Heather Morris | |
|---|---|
 Morris in 2010 | |
| Born | Heather Elizabeth Morris |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Spouse | Taylor Hubbell (m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
Heather Elizabeth Morris [1] is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She played the role of Brittany S. Pierce in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee .
Morris was born in Thousand Oaks, California, [1] and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. [2] She began dancing in early childhood. [3] Morris competed at a young age in a variety of styles including jazz, tap, and contemporary. Her father died of cancer when she was 14 years old. [4] [5] [6] After graduating from Desert Mountain High School, where she was homecoming queen, [7] Morris spent a year at Arizona State University before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a dance career. [3]
Morris' first significant appearance was in 2006 on So You Think You Can Dance Season 2 where she made it through "Vegas Week" without being cut, but failed to make the final 20 by a vote of 3 to 2. [8]
Not discouraged, Morris actively pursued a career in dancing. Her big break came in 2007 via Beyoncé. Morris was one of Beyoncé's backup dancers on The Beyoncé Experience world tour and, [9] following that, worked again with Beyoncé on a mini "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" promotional tour that included 2008 performances on the American Music Awards, [10] Saturday Night Live , [11] The Ellen DeGeneres Show , Today , [11] and MTV's Total Request Live finale. She also danced backup for Beyoncé and Tina Turner at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008. [12] [13] She later appeared in a small role in the movie Fired Up , where she met choreographer Zach Woodlee. Following that film, Woodlee brought Morris in to dance on other shows he was choreographing, including episodes of Eli Stone and Swingtown , and the movie Bedtime Stories ; eventually, Morris landed a role as Brittany on Glee. [14]
In December 2010, Morris was named the Celebrity Style Ambassador for FLIRT! Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder cosmetics line. [15] In 2010, Morris made the Maxim Hot 100 list, coming in at number 85. On the AfterEllen hot 100 list, she was ranked #2 behind her close friend Naya Rivera.
In 2011, Morris starred in a back-to-school commercial for Staples Canada that featured her dancing.
In the October 2011 issue of Fitness magazine, she stated that she had her breast implants removed. "Implants were something I thought I wanted when I was younger, and now I don't. It was hard being active with them, because my chest was always sore. It hurt a lot, and I didn't like always being in pain, so they had to go!" [16] Her breast implant surgery was done sometime between her time on So You Think You Can Dance at age 18, and age 21 when she was a backup dancer for Beyoncé. [17]
Morris was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was asked by Woodlee to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance to the Glee actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany. [11] Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liners. [18] Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post opined that Morris had "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now" [19] and a LA Times writer mentioned having a "comedy crush on Morris, who plays the galactically dim Glee Club cheerleader Brittany". [20]
When a promotional clip for the episode "Sectionals" indicated that Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, writing for lesbian entertainment website AfterEllen , praised the pairing, referring to them by the portmanteau "Brittana". [21] Snarker called the two her "new favorite Glee pairing", commenting that: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they've made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel — I'm on Team Brittana now." [21]
Morris' role became more prominent during the final nine episodes of season one and, due to the overwhelmingly positive response to her character, was promoted to official series regular status during season two. [22] She was at the center of the second episode, "Britney/Brittany" (a tribute to Britney Spears), where she made her singing debut covering Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U" solo and dueting with Naya Rivera on "Me Against the Music". She later got many other singing and dancing solos. The second half of season two saw Morris' character engage in a lesbian storyline with Rivera's character. The arc and Rivera's and Morris' performances were met with critical acclaim. As on Glee, Morris was best friends in real life with co-star Rivera, until Rivera's death in 2020. [23]
In season 3, she and Rivera's characters continued their relationship as a couple. Morris had a leading role in the episode "Prom-asaurus". During the season finale, Brittany (played by Morris) revealed that she had an 0.0 GPA and that she would not be graduating.
During the 2011 Glee Tour, Morris performed Britney Spears' song "I'm a Slave 4 U". She also had a dance spotlight with castmate Harry Shum Jr. during Naya Rivera's performance of "Valerie", and was one of the dancers in the "Single Ladies" and "Safety Dance" numbers.
Morris co-wrote and appeared in a January 2011 video for the comedy website Funny or Die, "Nuthin' But A Glee Thang" a parody of "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg. Co-written with actresses Ashley Lendzion and Riki Lindhome, the video features appearances from Modern Family's Sofia Vergara and Morris' Glee castmates Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Harry Shum Jr., and Naya Rivera. [24]
On June 28, 2013, it was reported that Morris would not be returning as a regular on Glee's fifth season. [25] However, Morris reprised her role for the show's hundredth episode and the final episode of the show's fifth season. Morris also appeared in five episodes in the show's sixth and final season, including the series finale.
