Heather Morris

Early life

Morris was born in Thousand Oaks, California, She began dancing in early childhood. After graduating from Desert Mountain High School, where she was homecoming queen, Morris spent a year at Arizona State University before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a dance career.

Career

Morris' first significant appearance was in 2006 on So You Think You Can Dance Season 2 where she made it through "Vegas Week" without being cut, but failed to make the final 20 by a vote of 3 to 2.

Not discouraged, Morris actively pursued a career in dancing. Her big break came in 2007 via Beyoncé. Morris was one of Beyoncé's backup dancers on The Beyoncé Experience world tour and, following that, worked again with Beyoncé on a mini "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" promotional tour that included 2008 performances on the American Music Awards, Saturday Night Live, She later appeared in a small role in the movie Fired Up, where she met choreographer Zach Woodlee. Following that film, Woodlee brought Morris in to dance on other shows he was choreographing, including episodes of Eli Stone and Swingtown, and the movie Bedtime Stories; eventually, Morris landed a role as Brittany on Glee.

In December 2010, Morris was named the Celebrity Style Ambassador for FLIRT! Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder cosmetics line. In 2010, Morris made the Maxim Hot 100 list, coming in at number 85. On the AfterEllen hot 100 list, she was ranked #2 behind her close friend Naya Rivera.

In 2011, Morris starred in a back-to-school commercial for Staples Canada that featured her dancing.

In the October 2011 issue of Fitness magazine, she stated that she had her breast implants removed. "Implants were something I thought I wanted when I was younger, and now I don't. It was hard being active with them, because my chest was always sore. It hurt a lot, and I didn't like always being in pain, so they had to go!" Her breast implant surgery was done sometime between her time on So You Think You Can Dance at age 18, and age 21 when she was a backup dancer for Beyoncé.

''Glee''

Morris was taking acting classes and actively pursuing an acting career when she was asked by Woodlee to teach the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance to the Glee actors. At the same time, the show was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris ended up landing the role of Brittany. Initially a background character who hardly ever spoke, the role grew as writers discovered Morris had a gift for delivering one-liners. Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post opined that Morris had "emerged as one of the funniest second bananas on TV right now" and a LA Times writer mentioned having a "comedy crush on Morris, who plays the galactically dim Glee Club cheerleader Brittany".

When a promotional clip for the episode "Sectionals" indicated that Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez had slept together, Dorothy Snarker, writing for lesbian entertainment website AfterEllen, praised the pairing, referring to them by the portmanteau "Brittana". Snarker called the two her "new favorite Glee pairing", commenting that: "While Heather Morris (Brittany) and Naya Rivera (Santana) have had minimal screen time, they've made it count. Heather in particular has brought the laughs as the Cheerio least likely to get a Mensa invitation. Never mind Finn and Rachel — I'm on Team Brittana now."

Morris' role became more prominent during the final nine episodes of season one and, due to the overwhelmingly positive response to her character, was promoted to official series regular status during season two. She was at the center of the second episode, "Britney/Brittany" (a tribute to Britney Spears), where she made her singing debut covering Spears' "I'm a Slave 4 U" solo and dueting with Naya Rivera on "Me Against the Music". She later got many other singing and dancing solos. The second half of season two saw Morris' character engage in a lesbian storyline with Rivera's character. The arc and Rivera's and Morris' performances were met with critical acclaim. As on Glee, Morris was best friends in real life with co-star Rivera, until Rivera's death in 2020.

In season 3, she and Rivera's characters continued their relationship as a couple. Morris had a leading role in the episode "Prom-asaurus". During the season finale, Brittany (played by Morris) revealed that she had an 0.0 GPA and that she would not be graduating.

During the 2011 Glee Tour, Morris performed Britney Spears' song "I'm a Slave 4 U". She also had a dance spotlight with castmate Harry Shum Jr. during Naya Rivera's performance of "Valerie", and was one of the dancers in the "Single Ladies" and "Safety Dance" numbers.

