Sydney Morton
Born1985 (age 38–39)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Occupations
  • Actor
  • dancer
  • singer
Websitesydneymorton.com

Sydney Morton (born 1985) is an American stage and television actress, singer and dancer.[1][2]

Early life and education

According to Morton, her maternal grandfather appeared on Broadway in 1933 in Run, Little Chillun, an all-Black revue, and her paternal grandfather danced professionally during the Harlem Renaissance.[2] Neither of her parents are in the entertainment industry; Morton told an interviewer "it skipped a generation."[2]

Morton began dancing at 4.[3] She graduated from Sycamore High School in Cincinnati in 2004.[4] While in school she danced for the College-Conservatory of Music, the Cincinnati Ballet and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.[4] She attended the University of Michigan, graduating in 2008 with a degree in musical theatre.[4] She studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Upright Citizens Brigade.[3]

Career

Television

Morton played a recurring character in Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It.[1][2] She appeared opposite Octavia Spencer in Netflix's miniseries Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker.[5] She had a recurring part in NBC's Manifest.[5] In 2021 she was cast as Meghan Markle, opposite Jordan Dean, in the title roles in Lifetime's Harry & Meghan: Escaping The Palace[1][5] which began production in May 2021 and appeared in fall of 2021.[6][7]

Stage

She was a member of the original Broadway cast of Memphis, working as a swing to cover eight tracks or roles, including those of both white and Black performers.[8] She was also a member of the original Broadway cast of Motown the 2012 revival of Evita.[4][8] She played Alex in the US touring company of Flashdance.[9] She appeared previously opposite Dean in the original Broadway cast of American Psycho.[5] She played the title role in An Octoroon in the 2017 Berkeley Repertory production.[10] In February and March 2020 she appeared opposite Billy Harrigan Tighe in the pre-Broadway tryout of The Secret of My Success at the Paramount Theatre; the production was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.[11][12]

Film

Morton was cast in the 2023 comedy-drama A Good Person.[13]

Personal life

As of 2021 Morton lived in Manhattan[4][14] with her husband, fellow actor Preston Boyd.[2][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c Hibberd, James (May 19, 2021). "'Harry & Meghan' Movie: First Photo of Jordan Dean and Sydney Morton in Character". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sydney Morton of She's Gotta Have It". Broadway.com. December 1, 2017. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Holahan, Jane (April 24, 2014). ""Flashdance: the Musical" coming to Hershey Theatre". LancasterOnline. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Sydney Morton". www.ohioschoolboards.org. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (May 19, 2021). "'Harry & Meghan: Escaping The Palace': Jordan Dean & Sydney Morton To Star As Duke & Duchess Of Sussex In Lifetime Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Croezen, Alyssa (May 19, 2021). "Lifetime Casts Jordan Dean, Sydney Morton As Prince Harry & Meghan Markle In 'Escaping The Palace' TV Movie". ET Canada. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Dibdin, Emma (September 3, 2021). "Actress Sydney Morton Studied Suits Bloopers Before Playing Meghan Markle". Town & Country. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Simonson, Robert (2012). Performance of the Century: 100 Years of Actors' Equity Association and the Rise of Professional American Theater. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 60, 229. ISBN 978-1-55783-837-7. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Alex in Flashdance The Musical - US Tour". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Edalatpour, Jeffrey (July 10, 2017). "An Octoroon in a White World". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Jones, Chris (February 23, 2020). "Review: The Paramount's fine 'Secret of My Success' must drag along a clunky story from the '80s". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  12. ^ "The Secret of My Success | February 12 – March 29, 2020". Paramount Theatre. February 4, 2019. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Sydney Morton: Credits, Bio, News & More | Broadway World". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  14. ^ "Sydney Morton joins DUETS". The Write Teacher(s). March 14, 2017. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  15. ^ Randell, Louise (July 8, 2021). "Glam life of Meghan Markle actress Sydney Morton who plays Duchess in new movie". Daily Mirror. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
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