On March 1, 2017, Morris was revealed as one of the contestants who would compete on season 24 of Dancing with the Stars , causing massive criticism, with many citing her professional dancing experience as an unfair advantage. [26] [27] The producers defended their decision to cast Morris by saying that she does not have ballroom or partnering experience. [28] She was paired with professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, [29] though she danced with troupe member Alan Bersten starting on the second until the fifth week of the competition due to Maks suffering a calf muscle injury. [30] Maks reunited with her to dance in the sixth week of the competition on April 24, 2017, but they were eliminated despite receiving the first perfect score of the season and topping the results board, causing fans to boo loudly. [31] [32]
On October 22, 2022, Morris was revealed to be the winner of the second and final season of The Masked Dancer. She participated in the show under the character of "Scissors". Due to the show being cancelled in 2024, she was the last ever celebrity to be unmasked on the show, and closed the entire show, the final, and its final season by dancing unmasked to "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, which marked the show's final performance in whole. [33]
Morris joined the HEAT Convention and Competition Faculty in 2020. Morris teaches master classes and serves as a judge. [34]
Morris is married to Taylor Hubbell, whom she began dating when he was a college baseball player. [35] They attended the same high school in Arizona, [36] but did not know each other there. [37] They began dating after Morris moved to Los Angeles and Hubbell contacted her on Myspace. [38] In a 2011 interview with Fitness , Morris said of Hubbell, "I want to marry him so bad. That's what I really care about. I want to marry Taylor and have kids with him. I love acting, but if it affects my relationship, then I won't continue doing it." [35] After graduating from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, Hubbell began living with Morris in Los Angeles in early 2012. [39] Morris gave birth to their first child, a son, [40] on September 28, 2013, and he was named after Taylor Hubbell's older cousin. [36] On August 28, 2014, it was announced that she and Hubbell were engaged, [41] and they married on May 16, 2015. [42] In August 2015, she announced via social media that they were expecting their second child. [43] In an interview with E! News, she revealed that the second child would be a boy. [44] She gave birth to their second son on February 11, 2016. [45]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Beyoncé Experience Live | Dancer | Concert film Supporting role |
| 2008 | Bedtime Stories | Dancer | Supporting role |
| 2009 | Fired Up! | Fiona | Supporting role |
| 2011 | A Sense of Humor | Laura | Short film Lead role |
| 2011 | The Elevator | Girl | Short film; also writer, director and producer |
| 2011 | Andy Made a Friend | Kate | Short film lead role |
| 2011 | Post | Lily | |
| 2011 | Glee: The 3D Concert Movie | Brittany S. Pierce | Concert film main role |
| 2012 | Courage to Create | Bella | Short film Main role |
| 2012 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Katie | Voice role |
| 2013 | Spring Breakers | Bess | Supporting role |
| 2015 | Horrible Parents | Meg | Short film Lead role |
| 2015 | Most Likely to Die | Gaby (Gabriella) | Lead role |
| 2016 | Folk Hero & Funny Guy | Nicole | Main role |
| 2016 | The Cleansing Hour | Heather | Short film |
| 2017 | Romantically Speaking | Ariel | Main role |
| 2018 | All Styles | Elizabeth | |
| 2019 | Dance with a Demon | Mother | Short film |
| 2019 | Santa Fake | Emily | |
| 2022 | Moon Manor | Karen | |
| 2023 | Cora Bora | ||
| TBA | Back to 1 | Lucy Moreau | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Saturday Night Live | Beyonce's Dancer | Episode: "Paul Rudd/Beyoncé" |
| 2008 | Swingtown | Disco Dancer | Uncredited, episode: "Get Down Tonight" |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Dancer | Uncredited, 2 episodes |
| 2009-15 | Glee | Brittany Pierce | Main role (seasons 2-4); Recurring role (seasons 1, 5-6); 92 episodes |
| 2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Suit Dancer | Uncredited, episode: "Girls Versus Suits" |
| 2012 | Punk'd | Herself | Guest host |
| 2015 | Romantically Speaking | Ariel Cookson | Television film |
| 2015 | Whose Line Is It Anyway? | Herself | Episode: "Heather Morris" |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Eliza Hansenback | Episode: "Weird Al Yankovic Wears A Different Hawaiian Shirt" |
| 2016 | Go-Go Boy Interrupted | Katie | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | LA LA Living | Lizbet | Main role |
| 2017 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Contestant on season 24 |
| 2017 | GLOW | Member of aerobics class | Uncredited; episode: Pilot [46] |
| 2017 | Psycho Wedding Crasher | Jenna Kravitz | TV movie lead role |
| 2017 | Mondays | Kia | Episode: "That Time When I Got Life Coached" |
| 2018 | I.R.L. | Lizbet | Main role |
| 2018 | The Troupe | Kennedy Dawson | Main role |
| 2018 | Raven's Home | Lady | Cameo, episode "Raven's Home: Remix" |
| 2018 | Pretty Little Stalker | Kelsey | TV movie lead role |
| 2022 | Fatal Fandom | Addison Bright | Television film |
| 2022 | The Masked Dancer | Scissors | Winner, series 2 |
| 2024 | So Help Me Todd | Judy Maxon | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| Year | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The White Tie Affair | "Allow Me To Introduce Myself...Mr. Right/Candle (Sick And Tired)" [47] [48] [ better source needed ] |
| Hit the Lights | "Drop the Girl" [47] [49] [ better source needed ] | |
| 2011 | Leo Moctezuma | "2 Da Left" [50] [ better source needed ] |
