Greg Morris

Greg Morris was the epitome of cool. I say this, having never met him, solely on the basis of his portrayal of the character of Barney in Mission Impossible. But I think that's all I need to know about Greg Morris. I think the character WAS Greg Morris: cool and graceful under pressure, fiercely intelligent, and a man of few, but effective and heartfelt words.



In a time when there were few black actors on television, Morris capably demonstrated that a black actor could inhabit a non-stereotypical role. The fact that Barney happened to be black was mostly irrelevant to the role, much as Greg Morris never publicly made much of the fact of his pioneering status, even though he must certainly have experienced significant discrimination during his career. It is sad that this talented actor was woefully underused after his Mission Impossible stint.