Lewis Morrison

Lewis Morrison (September 4, 1844 – August 18, 1906) was a Jamaican-born American stage actor and theatrical manager born under the name Moritz, or Morris, W. Morris. He built a career on the American stage that spanned several decades and encompassed both performance and production.

Morrison appeared on Broadway in 1880 in The Upper Crust. His most celebrated work, however, was his portrayal of Mephistopheles in a production of Faust that he himself produced and performed in continuously from 1885 until his death in 1906.

His family connections extended across multiple generations of American entertainment. By his first marriage to American actress Rose Wood, Morrison fathered two daughters, Rosabel Morrison and Adrienne Morrison, both of whom became actresses. The couple divorced in 1890, and in 1892 Morrison married stage actress Florence Roberts. Through his daughter Adrienne, Morrison became the grandfather of actresses Constance, Barbara, and Joan Bennett, and the great-grandfather of television talk show host Morton Downey Jr.