| 2021 | Whitney Houston and Clean Bandit | "How Will I Know" [51] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Glee | Won |
| TV Land Awards | Future Classics (with: Glee Cast) | Won | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Group (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | ||
| Lesbian/Bi People's Choice Awards | Favorite Music Duo or Group (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | ||
| Gay People's Choice Awards | Favorite Music Duo or Group (with: Glee Cast) | Won | ||
| 2011 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media | Nominated | ||
| Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | "Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)" | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music: Group (with: Glee Cast) | Glee | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards | Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (with: Glee Cast) | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Scene Stealer Female | Nominated |
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character was portrayed by Naya Rivera, and appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. Introduced as a minor antagonist and a sidekick to Quinn Fabray in the first episode of Glee, Santana's role grew over the course of the show's first season. In the second season, Rivera was promoted to a series regular, and Santana was given more high-profile storylines, such as the development of her romantic feelings for her best friend Brittany Pierce, and the subsequent realization that she is a lesbian. Rivera, who was vocally supportive of the love story between her and Morris' character, received widespread praise for her portrayal of Santana, as well as for her for vocal work in numerous songs performed as part of the show's central glee club, New Directions.
"Hairography" is the eleventh episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on November 25, 2009. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan and directed by Bill D'Elia. The episode introduces New Directions' rival glee clubs, the Jane Addams Girls Choir for girls recently released from juvenile detention, and the Haverbrook Deaf Choir. Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester sabotages New Directions by giving their set-list for sectionals to the competing clubs. Quinn reconsiders having her baby adopted, but ultimately recommits to the idea, and Rachel tries unsuccessfully to attract Finn.
Michael Robert Chang Jr. is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor and dancer Harry Shum Jr., and has appeared on Glee since the fourth episode in the first season, "Preggers", first broadcast on September 23, 2009. Glee follows the trials of the New Directions glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in the town of Lima, Ohio, of which Mike is a member. He is introduced as a football player who joins the club together with a few of his teammates, and quickly shows himself to be an excellent dancer, being the best ones in the group along with Brittany Pierce. His character is slowly developed throughout the series, pairing him with Tina Cohen-Chang in the second season. He was promoted to the main cast in the third season with a prominent storyline in his senior year. He reverts to the recurring cast in the fifth season and final season.
Naya Marie Rivera was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series Glee, in which she starred from 2009 to 2015, she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and nominations for two Grammy Awards.
Glee Live! In Concert! was a 2010—2011 concert tour performed in-character by members of the cast of the popular television series Glee. The tour, created by series creator Ryan Murphy, was designed to build on the overwhelming response to the series, with Murphy stating that the series' soundtrack and concerts were an additional revenue stream from the series. The tour, which played in North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, received positive responses from both music critics and fans of the series. The first North American leg of the tour in May 2010 played ten shows, in four cities, seen by over 70,000 spectators, generating over five million dollars in ticket sales and ranking ninth on the Billboard Hot Tours list. The 2011 tour was seen by an audience of over 485,000 and placed sixteenth on Billboard's annual Top 25 Tours list, earning over $40 million from 31 shows, played in 21 cities.
"New Directions" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the one-hundred-first episode overall. Written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 25, 2014, and is the second part of a two-part anniversary episode that features the apparent end of New Directions after the club is shut down by principal Sue Sylvester. Many graduates of the glee club have returned, as have special guest stars Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes and Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holliday. This is the last appearance of Paltrow, Chenoweth, and Melissa Benoist on the series, although Benoist is still credited as a series regular throughout the remainder of the season.
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the twenty-fourth episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears. Glee club member Brittany S. Pierce experiences an anesthesia-induced hallucination in which she recreates iconic Spears moments, and comes to self-realization, and several club members follow suit. Co-captains Rachel and Finn experience difficulties in their relationship, and club director Will Schuester becomes jealous of guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury's new boyfriend, Dr. Carl Howell.
