Howard Jerome "Howie" Morris (September 4, 1919, The Bronx, New York, USA – May 21, 2005, Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American comic actor, voice actor and director who was best known for his role in The Andy Griffith Show as Ernest T. Bass.
Morris was first heard in animated cartoons in the early 1960s. He and Allan Melvin teamed up for a 50-episode King Features Syndicate series, Beetle Bailey, for which he and Melvin also wrote a number of episodes. He also provided the voices for Gene Deitch's Academy Award-winning Munro, about a four-year-old boy who was drafted into the Army.
Beginning in 1962, Morris played a variety of voices in many Hanna-Barbera series including The Jetsons as "Jet Screamer" who sang the "Eep opp ork ah ah!" song, (said to be Morris' first work for Hanna-Barbera) and The Flintstones. He was the original voice of Atom Ant and provided the voice of Mr. Peebles in the Magilla Gorilla series, teaming up again with Allan Melvin who performed the voice for Magilla. In another series Morris was heard as the voice of Breezly Bruin which was similar in tone with the Bill Scott vocalization of Bullwinkle. Morris had a disagreement with Joseph Barbera prior to production of the 1966-1967 season of Magilla Gorilla and Atom Ant and all of his voices were recast, mostly using Don Messick. Years later the two men reconciled and Morris was back doing those voices and others.
Morris also voiced the characters Professor Icenstein and Luigi La Bounci in the animated series Galaxy High. Morris provided the original vocalizations for the Hamburglar ("Robble, robble, robble") in McDonald's 1971 ad campaign, which Morris also directed. He is also remembered by Filmation and Archie Show fans as the voice of Jughead Jones throughout the life of the franchise. Morris provided the voice of Wade Duck in the U.S. Acres segments of Garfield and Friends, and voiced Webbly in Bobby's World and Flem in Cow & Chicken. Morris supplied the voice of the koala in TV commercials for Qantas from 1967 through 1992 (saying the tagline, "I hate Qantas"), and voiced the character of Gopher in the Disney featurettes Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. Also in 1989 he voiced a French gangster cat named Monte De Zar of Paris, France, (Fat Cat's Cousin) in an episode of Disney's: Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers episode "Le Purrfect Crime."
While Morris continued to make himself available for voice and sound effect roles, he also began a new career in voice directing. Among the projects he directed are Police Academy, Richie Rich, Bionic Six, Goin' Coconuts, Pole Position, Galaxy High, The Snorks, The Mighty Orbots, Rose Petal Place, The Dogfather, Dragon's Lair, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, Turbo Teen, Cabbage Patch Kids: First Christmas, Little Clowns of Happytown, The Little Wizards, Space Stars and Kidd Video.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-1999 | 
|
Flem | Cow and Chicken |
| 1994 | 
|
Old Man | A Flintstones' Christmas Carol |
| 1988-1994 | 
|
Wade | Garfield and Friends |
| 1988-1994 | 
|
Wart | Garfield and Friends |
| 1988-1989 | 
|
Fox | Garfield and Friends |
| 1985-1986 | 
|
Trembly Paw | Paw Paws |
| 1985 | 
|
Dragon Head 1 | Star Fairies |
| 1977 | 
|
Gopher | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh |
| 1973 | 
|
Tim O'Hara | My Favorite Martians |
| 1973 | 
|
Bill Brennan | My Favorite Martians |
| 1973 | 
|
Brad Brennan | My Favorite Martians |
| 1973 | 
|
Okay | My Favorite Martians |
| 1973 | 
|
Chump | My Favorite Martians |
| 1970-1972 | 
|
Professor Lewis | Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down |
| 1965-1967 | 
|
Atom Ant | The Atom Ant Show |
| 1963-1967 | 
|
Mr. Peebles | The Magilla Gorilla Show |
| 1963-1967 | 
|
Mushmouse | The Magilla Gorilla Show |
| 1966 | 
|
White Rabbit | Alice in Wonderland |
| 1964-1965 | 
|
Breezly Bruin | The Peter Potamus Show |