Morris co-wrote and appeared in a January 2011 video for the comedy website Funny or Die, "Nuthin' But A Glee Thang" a parody of "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg. Co-written with actresses Ashley Lendzion and Riki Lindhome, the video features appearances from Modern Familys Sofia Vergara and Morris' Glee castmates Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Harry Shum Jr., and Naya Rivera.

On June 28, 2013, it was reported that Morris would not be returning as a regular on Glee fifth season. However, Morris reprised her role for the show's hundredth episode and the final episode of the show's fifth season. Morris also appeared in five episodes in the show's sixth and final season, including the series finale.

''Dancing with the Stars'', ''The Masked Dancer''

On March 1, 2017, Morris was revealed as one of the contestants who would compete on season 24 of Dancing with the Stars, causing massive criticism, with many citing her professional dancing experience as an unfair advantage. The producers defended their decision to cast Morris by saying that she does not have ballroom or partnering experience. She was paired with professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, though she danced with troupe member Alan Bersten starting on the second until the fifth week of the competition due to Maks suffering a calf muscle injury. Maks reunited with her to dance in the sixth week of the competition on April 24, 2017, but they were eliminated despite receiving the first perfect score of the season and topping the results board, causing fans to boo loudly.

On October 22, 2022, Morris was revealed to be the winner of the second and final season of The Masked Dancer. She participated in the show under the character of "Scissors". Due to the show being cancelled in 2024, she was the last ever celebrity to be unmasked on the show, and closed the entire show, the final, and its final season by dancing unmasked to "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, which marked the show's final performance in whole.

''HEAT Faculty''

Morris joined the HEAT Convention and Competition Faculty in 2020. Morris teaches master classes and serves as a judge.

Personal life

Morris married Taylor Hubbell on May 16, 2015. They began dating when he was a college baseball player, having formerly attended the same high school in Arizona, though they did not know each other there. They began dating after Morris moved to Los Angeles and Hubbell contacted her on Myspace. In a 2011 interview with Fitness, Morris said of Hubbell, "I want to marry him so bad. That's what I really care about. I want to marry Taylor and have kids with him. I love acting, but if it affects my relationship, then I won't continue doing it." After graduating from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, Hubbell began living with Morris in Los Angeles in early 2012. They have two sons.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Discography

