Aubrey Morris, the character actor known for his roles in "The Wicker Man" and "A Clockwork Orange," has died at 89, the BBC reported. His agent confirmed his death on Wednesday.
In 1957, theater critic Kenneth Tynan praised Morris for his "mimetic cunning wreathed in cringing smiles," according to the Guardian. His career led him from London to Broadway, then Hollywood.
The actor was born Aubrey Steinberg on June 1, 1926 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is one of nine siblings. His family had an appreciation for the arts, with professional dancer sisters Julia and Sonia, and his brother and fellow character actor Wolfe.
He attended Porstmouth Municipal College and participated in the Guildhall annual music and drama festival, then studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) after winning the Leverhulme scholarship.
His debut role was the clown in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" in 1944, then he landed a role in "Fly Away Peter" at the West End's King's Theatre. He spent 1954-56 at the Old Vic theater and followed up in the 1960s with a stint at the Cort theater on Broadway.
Morris' film credits include Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) Robin Hardy's "The Wicker Man" (1973), Woody Allen's "Love and Death" (1975) and Ken Russell's "Lisztomania" (1975), according to Entertainment Weekly. His TV credits include HBO's western show "Deadwood" and a 2015 episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
