RICHARD HENRY MORRIS

(The Unsinkable Molly Brown and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE) Broadway acclaim came to Richard Morris with his original book of THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, music by Meredith Wilson. The high-spirited musical had a stellar Broadway run and played across world stages for years.  The current, new version is based on Richard’s libretto but has been fully rewritten by Dick Scanlan, Richard’s co-author on the multiple Tony-winning musical THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE.   THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN now reflects the more historical aspects of the real Molly Brown vs. the myth.

Morris was nominated for the 2002 Tony Award (Best Book) and the 2002 Drama Desk Award (Best Book) for the theatrical musical THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE which was the stage adaptation of the original motion picture that was solely created and written by Morris.

Richard Morris as a screen writer had a number of feature films to his credit beyond THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE including IF A MAN ANSWERS and CHANGE OF HABIT.  He further made vast contributions to the television world, creating almost one hundred teleplays, directing and producing many of his own scripts.

Richard was an avid art and history buff and a world traveler. A native of Burlingame, California, he attended the Chouinard Art Institute, then enlisted in the Army writing shows for the Special Services Division. Thereafter he moved to New York, studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.  

His work at the School included writing, which became his expertise and as Fate would have it, landed him a screen writing position back in California at Universal Studios.  And as the saying goes, the rest is history. He enjoyed success in three arenas: television, motion pictures and the theater.

Though Richard Morris has passed on, his life was full and his talents left a legacy for audiences to be charmed by and to forever appreciate.