Sir Howard Morrison
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Sir Howard Morrison OBE |
|
|---|---|
Morrison in 1993
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|
| Born |
Howard Leslie Morrison 18 August 1935 Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand |
| Died | 24 September 2009 (aged 74) Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Alma mater | Te Aute College |
| Occupation | Entertainer |
| Spouse(s) | Rangiwhata Ann Kuia Manahi (m. 1957; his death 2009) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
Atareta Maxwell (sister) Temuera Morrison (nephew) Taini Morrison (niece) |
Sir Howard Leslie Morrison OBE (18 August 1935 – 24 September 2009) was a New Zealand entertainer. From 1964 until his death in 2009 he was one of New Zealand's leading television and concert performers.
Of Māori (Te Arawa), Irish, and Scottish descent, Morrison was born to Temuera Leslie Morrison, a Māori All Black who worked for the Māori Affairs Department, and Kahurangi Morrison (née Gertrude Harete Davidson) who was known for her work in culture and entertainment.
He grew up in Rotorua and in Ruatahuna near Waikaremoana. He attended a "native school" in the Urewera before going to Te Aute College and Rotorua Boys' High School.
After leaving school he had a variety of manual jobs including survey chainman, electricity meter reader and storeman at the Whakatu freezing works.
Morrison and his three surviving sisters, Judy Tapsell, Rene Mitchell and Linda Morrison, lost their oldest brother Laurie in 1974. Another brother, Charlie, died in infancy and youngest sister Atareta Maxwell died suddenly in January 2006 from a heart attack. Their mother Kahurangi died in 1995, and their father Temuera when they were young.
In 1955 Morrison assembled vocal groups to entertain at Rotorua rugby club socials. In 1956 he was a member of the successful Aotearoa Concert Party that toured Australia. In this group was Gerry Merito who with Morrison formed the Ohinemutu Quartet which was later renamed the Howard Morrison Quartet. Other original members of the quartet were Morrison's brother Laurie and his cousin John, but they left and were replaced by Wi Wharekura and Noel Kingi who were fixtures in the quartet at its heights. In 1966 he appeared in the John O'Shea film Don't Let It Get You. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s he was the spokesman for Bic products such as lighters and pens, appearing in many television commercials for the brand.
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