"Duets" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the twenty-sixth episode overall. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and premiered on Fox on October 12, 2010. The episode featured seven cover versions, including a mash-up of "Happy Days Are Here Again" and "Get Happy" by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland, respectively.
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and first appeared in the show's second episode, "Showmance". Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. In Glee, Brittany is a ditzy cheerleader, or "Cheerio", for the fictional William McKinley High School, and a member of the school's glee club led by Will Schuester. Morris was originally hired to teach Beyoncé's "Single Ladies " dance to the Glee cast. At that time, the series was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris landed the role. Morris was upgraded to a series regular in the series' second season, in which Brittany is given a larger storyline, solos and dance routines to perform.
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee, and the thirty-seventh episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and first aired on the Fox network on March 8, 2011. The episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality. In it, Holly Holliday returns to McKinley High School as a substitute teacher in a class devoted to sex education. Glee club director Will Schuester begins to develop feelings for Holly, and guidance counselor and celibacy club advisor Emma Pillsbury is less than pleased with Holly's lessons. Santana expresses her love for Brittany, and Burt Hummel has a talk with his son Kurt about sex.
"Rumours" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the forty-first overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Tim Hunter, first aired on May 3, 2011 on Fox in the United States, and it features the return of guest star Kristin Chenoweth. In "Rumours", the glee club is swept by rumors that strain the friendships and relationships of the members, so director Will Schuester has them perform songs from Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours. The episode is a tribute to that album, and all the songs covered in the episode are from it. This generated strong interest in the album: Rumours reentered the Billboard 200 chart at number eleven the week after the show was aired in the US, and the Australian album charts at number two five days after the show was aired in that country.
"Asian F" is the third episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the forty-seventh overall. Written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, it first aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2011. The episode features the introduction of Emma Pillsbury's and Mike Chang's parents, and the final auditions for the McKinley High production of West Side Story, in which the competition between Mercedes Jones and Rachel Berry leads the former to quit New Directions.
Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2 is the tenth soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee, released by Columbia Records on November 11, 2011.
"Thanksgiving" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-fourth episode overall. Written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner, and directed by Bradley Buecker, it aired on Fox in the United States on November 29, 2012. The episode features the return of many of the New Directions graduates to help in coaching the current glee club for Sectionals competition, which takes place on Thanksgiving, and the reappearance of special guest star Sarah Jessica Parker as Isabelle Wright, Kurt's boss in New York City.
The sixth and final season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on April 19, 2013, along with the fifth season, as part of a two-season renewal deal for the show on the Fox network. The final season, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on Friday, January 9, 2015, with the first two episodes, and the last two episodes aired on March 20, 2015.
"100" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 100th episode of the series overall. Written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, and directed by Paris Barclay, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 18, 2014. The episode features the apparent end of New Directions after the club is shut down by principal Sue Sylvester. Many graduates of the glee club return, as do special guest stars Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes and Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holliday.
"The Untitled Rachel Berry Project" is the twentieth episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 108th episode overall. Written by Matthew Hodgson and directed by co-creator Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States on May 13, 2014, and features the return of special guest star Shirley MacLaine as rich socialite June Dolloway in her second and last appearance.
"What the World Needs Now" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 114th overall. The episode was written by Michael Hitchcock, directed by Barbara Brown, and first aired on February 6, 2015 on Fox in the United States.
"A Wedding" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 116th overall. The episode was written by Ross Maxwell, directed by executive producer Bradley Buecker, and first aired on February 20, 2015 on Fox in the United States.
On July 8, 2020, American actress and singer Naya Rivera was declared missing after she failed to return from a boating excursion on Lake Piru near her home in California. Shortly afterwards, her rented boat with her 4-year-old son, Josey Dorsey, was located. Dorsey was unharmed. A search conducted by various authorities in southern California began, though Rivera was formally presumed dead the next day; the search lasted until the morning of July 13, 2020, when her body was recovered and she was pronounced dead from drowning at the age of 33. The death was ruled accidental, with the investigation determining Rivera exhausted herself saving her son's life in the water. In November 2020, Rivera's ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, and estate brought wrongful death lawsuits against Ventura County and the management of Lake Piru.
...Scottsdale native Heather Morris...
Choreographer Brian Friedman remembers when Heather came to his school, The Dance Source, at the age of 7. ... 'I put her with the 9 to 11 year olds and she danced circles around every one of them.'
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)My boyfriend and I knew of each other in high school, but we didn't know each other. He was a year younger than I was, so after I moved, he messaged me on MySpace, asking 'When you come back, do you want to hang out?' and I was like, 'You're so cute, I'd love to!'
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