Tee Morris
| Thomas Earl "Tee" Morris | |
|---|---|
Morris in 2012
|
|
| Born |
October 28, 1968 Richmond, Virginia, United States |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Epic Fantasy/Detective Fiction/Steampunk |
| Literary movement | The Podiobook (Podcast Novel) |
| Website | |
| teemorris |
|
Thomas Earl "Tee" Morris (born October 28, 1968) is a contemporary American author of Epic Fantasy, Detective Fiction, and Steampunk as well as a classical actor and podcaster. He is a graduate of James Madison University with a degree in theater and mass communications, and resides in Manassas, Virginia.
Morris was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, the youngest of two. His earliest memory of science fiction is as a child when he and his father would stay up late together and watch reruns of Star Trek. Along with the 1977 phenomenon Star Wars and reading Choose Your Own Adventure novels, Morris began to explore creative writing in the fifth grade. 'I never took it seriously enough to think I would be a writer.' he said in a 2003 interview. While he dabbled in short stories throughout his teen years, it was in high school when he discovered acting and went on to study theatre at James Madison University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre and Mass Communications.
Morris' first professional acting job was with the Children's Theatre division of the Richmond Theatre Company. From there, he went on to appear in numerous stage productions between Richmond and Washington D.C. His most notable performances included Ian in D.O.Q. (produced by the Studio Theatre of Richmond), Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest (produced by the Washington Project of the Arts), Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol and Dromio of Syracuse (produced by Vpstart Crow Productions), and the title role in Figaro (produced by Classika Theatre). He also appeared in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street in the first part of "Kellerman: P.I." as a "first on the scene" witness. "The cast is real," Morris recalls. "I had broken my arm in a stage combat accident three days before my callback. When the casting agent saw the 'look' I was sporting, they loved the realism so they rewrote the script. Instead of my character being a jogger, I was a guy walking his dog."
The most influential period of Tee Morris' acting career was his seven seasons (1993–1999) with the Maryland Renaissance Festival. He played a variety of characters there, but for his final three seasons he played Rafe Rafton. The character was described as a swashbuckler, privateer, and all-around scoundrel. On his website, Morris recalls the research behind the role. "[Rafe was] ... a Tudor version of Han Solo. In creating this privateer, I took a few notes from Errol Flynn in Captain Blood and Tommy Lee Jones in Nate and Hayes." This would be Morris' final role at the Festival, and a lead character in his debut novel.
...
Wikipedia