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Anita Morris

Anita Morris was an American actor, singer and dancer whose career moved freely between Broadway, film and television. Born in Durham, North Carolina, on March 14, 1943, she began her stage work with the American Mime Theatre before reaching Broadway in productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Seesaw, The Magic Show, Sugar Babies and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Her defining stage role was Carla in the musical Nine, opposite Raul Julia. Morris brought a notably sensual quality to the performance, with “A Call from the Vatican” serving as her signature number; she also sang “Simple” late in the second act. The role earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress, though the award went to fellow Nine performer Liliane Montevecchi. Morris had been scheduled to perform “A Call from the Vatican” during the 1982 Tony Awards broadcast, but television censors considered her outfit too revealing. On film, Morris was most prominently seen as Carol Dodsworth, the mistress of Danny DeVito’s character in Ruthless People. Her screen work also included Rhonda Ray, the lover of Rob Lowe’s character in The Hotel New Hampshire, as well as appearances in Maria’s Lovers, Absolute Beginners, Blue City, 18 Again!, Bloodhounds of Broadway, Martians Go Home and Off and Running. Radioland Murders, released in 1994, was her final film role. Morris remained a familiar television presence through the 1980s and early 1990s, taking guest roles across comedies and dramas such as Miami Vice, Cheers, Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, Murphy Brown, Melrose Place and Tales from the Crypt. She also appeared in the Rolling Stones’ 1984 music video for “She Was Hot.” Across those varied formats, Morris’s career retained the combination at its centre from the beginning: acting shaped by the instincts of a singer, dancer and seasoned stage performer.