J. Madison Wright Morris

J. Madison Wright Morris
Wright in Earth 2 (1994)
Born
Jessica Madison Wright

(1984-07-29)July 29, 1984
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 21, 2006(2006-07-21) (aged 21)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting placeA. R. Dyche Memorial Park, London, Kentucky, U.S.
Other namesJ. Madison Wright
Alma materUniversity of the Cumberlands
OccupationActress
Years active1994–1998
Spouse
Brent Joseph Morris
​
(m. 2006)​

Jessica Madison Wright Morris (July 29, 1984 – July 21, 2006), known professionally as J. Madison Wright, was an American child actor. A few years after she left acting, and while still a high school student, Wright underwent a heart transplant; in 2006, after graduating from college and two weeks after her marriage, she died from a heart attack.

Early life

Morris was born July 29, 1984[1] in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was raised in the neighboring state of Kentucky, first in Lexington, and later in London.

Career

She was cast in the role of ten-year-old True Danziger in the science fiction television series Earth 2. The show lasted only one season, airing between 1994 and 1995.

Wright moved onto other projects, including portraying a sick child in the episode "Hell and High Water" of the series ER, where she played the first child character to die in the show's history;[citation needed] the episode won numerous nominations and awards, including for writing and directing.

Wright appeared in the family film Shiloh alongside her younger sister, Tori Wright.[2] Her last roles, filmed when she was 13 years old and both released in early 1998, were the television movies The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy and Safety Patrol.

Later life, health problems and death

While attending South Laurel High School in London, Kentucky, Morris was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle;[1] in 2000, she received a heart transplant at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.[2] She subsequently gave talks to various groups on the importance of organ donation.[3]

After finishing at South Laurel High School, she attended the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, where she studied English and earned her teaching credentials.[4]

On July 8, 2006, she married Brent Joseph Morris, a University of Kentucky medical student. A day after they returned from their honeymoon in Hawaii, she suffered a heart attack and was admitted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center where she died on July 21, 2006, two weeks after her wedding and eight days shy of her 22nd birthday.[1] She had been hired to start teaching English, that September, at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky.[3]

Filmography

Film and television
Year Title Role Notes
1994 Grace Under Fire Caroline Baldwin Episode: "Grace and Beauty"
1994 The Nanny Betty Jo Episode: "I Don't Remember Mama"
1994–1995 Earth 2 True Danziger Main cast
1995 The Secretary Shari Grayson Television film
1995 ER Molly Phillips Episode: "Hell and High Water"
1996 Shiloh Samantha "Sam" Wallace Feature film
1997 The Burning Zone Cathy Mason Episode: "The Last Five Pounds Are the Hardest"
1998 The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy Nova Thorpe Television film
1998 Safety Patrol Jillie Television film

References

  1. ^ a b c "TV actress Morris dead at age 21". United Press International. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  2. ^ a b Nelson, Valerie J. (2006-07-27). "J.M. Wright Morris, 21; Child Actress Got a New Heart". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  3. ^ a b "Former child actress J. Madison Wright Morris dies". China Daily. Associated Press. 2006-07-26 [2006-07-21]. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  4. ^ "J. Madison Wright Morris Dies of Heart Attack". Alloy. Archived from the original on 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2018-03-28.