	God Friended Me	Rev. Arthur Finer	42 episodes
2019–2020	The Politician	Marcus	4 episodes

Videogame

Year	Title	Role
2003	Ghost Hunter	Professor Richmond
2004	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	Radio Commercial

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1974	Tony Award	Best Actor in a Musical	Raisin	Nominated
	Theatre World Award			Honoree
1991	Fangoria Chainsaw Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	Nominated
2008	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	American Gangster	Nominated
2014	Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series	Scandal	Nominated
	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series		Won
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series		Won
2015	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series		Won
2016	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series		Won
2017	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series		Nominated
2018	Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards	Lead Performance in a Play[14]	Turn Me Loose	Won

References

1. "Joe Morton: The Line (2008)". Yovideo. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
2. Sandberg, Bryn Elise; Goldberg, Leslie. "Emmys: 'Scandal's' Joe Morton Takes Home Trophy". HollywoodReporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
3. Vere l, Patrick (August 2012). "Joe Morton to Teach at Fordham". Fordham University. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
4. "Joe Morton Biography". Yahoo Movies. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
5. Maykuth, Andrew. "The avenging actor". maykuth.com. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
6. Sheridan, Patricia (August 17, 2015). "Patricia Sheridan's Breakfast With ... Joe Morton". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
7. "Joe Morton | Biography and Filmography | 1947". Hollywood.com. 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
8. Greenberg, Ginny (August 21, 2014). "Alum Joe Morton Wins Emmy for Scandal". Hofstra University. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
9. "Joe Morton - IMDb". IMDb.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
10. "Joe Morton - IMDb". IMDb.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
11. McCall, Tulis (31 May 2016). Carboni, Monique (ed.). "Off-Broadway Theatre Review: Turn Me Loose". New York Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
12. Meslow, Scott. "Justice League's Biggest Sin: Wasting Its Great Actors". GQ.com. Condé Nast. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
13. Gay, Verne. "Joe Morton talks 'God Friended Me,' 'Scandal' and dropping out of Hofstra". NewsDay.com. Newsday. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
14. Carras, Christi (19 March 2018). "'Hamilton,' 'Rotterdam' Tie for Top Award From L.A. Drama Critics". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 22 March 2018.

External links

• Joe Morton on IMDb
• Joe Morton at TV Guide
• Joe Morton at the Internet Broadway Database
• Joe Morton at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Joe Morton sings "The Devil's Lonely Fire" from Badland.