Jennifer Morrison

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Jennifer Morrison

Morrison at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Knife Fight
Born Jennifer Marie Morrison
(1979-04-12) April 12, 1979 (age 33)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names Jenny Morrison
Occupation Actress, model, film producer
Years active 1994–present

Jennifer Marie Morrison (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress, model and film producer. She is known for her role as Dr. Allison Cameron in House, whom she played for five-and-a-half years (2004-2010), and more recently in 2011 as the lead role of Emma Swan in the ABC adventure fantasy television series Once Upon a Time. She also portrayed Zoey Pierson in the sixth season of How I Met Your Mother.

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[edit] Early life

Jennifer Morrison was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She is the eldest of three children with a sister, Julia, and a brother, Daniel. Her father, David L. Morrison, is a retired music teacher who was named Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2003.[1] Morrison's mother, Judy Morrison, is also a retired teacher.

Morrison attended South Middle School then graduated from Prospect High School in 1997 where her parents worked. She played clarinet in the school's marching band, sang in the choir and was a cheerleader with the school's pep squad. She attended Loyola University Chicago where she majored in Theatre and minored in English, graduating in 2000. She studied with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television.

[edit] Career

Jennifer Morrison at Fox Upfronts 2007
Jennifer Morrison at Paleyfest 2012, in March 2012

Jennifer Morrison started her career as a child model, appearing in print advertisements for JCPenney and Montgomery Ward and commercials for Rice Krispies and Mondo. In May 1992, she was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids with basketball star Michael Jordan.[2]

She made her film debut at the age of fifteen as the daughter of Richard Gere and Sharon Stone in the 1994 film, Intersection, and later appeared as Samantha in Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon in 1999. Her first leading role came in the 2000 film Urban Legends: Final Cut, and she has since gone on to appear in films including Grind with Adam Brody, Surviving Christmas with Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2003, 2004 and 2005, respectively.

She has worked on several hit television shows, including Touched by an Angel and Dawson's Creek before landing the role of immunologist Dr. Allison Cameron on House in 2004 co-starring alongside Hugh Laurie. In 2006, she starred in and produced the independent film Flourish. Morrison is also one of the producers that found Glee during its early draft and brought it to attention of writer Ryan Murphy, who with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, adapted it into a television series. Morrison did not stay involved creatively, but is credited as an associated producer on the first season for her involvement in finding it and helping it get into the right hands.[3]

In 2007 Morrison appeared as Kirce James in the computer game Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, a character who frequently interacts with the player during the course of the GDI campaign.

Her film projects that year included Big Stan alongside Rob Schneider, and The Murder of Princess Diana, a television movie based on the book of the same name by Noel Botham. Produced by Lifetime and Working Title Television, Morrison portrays an American journalist, Rachel, who witnesses the car crash which took the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.

In 2009 Morrison returned to the big screen, appearing in the opening scene of J. J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot as James T. Kirk's mother, Winona.

Morrison has also appeared in music videos for Nick Lachey ("Shut Up"), and The Donnas ("Too Bad About Your Girl"). She also has appeared on two TV Guide covers with her House co-stars, and has been featured in photoshoots with In Style, Stuff, Entertainment Weekly and Premiere, among others. She is currently represented by Abrams Artists Agency.[4] Morrison landed the cover of Health in the 2009 July/August issue.

After her contract on House was not renewed, it was announced on December 17, 2009, that Morrison had garnered the role of Kate Keller, Helen Keller's mother, in the Broadway-bound revival of The Miracle Worker.[5] Morrison left House in Season 6: Episode 8 called "Teamwork". In 2010, however, she did make a return to House in Season 6: Episode 17 called "Lockdown", which was directed by Hugh Laurie. In the episode she concluded her character's storyline.

In the fall of 2010 Morrison appeared as a guest-star in the fourth episode of NBC's Chase. She played the role of Faith, a single mother-turned-fugitive, who embarks on a bloody killing spree across Texas with her daughter in tow.[6] She joined the cast of CBS's How I Met Your Mother as recurring character Zoey Pierson, a mischievous architecture nerd and love interest of main character Ted Mosby, and "the biggest female character we’ve maybe ever added to the show in Ted’s life", according to executive producer Craig Thomas.[7][8][9]

In 2011 Morrison co-starred alongside Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, and Nick Nolte in Warrior, a film about two estranged brothers who enter a mixed martial arts tournament and are forced to confront their struggling relationship with each other and with their father. Morrison plays the wife of Edgerton's character, struggling to keep her family together.[3] Since October 2011, Morrison has had a starring role in ABC's Once Upon a Time. She plays the role of Emma Swan, a bail bonds collector, whose biological son claims that she is the missing daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She holds the key to saving the real and fantasy worlds.