References

References

1. "Heather Morris Biography".
2. Ciletti, Nick. (April 3, 2017). "Valley native Heather Morris continues to impress on Dancing With the Stars". [[KNXV-TV]].
3. livestarringyou. (December 8, 2010). "Heather Morris on playing un-glee-ful moments". YouTube.
4. (August 11, 2010). "Stars Stand Up: Teen Choice Awards". YouTube.
5. "American Cheerleader Magazine - the Official Magazine of Cheerleading".
6. Altman-Yee, Riki. (November 1, 2019). "'Glee' Alum, and Valley Native, Heather Morris Tackles Dance In A New Podcast".
7. (June 1, 2010). "The Road to 'Glee'". [[Macfadden Communications Group]].
8. Sting7. (September 6, 2006). "So You Think You Can Dance 2, June 8: Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas". Reality News Online.
9. (May 30, 2011). "Glee : La vie des acteurs avant la série". News de stars.
10. (January 10, 2009). "Beyonce "Single Ladies" American Music Awards". Youtube.com.
11. (August 31, 2011). "Beyonce - Tina Turner - Introduction Performance (Grammy 2008)". Dailymotion.com.
12. (March 22, 2008). "Tina Turner & Beyonce - Proud Mary (Grammy 2008)". Dailymotion.com.
13. Lydon, Kate. (June 1, 2010). "The Road to "Glee": Heather Morris Makes Her Mark in Hollywood". Dance Spirit.
14. "'Glee's' Heather Morris will FLIRT! with cosmetics line". Zap2it.
15. (September 19, 2011). "Oops! Heather Morris Suffers an Emmy Nip Slip - Glee". Wetpaint.com.
16. Brooks, Hanna. "Heather Morris: My Breast Implants "Had To Go"". Blisstree.
17. (December 31, 2009). "Young Entertainers Get a Taste of Hollywood". My Buffalo.
18. "TV: Heather Morris has become a reliable comic voice on 'Glee'". ScrippsNews.
19. Wieselman, Jarrett. (November 19, 2009). "'Glee's' secret weapon". [[New York Post]].
20. (April 25, 2010). "Underrated / Overrated". The Los Angeles Times.
21. Snarker, Dorothy. (December 7, 2009). ""Glee" spoils us with an unexpected coupling". [[After Ellen]].
22. Hibberd, James. (April 27, 2010). "'Glee' exclusive: Brittany and Santana poised for major promotions".
23. (July 19, 2010). "Glee's Summer Fun". [[Northern & Shell]] North America.
24. (March 22, 2011). "Nuthin' But A Glee Thang with Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison & Sofia Vergara from Heather Morris, Sofia Vergara, Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, Harry Shum Jr, Riki Lindhome, Ashley Lendzion, David Bernad, Isaac Hagy, BoTown Sound, Shauna O'Toole, Funny Or Die, Keith Schofield, Brian Mulchy, and Christin Trogan". Funnyordie.com.
25. Ausiello, Michael. (June 28, 2013). "UPDATED ''Glee'' Exclusive: 4 Original Cast Members are Returning as Series Regulars for Season 5; Plus — Who's Getting Promoted?". [[Mail.com Media]].
26. Bradley, Laura. "Why Let a Professional Dancer Compete on Dancing with the Stars?". HWD.
27. Gallagher, Caitlin. "Videos Of Heather Morris Dancing With Beyonce Prove That She Could Win 'Dancing With The Stars'". Bustle.
28. "'Dancing With the Stars' Producers Defend Heather Morris Casting, Reveal Dream Contestants". The Hollywood Reporter.
29. (March 1, 2016). "'Dancing With the Stars' 2017: Season 24 celebrity cast and partners revealed on 'GMA'". ABC News.
30. "'Dancing with the Stars' Recap: Second Dances and the First Elimination".
31. Bobic, Chrissy. "Heather Morris Gets Eliminated On 'Dancing With The Stars' After Her First Perfect Score". Romper.
32. Yahr, Emily. (2021-12-03). "Heather Morris was voted off 'Dancing With the Stars,' but did she really belong on the show?". Washington Post.
33. (2022-10-23). "The Masked Dancer winner is revealed".
34. (June 27, 2024). "HEAT Faculty".
35. (May 17, 2015). "Heather Morris' Wedding to Taylor Hubbell Turns into a Massive Glee Reunion".
36. Adams Martinez, Patty. (October 1, 2011). "All the Right Moves: How Glee's Heather Morris Stays Fit".
37. (November 6, 2011). "Up Close and Personal With Heather Morris!". Seventeen.
38. Adams Martinez, Patty. (October 1, 2011). "All the Right Moves: How Glee's Heather Morris Stays Fit".
39. (April 3, 2013). "Heather Morris Is Pregnant: Glee Actress Expecting First Child".
40. Takeda, Allison. (September 28, 2013). "Heather Morris Gives Birth to Baby Boy Elijah". Us Weekly.
41. (February 11, 2016). "Heather Morris Welcomes Baby Boy No. 2". E! Online.
42. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (March 12, 2025). "T.J. Miller Joins Indie Techno-Thriller Movie ''A.I. Heart U''".
43. (June 26, 2017). "Here's Where to Find All of the L.A. Locations You Saw in GLOW - Los Angeles Magazine". Los Angeles Magazine.
44. (August 15, 2012). "How 'Glee' Stars Used Dance to Grow Their Roles". [[Backstage (magazine).
45. (October 3, 2009). "Allow Me To Introduce Myself...Mr. Right/Candle (Sick And Tired) (Video)". whitetieaffairVEVO.
46. (February 3, 2009). "Hit The Lights - Drop The Girl [Official Music Video]". [[Alternative Distribution Alliance.
47. (August 11, 2011). "2 Da Left - Heather Morris #HeMo Cameo in @LeoMoctezuma Music Video".
48. (October 27, 2021). "Whitney Houston, Clean Bandit - How Will I Know (Official Video)". Whitney Houston.