Ashley Austin Morris (born Ashley Morris)[1] is an American comedian, playwright, and stage, television, and film actress. She is best known for her role as Francine Carruthers in the revival of the PBS Kids children's series The Electric Company, which ran from 2009 to 2011.[2][3]
Ashley Austin Morris | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ashley Morris |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, playwright, actress |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Known for | Francine Carruthers on The Electric Company |
Career
editMorris was born in San Antonio, Texas. After finishing high school, she joined a comedy troupe called "Viva La Vulva!" and contributed to the group's writing and sketch comedy.[2] The following year, she enrolled at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and co-starred in a production called Be Good, Daniel, a short comedy romance. She also wrote Libido Limbo, a play about Lady M, Nora, Blanche, and Medea being trapped in purgatory and being saved by Hillary Clinton, which was a finalist at Atlanta's Young Playwrights Festival.[4][5][6]
Morris moved to New York City after graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and landed roles in off-Broadway productions, first as Edith in Die, Mommie, Die![2][7] and then in Paper Dolls.[8][9] She also performed stand-up comedy and starred for three seasons as Francine Carruthers, the leader of the Pranksters and a character with a very high opinion of herself and the power to generate violet word balls, in the 2009-2011 revival of The Electric Company, an educational children's program that employed sketch comedy and other entertaining devices to help elementary school children develop their grammar and reading skills and shown on the Public Broadcasting Service .
While performing on The Electric Company, Morris continued to also act on stage, including in the New York City off-Broadway productions Isabel and Bees, Love, Loss, and What I Wore,[10][11] and In the Daylight,[12][13] and appeared in episodes of the television shows Ugly Betty, The Good Wife, and Gravity.
After The Electric Company stopped making new episodes, she joined the rotating cast of Reading Under the Influence,[14][15][16][17] and appeared in episodes of The Big Bang Theory and Desperate Housewives.
She was also in the video for "K.I.A. (Killed in Action)" from the album Shaka Rock by Jet,[18] and had roles in the movies Premium Rush, Art Machine, Generation Um..., Putzel, Joke Writer, and Sully. She has also continued to perform stand-up comedy routines, mainly in New York City.
Selected appearances
editFilm
edit| Date of U.S. Release | Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2004 | Be Good, Daniel (short) | Maggie | North Carolina School of the Arts |
| August 24, 2012 | Premium Rush | receptionist | Columbia Pictures |
| October 12, 2012 | Art Machine | brunette | Pie Face Pictures |
| May 13, 2013 | Generation Um... | girl date | independent |
| April 8, 2014 | Putzel | Naomi | Stouthearted Films |
| October 18, 2014 | Joke Writer | Jess | independent |
| September 9, 2016 | Sully | Emily | Warner Brothers |
| July 13, 2018 | Dead Sound | Alexa | Adler Films |
Stage
edit| Date | Name | Role | Production Company/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 10, 2007 (previews) October 21, 2007 (official) – January 2008 |
Die, Mommie, Die! | Edith Arden | |
| August 13, 2008 – August 23, 2008 | Paper Dolls | Lively Productions and Métropole Ink New York International Fringe Festival | |
| September 8, 2009 (preview) September 20, 2009 (official) – October 11, 2009 |
In the Daylight | Charlotte Fontaine | |
| June 30, 2010 – July 25, 2010 | Love, Loss, and What I Wore | also performed in San Jose, Cal. during 2013 | |
| April 6, 2011 (previews) April 16, 2011 (official) – May 29, 2011 |
Reading Under the Influence | Kerry |
Television
edit| Date First Aired | Name | Episode | Role | Network or Production Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 23, 2008 | Ugly Betty | "Granny Pants" (season 3, episode 5) | Harmony | ABC |
| January 19, 2009 | Electric Company | 3 seasons, 52 episodes | Francine Carruthers | Children's Television Workshop (PBS) |
| May 7, 2010 | Gravity | One Cold Swim Away (season 1, episode 3) | Naomi | Starz |
| November 16, 2010 | The Good Wife | Bad Girls (season 2, episode 7) | Corey Lutz | CBS |
| August 28, 2011 | I Just Want My Pants Back | pilot | Jocoby | MTV |
| November 10, 2011 | The Big Bang Theory | The Ornithophobia Diffusion (season 5, episode 9) | Laura | CBS |
| March 25, 2012 | Desperate Housewives | Any Moment (season 8, episode 18) | Mary Beth | ABC |
| February 15, 2013 | It Could Be Worse | What's Your Secret? (season 1, episode 3) | Lisa | Four A.M. Productions |
| March 4, 2013 | Gracious Café | Detox (season 1, episode 3) | Ansley | |
| November 10, 2013 | Think Tank | Job Creation (episode 1) Panda Copulation (episode 3) Prostitution (episode 4) |
Hannah | A&E (web site) |
| March 5, 2017 | Time After Time | pilot | ABC | |
| January 26, 2018 | High Maintenance | Fagan (season 2, episode 2) | Carrie | HBO |
| January 28, 2018 | Divorce | Worth It (season 2, episode 3) | HBO | |
| April 10, 2018 | The Last O.G. | Bobo Beans (season 1, episode 2) | Maggie | TBS |
| October 4, 2018 | Murphy Brown | I (Don't) Heart Huckabee (season 11, episode 2) | Addie Abrams | CBS |
| October 14, 2019 | The Deuce | This Trust Thing (season 3, episode 6) | Cheryl | HBO |
References
edit- ^ "Ashley Austin Morris". Archived from the original on 2016-04-26. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
- ^ a b c "Ashley Morris - Broadway Buzz". Broadway.com. 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
- ^ "Ashley Austin Morris 04/21 by BlazinRy Radio - Entertainment Podcasts". Blogtalkradio.com. 2011-04-21. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
- ^ "Press Releases". Sesame Workshop. Archived from the original on 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
- ^ Mullen, Ellen (July 17, 2015). "Ashley Austin Morris". /thefleatheaternyc.tumblr.com. The Flea Eater. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ "The Electric Company - Cast Biographies" (PDF). sesameworkshop.org. Public Broadcasting System. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (October 10, 2007). "News:U.S./Canada - Charles Busch's Die Mommie Die! Begins Off-Broadway Run Oct. 10". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (August 13, 2008). "Paper Dolls, with "As the World Turns" Star Magnussen, Begins FringeNYC Run Aug. 13". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "Lively Productions / Métropole Ink - Paper Dolls". irttheater.org. Interboro Repertory Theater. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "Haylie Duff, Ashley Austin Morris Join Cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore 6/30". broadwayworld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. June 22, 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (July 19, 2013). "Dawn Wells, Dee Hoty, Sandra Tsing Loh, Ashley Austin Morris Star in San Jose Rep's Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Beginning July 19". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (September 24, 2009). "Skeletons in a Family's Dark Closet". New York Times. p. C7. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Tortora-Lee, Karen (September 17, 2009). "Review - In The Daylight (Vital Theatre Company)". The Fab Marquee. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "Reading Under The Influence". Readingundertheinfluencetheplay.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
- ^ Cox, Gordon (March 11, 2011). "Off Broadway opens book on 'Reading'". Variety.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (April 6, 2011). "Barbara Walsh Stars in Off-Broadway's Reading Under the Influence, Starting April 6". playbill.com. Playbill. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Gates, Anita (April 20, 2011). "Here's to the Ladies Who Lurch". New York Times. p. C4. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ "JET - K.I.A. (Killed In Action) official video". You Tube. Jet. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 15 February 2016.