Morgan Brittany
Encyclopedia
Morgan Brittany is an American film
and television
actress. She is possibly best known for her role in the 1980s primetime soap opera
Dallas
, where she portrayed Katherine Wentworth, the scheming younger half-sister of Pamela Ewing and Cliff Barnes
.
series (Nightmare as a Child
), as the little girl at the end of the episode. She subsequently appeared in the fourth season episode (Valley of the Shadow
) as "Sissy Johnson" and the fifth season episode ("Caesar and Me
") as "Susan." She discusses these parts in interviews for the Twilight Zone Definitive Edition DVDs (the season 4 and season 5 sets). She appeared on TV in a 1960 episode of Lloyd Bridges
's Sea Hunt
; in the 1962 film Gypsy
as "Baby" June, (June Havoc
). Although uncredited, she appeared in the birthday party scene in the 1963 movie The Birds
. In 1964 she appeared in an episode of "Daniel Boone" (Fluellen Family, first season) portraying a young mute girl. She also appeared on Bridges's CBS anthology series The Lloyd Bridges Show
. In 1966 she appeared as "Kellie" in the series episode "Kellie" on "Branded". She appeared in a 1967 episode of The Andy Griffith Show
as "Mary Alice Carter", whom Opie Taylor
(Ron Howard
) asks out for his first date. She also appeared in the 1968 film, Yours, Mine and Ours
, portraying Louise Beardsley.
In 1976 Brittany portrayed Vivien Leigh
in the biopic Gable and Lombard
. That was followed by numerous movies of the week and episodic shows such as "The Initiation of Sarah" with Kay Lenz, "The Amazing Howard Hughes" with Tommy Lee Jones, and "LBJ, The Early Years" with Randy Quaid.
In November 1980, Morgan appeared in a Dukes of Hazzard
episode titled "The Hazzardville Horror" as an heiress to an Addams Family-like haunted house. It is during that appearance that she met her future husband, stuntman Jack Gill. Her brief appearance as Vivien Leigh
is the climax of the made-for-TV movie Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980). Because of that pivotal moment, she came to the attention of the producers of "Dallas" who were searching for a new character to play the sister of Pamela Ewing.
Brittany first appeared on Dallas during the 1981-1982 season in a recurring role which continued for several seasons. In 1985, she returned for a brief cameo appearance in that season's finale. Thus, in 1987, Brittany made another brief return to the show in which Katherine came to visit Pam in the hospital after a car accident. This was Brittany's last appearance on Dallas.
In 1984, Brittany starred in her own short-lived ABC
drama series, Glitter
, opposite David Birney
, as "Kate Simpson", a reporter at an entertainment magazine. She and Bruce Jenner hosted the sports show "Star Games" and then she hosted over 100 episodes of the magazine show "Photoplay" produced by Jack Haley Jr. She has also guest starred on a number of other prime time shows, such as Married... with Children
as Marilyn Beamis in the episode "Life's a Beach" (1989), The Dukes of Hazzard
, The Love Boat
, Murder, She Wrote
and Melrose Place, and has the distinction of appearing on "The Love Boat" seven times. She also appeared with Bob Hope on two of his television specials for NBC.
During the 1990s Morgan created a line of Victorian porcelain dolls for the Home Shopping Club. The "Morgan Brittany Collectable Doll" collection was very successful and sold for a few years on the network.
In 2002, Brittany had roles in the film, The Biggest Fan
, and {"Mothers and Daughters"}. She also had a guest appearance on the television series Son of the Beach
playing "Kimberlee's Mother" in 2002. She also appears in the 2007 film {"Americanizing Shelley"}. Brittany appears in the 2010 docu-drama 1 a Minute. The documentary is being made by Namrata Singh Gujral
and features cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John
, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge
, Mumtaz
and Jaclyn Smith
. She is currently a frequent guest on the Fox News Networks, "Hannity" show where she is a member of the "Great American Panel". Morgan travels extensively, fund-raising and bringing awareness to issues that affect the military and American values. She is also an advocate for child actors in Hollywood and along with former child star Paul Petersen
, brought attention to the film Hounddog starring Dakota Fanning
.
Morgan returned to her musical roots in the 30th anniversary tour of "Mame" in 1997 where she played the title role. She followed that with tours of "The Sound of Music" as Maria, and "Crazy For You".
During the 1980s, Morgan was a national ambassador for the March of Dimes
. She traveled all over the United States raising funds and bringing awareness to the prevention of birth defects. She participated in the Congressional "Walk" in Washington DC with members of the House of Representatives and then Speaker Tip O'Neill. Her involvement with the March of Dimes lasted two decades. Today she still supports the organization but contributes her time to supporting our troops both past and present. She has appeared on the Hannity television show.
