BIOGRAPHY OF STARS

Chronicle (Levin), 8 April 1947, Page 7

BIOGRAPHY OF STARS

CHESTER MORRIS 17 YEARS A STAR Chester Morris,. star of Columjia's "Boston Blackie" series ana of many other action films, was jorn in New York. City, February 16, the son of William Morris, a prominent actor, and Etta LawKins Morris, an " outstanding comedienne in the Charles Frohinan era. After attending grammer school and .high scnool in Mount Verno, New Yorx, he "played iioohey " at an eariy age to appear in a picture fof- the Tanhoser Company in New1 Rochelle. Discovenng this, his father ~profnis'ed to make the lad --an actor if that was his i ambition. • The elder Morris made gobd-1 his' promise and the;, young Chester toured the coiintry in a family act that played vaudeviife ior;''more than four years:' Iiater r he1 obtained work jWith stoek 'crdifipfihies • in Providence, Boston .ahd' Washington;' nis . first. play' wa'S "Tl^e • Copperhead" wfiicli stafjfed Lidnel Barrymore. = . . . While Morris was playing _ in tfie stage sucdes^ : I'Crime/' which -listod in- .iti cast " such names' as[ Sylvia Sidney; Jack • LaRue -and| rvay Johnson, he;, received ah offer; from Hollywood, but refused. He continued in pl.ays on the stage, I appearing in "Yellow/' "Home| Towners," "Turn to the Rightj"j and "So This is London." When Roland West was casting j for "Alibi," he haa great difficulty in obtaining a Hollywood actor who could play the most important role. Morris was suggested, and this time he set out for the motion picture city to gamble with luck. West immediately signed him for the role and Morris sky-rocketed to screen fame almost overnight. In June, 1936, he signed a long-t,erm contract with Columbia Pictures. Formerly married to Sue Kilborn, Morris has two children, Cynthia and Brooks. His outdoor hobbies include golf, tennis, swimming and boxing, while music andj sketching serve him for an artistic outlet. His favourite author isi Somerset Maugham, although he, enjoys hair-raising murder mys-j teries. He has become one of Hollywood's atnateur magicians, and is a member of the American Society of Magicians.* Chester's screen record rates seventeen years a star, and still | goi'ng strong. His recent film A | Close Call for Boston Blackie" marks his 70th screen role.