[edit] Personal life

Spencer and Morrison

Morrison started dating House co-star Jesse Spencer in July 2004.[10] Spencer proposed on December 23, 2006, at the Eiffel Tower. The couple announced in August 2007 that they had called off their engagement. [11]


[edit] Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1994 Intersection Meaghan Eastman
1994 Miracle on 34th Street Denice
1999 Stir of Echoes Samantha Kozac
2000 Urban Legends: Final Cut Amy Mayfield
2001 Zeros, TheThe Zeros Joyce
2001 Chronicle, TheThe Chronicle Gwen Episode: "Let Sleeping Dogs Fry"
2001 Touched by an Angel Melissa Dunnigan Episode: "Most Likely to Succeed"
2001 Dawson's Creek Melanie Shea Thompson Episode: "The Lost Weekend"
2002 Dawson's Creek Melanie Shea Thompson Episode: "Sleeping Arrangements"
2002 Design Sonya Mallow
2002 Any Day Now Mandy Singer Episode: "In Too Deep"
2002 Random Years, TheThe Random Years Megan Episode: "Pilot"
2002 Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie Callie TV movie
2002 Nantucket Alicia
2002 100 Women Annie AKA, Girl Fever
2003 Edge, TheThe Edge TV movie
2003 Grind Jamie
2004 Mall Cop Chris
2004 Sure Hand of God, TheThe Sure Hand of God Lily Bowser
2004 Surviving Christmas Missy Vanglider
2004 Lift Sarah Short film
2004–2012 House Dr. Allison Cameron 129+ episodes
2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith Jade – Associate #2
2006 Flourish Gabrielle Winters
2007 Murder of Princess Diana, TheThe Murder of Princess Diana Rachel TV movie
2007 Big Stan Mindy
2009 Star Trek Winona Kirk
2009 Table for Three Leslie
2009 Super Hero Squad Show, TheThe Super Hero Squad Show Wasp (voice) 3 episodes
2010 Chase Faith Maples Episode: "Paranoia"
2010–2011 How I Met Your Mother Zoey Pierson 12 episodes
2011 Bringing Ashley Home Ashley Phillips TV movie
2011 Warrior Tess Conlon
2011–present Once Upon a Time Emma Swan Lead role
Video games
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Kirce James – GDI Intelligence Officer

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Band Teacher Marches On As 2003 Teacher of the Year". Illinois State Board of Education. 2003-03-22. http://www.isbe.state.il.us/news/2003/mar22-03.htm. Retrieved 2011-02-12. 
  2. ^ "Cover Viewer SI For Kids". http://www.sikids.com/cover-viewer. 
  3. ^ a b "Jennifer Morrison:Answers to Twitter questions...". 2010-04-10. http://www.facebook.com/notes/jennifer-morrison/answers-to-twitter-questions/417153916577. Retrieved 2011-02-12. 
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2007-06-07). "Morrison To Star In Lifetime's "Diana"". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.showbuzz.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/07/tv/main2896217.shtml. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  5. ^ The Broadway League. "The official source for Broadway Information". IBDB. http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=485545. Retrieved 2011-02-12. 
  6. ^ "House's Morrison To Co-Star With Real-Life Love on NBC's Chase". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Houses-1022094.aspx. Retrieved August 20 , 2010. 
  7. ^ "Jennifer Morrison Joins HIMYM!". CBS. http://www.cbs.com/forum/posts/list/131141.page. Retrieved September 10 , 2010. 
  8. ^ "'House' Alumna Jennifer Morrison Joins CBS Comedy 'How I Met Your Mother'". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/house-alumna-jennifer-morrison-joins-cbs-comedy-how-i-met-your-mother/. Retrieved September 10 , 2010. 
  9. ^ "Keck's Exclusives: Is Jennifer Morrison HIMYM's Mother?". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-HIMYM-1023671.aspx. Retrieved September 26, 2010. 
  10. ^ "Engaged House Stars Prepare to Tie the Knot". People. July 6, 2009. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20044766,00.html. Retrieved November 10, 2011. 
  11. ^ Jordan, Julie (15 August 2007). "House Costars Call Off Engagement". http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20051905,00.html. 

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