She lives on a ranch in southern California and is developing conservative, family oriented projects for film and television.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress. She is possibly best known for her role in the 1980s primetime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, where she portrayed Katherine Wentworth, the scheming younger half-sister of Pamela Ewing and Cliff Barnes
Cliff Barnes
Clifford "Cliff" Barnes, played by Ken Kercheval, was a character on the popular American television series Dallas. The Barnes family were competitors and sometimes enemies of the Ewing family. Cliff was the son of Willard "Digger" Barnes and Rebecca Barnes Wentworth. J.R. Ewing was Cliff's...
.
Early career
Under her birth name, Brittany began her career as a child in 1960 in an episode of the original Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
series (Nightmare as a Child
Nightmare as a Child
"Nightmare as a Child" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Schoolteacher Helen Foley finds a strange and very serious little girl named Markie on the stairs outside her apartment. Despite her stoic appearance, she is humming the tune to a nursery...
), as the little girl at the end of the episode. She subsequently appeared in the fourth season episode (Valley of the Shadow
Valley of the Shadow
"Valley of the Shadow" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Opening narration:-Synopsis:A reporter named Philip Redfield finds himself unable to leave a small town when he learns too much about a secret mechanical device which can control and rearrange...
) as "Sissy Johnson" and the fifth season episode ("Caesar and Me
Caesar and Me
"Caesar and Me" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Jonathan West is an unsuccessful Irish ventriloquist. He is perpetually broke, selling valuable keepsakes like his grandfather's watch to pawn brokers to get some money...
") as "Susan." She discusses these parts in interviews for the Twilight Zone Definitive Edition DVDs (the season 4 and season 5 sets). She appeared on TV in a 1960 episode of Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. was an American actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. Bridges is best known for his role of Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt, the most-popular syndicated American TV series in 1958...
's Sea Hunt
Sea Hunt
Sea Hunt was an American adventure television series that was aired in syndication by Ziv Television Programs from 1958 to 1961 and was popular in syndication for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced...
; in the 1962 film Gypsy
Gypsy (1962 film)
Gypsy is a 1962 American musical film produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass is based on the book of the 1959 stage musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable by Arthur Laurents, which was adapted from Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee.Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for...
as "Baby" June, (June Havoc
June Havoc
June Havoc was a Canadian-born American actress, dancer, writer, and theater director. Havoc was a child Vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother. She later acted on Broadway and in Hollywood and stage directed . She last appeared on television in 1990 on General Hospital...
). Although uncredited, she appeared in the birthday party scene in the 1963 movie The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
. In 1964 she appeared in an episode of "Daniel Boone" (Fluellen Family, first season) portraying a young mute girl. She also appeared on Bridges's CBS anthology series The Lloyd Bridges Show
The Lloyd Bridges Show
The Lloyd Bridges Show is an American anthology drama series produced by Aaron Spelling, which aired on CBS from September 11, 1962 to May 28, 1963, starring and hosted by Lloyd Bridges.-Synopsis:...
. In 1966 she appeared as "Kellie" in the series episode "Kellie" on "Branded". She appeared in a 1967 episode of The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
as "Mary Alice Carter", whom Opie Taylor
Opie Taylor
Opie Taylor is a fictional character in the American television program, The Andy Griffith Show which was televised on CBS from October 3, 1960 to April 1, 1968...
(Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
) asks out for his first date. She also appeared in the 1968 film, Yours, Mine and Ours
Yours, Mine and Ours (1968 film)
For the remake of this film starring Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo see Yours, Mine and Ours Yours, Mine and Ours is a 1968 film, directed by Melville Shavelson and starring Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda and Van Johnson...
, portraying Louise Beardsley.
Career as Morgan Brittany
After her successful career as a child actress, Morgan at the age of 18, appeared with Gene Kelly in his Las Vegas show "Gene Kelly's Wonderful World of Girls". After that, Morgan relocated to New York City where she became a model with the Ford Modeling Agency. She appeared in a multitude of national commercials and print ads including a 3 year stint as the "Ultra-Brite toothpaste" girl, L'Oreal cosmetics, Ford, Levi's, Camay soap and many more. In 1974 she was hired by the Japanese cosmetics company Kanebo to be the "face" of their product "Ireine". Morgan moved to Tokyo and represented that company for two years. In 1976 she returned to the United States and restarted her acting career.In 1976 Brittany portrayed Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
in the biopic Gable and Lombard
Gable and Lombard
Gable and Lombard is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Sidney J. Furie. The screenplay by Barry Sandler is based on the romance and consequent marriage of legendary screen stars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard...
