Aubrey Morris is not the most famous actor to have graced cinema of the 1970s and 1980s; however, he appeared in, and helped shape irrevocably, a number of well-thought-of and cult movies. He featured in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange; plus, Robin Hardy’s chilling The Wicker Man; Lisztomania (by Ken Russell); and Love and Death, the Woody Allen comedy. To add to this there was Gene Wilder’s The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, and numerous television dramas.
Morris was born on June 1, 1926, one of nine children. He had an elder brother, Wolfe Morris, who also became an actor and who appeared in many Shakespeare plays. Aubrey himself made more movies, and became adept at playing oddballs and eccentrics. Morris passed away on July 15, the BBC reports.
According to Gavin Gaughan’s obituary in The Guardian, Morris was in demand for his ability to pull various facial ticks, conveying different characters and emotions: “His visual characteristics included a wide smile, which displayed a prominent upper row of teeth, and a sly, sideways glance. With his distinctive, precise speech pattern, he could draw out vowel sounds amusingly, or unnervingly.”
It was Morris’ role as the probation officer Mr Deltoid in Kubrick’s 1971 classic movie for which he will be best known. In the excerpt Morris, as Deltoid, cautions lead character Alex (Malcolm McDowell), about the risks of falling foul of the authorities.
