Jessica Madison Wright Morris (July 29, 1984 – July 21, 2006), known professionally as J. Madison Wright, was an American child actor. A few years after she left acting, and while still a high school student, Wright underwent a heart transplant; in 2006, after graduating from college and two weeks after her marriage, she died from a heart attack.
J. Madison Wright Morris | |
|---|---|
 Wright in Earth 2 (1994) | |
| Born | Jessica Madison Wright July 29, 1984 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2006 (aged 21) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting place | A. R. Dyche Memorial Park, London, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Other names | J. Madison Wright |
| Alma mater | University of the Cumberlands |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–1998 |
| Spouse |
Brent Joseph Morris (m. 2006) |
Early life
editMorris was born July 29, 1984[1] in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was raised in the neighboring state of Kentucky, first in Lexington, and later in London.
Career
editShe was cast in the role of ten-year-old True Danziger in the science fiction television series Earth 2. The show lasted only one season, airing between 1994 and 1995.
Wright moved onto other projects, including portraying a sick child in the episode "Hell and High Water" of the series ER, where she played the first child character to die in the show's history;[citation needed] the episode won numerous nominations and awards, including for writing and directing.
Wright appeared in the family film Shiloh alongside her younger sister, Tori Wright.[2] Her last roles, filmed when she was 13 years old and both released in early 1998, were the television movies The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy and Safety Patrol.
Later life, health problems and death
editWhile attending South Laurel High School in London, Kentucky, Morris was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle;[1] in 2000, she received a heart transplant at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.[2] She subsequently gave talks to various groups on the importance of organ donation.[3]
After finishing at South Laurel High School, she attended the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, where she studied English and earned her teaching credentials.[4]
On July 8, 2006, she married Brent Joseph Morris, a University of Kentucky medical student. A day after they returned from their honeymoon in Hawaii, she suffered a heart attack and was admitted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center where she died on July 21, 2006, two weeks after her wedding.[1] She had been hired to start teaching English, that September, at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky.[3]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Grace Under Fire | Caroline Baldwin | Episode: "Grace and Beauty" |
| 1994 | The Nanny | Betty Jo | Episode: "I Don't Remember Mama" |
| 1994–1995 | Earth 2 | True Danziger | Main cast |
| 1995 | The Secretary | Shari Grayson | Television film |
| 1995 | ER | Molly Phillips | Episode: "Hell and High Water" |
| 1996 | Shiloh | Samantha "Sam" Wallace | Feature film |
| 1997 | The Burning Zone | Cathy Mason | Episode: "The Last Five Pounds Are the Hardest" |
| 1998 | The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy | Nova Thorpe | Television film |
| 1998 | Safety Patrol | Jillie | Television film |
References
edit- ^ a b c "TV actress Morris dead at age 21". United Press International. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
- ^ a b Nelson, Valerie J. (2006-07-27). "J.M. Wright Morris, 21; Child Actress Got a New Heart". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
- ^ a b "Former child actress J. Madison Wright Morris dies". China Daily. Associated Press. 2006-07-26 [2006-07-21]. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
- ^ "J. Madison Wright Morris Dies of Heart Attack". Alloy. Archived from the original on 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