. That was followed by numerous movies of the week and episodic shows such as "The Initiation of Sarah" with Kay Lenz, "The Amazing Howard Hughes" with Tommy Lee Jones, and "LBJ, The Early Years" with Randy Quaid.
In November 1980, Morgan appeared in a Dukes of Hazzard
Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
episode titled "The Hazzardville Horror" as an heiress to an Addams Family-like haunted house. It is during that appearance that she met her future husband, stuntman Jack Gill. Her brief appearance as Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
is the climax of the made-for-TV movie Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War (1980). Because of that pivotal moment, she came to the attention of the producers of "Dallas" who were searching for a new character to play the sister of Pamela Ewing.
Brittany first appeared on Dallas during the 1981-1982 season in a recurring role which continued for several seasons. In 1985, she returned for a brief cameo appearance in that season's finale. Thus, in 1987, Brittany made another brief return to the show in which Katherine came to visit Pam in the hospital after a car accident. This was Brittany's last appearance on Dallas.
In 1984, Brittany starred in her own short-lived ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama series, Glitter
Glitter (TV series)
Glitter was an American television drama series screened on the ABC network during the 1984-1985 season.The series was produced by Aaron Spelling and was set behind the scenes of a top entertainment magazine titled "Glitter" and attempted to combine the urgency of journalism and business politics...
, opposite David Birney
David Birney
David Edwin Birney is an American actor/director whose career has performances in both contemporary and classical roles in theatre, film and television. He has three children, a daughter Kate, and twins, Peter and Mollie....
, as "Kate Simpson", a reporter at an entertainment magazine. She and Bruce Jenner hosted the sports show "Star Games" and then she hosted over 100 episodes of the magazine show "Photoplay" produced by Jack Haley Jr. She has also guest starred on a number of other prime time shows, such as Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
as Marilyn Beamis in the episode "Life's a Beach" (1989), The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
and Melrose Place, and has the distinction of appearing on "The Love Boat" seven times. She also appeared with Bob Hope on two of his television specials for NBC.
During the 1990s Morgan created a line of Victorian porcelain dolls for the Home Shopping Club. The "Morgan Brittany Collectable Doll" collection was very successful and sold for a few years on the network.
In 2002, Brittany had roles in the film, The Biggest Fan
The Biggest Fan
The Biggest Fan is a film based around the band Dream Street . The main characters are Chris Trousdale and his "Biggest Fan" Debbie Worden...
, and {"Mothers and Daughters"}. She also had a guest appearance on the television series Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach is an American sitcom that aired from 2000 to 2002 on the FX network. The series was a spoof of Baywatch, with much of the comedy based on sexual jokes, innuendo and the like. The studly David Hasselhoff character is instead an average, pot-bellied, out-of-shape bald man but...
playing "Kimberlee's Mother" in 2002. She also appears in the 2007 film {"Americanizing Shelley"}. Brittany appears in the 2010 docu-drama 1 a Minute. The documentary is being made by Namrata Singh Gujral
Namrata Singh Gujral
Namrata Singh Gujral born 26 February 1976 is an American actress.She is of Sikh faith and Indian as well as Tibetan descent. She was born in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh and is a 1998 graduate from the University of West Florida.-Roles:...
and features cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
, Mumtaz
Mumtaz (actress)
Mumtaz , fondly called Mumu, is a famous Bollywood actress, best remembered for her roles in Tere Mere Sapne and Khilona . Her performance in Khilona got her the Filmfare Best Actress Award, while the film itself won the Filmfare Best Movie Award...
and Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...
. She is currently a frequent guest on the Fox News Networks, "Hannity" show where she is a member of the "Great American Panel". Morgan travels extensively, fund-raising and bringing awareness to issues that affect the military and American values. She is also an advocate for child actors in Hollywood and along with former child star Paul Petersen
Paul Petersen
William Paul Petersen is an American movie actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation,...
, brought attention to the film Hounddog starring Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
.
Morgan returned to her musical roots in the 30th anniversary tour of "Mame" in 1997 where she played the title role. She followed that with tours of "The Sound of Music" as Maria, and "Crazy For You".
Personal life
Brittany is the mother of actress Katie Gill and musician/stuntman Cody Gill.During the 1980s, Morgan was a national ambassador for the March of Dimes
March of Dimes
The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
. She traveled all over the United States raising funds and bringing awareness to the prevention of birth defects. She participated in the Congressional "Walk" in Washington DC with members of the House of Representatives and then Speaker Tip O'Neill. Her involvement with the March of Dimes lasted two decades. Today she still supports the organization but contributes her time to supporting our troops both past and present. She has appeared on the Hannity television show.
She lives on a ranch in southern California and is developing conservative, family oriented projects for film and television.