1901 - 1970

Sein Schauspieldebüt feierte er 1917 am Broadway mit Lionel Barrymores "The Copperhead", im gleichen Jahr gab er sein Filmdebüt mit "An Amateur Orphan" (17). Es folgten die Stummfilme "The Beloved Traitor" (18) und "The Road to Yesterday" (25), ehe er mit seinem ersten Tonfilm "Alibi" (29) für einen Oscar nominiert wurde.

Sein Durchbruch kam in den 30er Jahren, wo er oftmals den rauhen Kerl verkörperte. Zu seinen bekanntesten Filmen dieser Jahre gehören "The Divorcee" (30), "The Big House" (30), "Red-Headed Woman" (32), "Infernal Machine" (33), "Public Hero #1" (35), "Three Godfathers" (36), "Frankie and Johnnie" (36), "Counterfeit" (36), "Sky Giant" (38) und "Blind Alley" (39).

In den 40er Jahren erlangte er mit der Rolle des Horatio "Boston Blackie" Black grosse Popularität. Er verkörperte die Figur in über einem Dutzend Filmen und konnte darin seine Vorliebe für sorgfältig ausgeführte Masken ausleben und seine Fingerfertigkeit demonstrieren.
Er spielte in den 40er Jahren u.a. in den Produktionen "Wagons Westward" (40), "Meet Boston Blackie" (41), "Wrecking Crew" (42), "High Explosive" (43), "Secret Command" (44), "One Way to Love" (46), "The Phantom Thief" (46), "Blind Spot" (47) und "Bostson Blackie's Chinese Venture" (49).

Ab den 50er Jahren sah man den ausdrucksstarken Schauspieler vornehmlich in Fernsehproduktionen, meist einzelnen Episoden erfolgreicher Serien.
Dazu gehören die Serie "Suspense: Black Panther" (52), die Serie "Danger: Death Pulls the Strings" (52), die Serie "Frontier Justice: Black Is for Grief" (59), die Serie "Naked City: Make-Believe Man" (61), die Serie "Route 66: Child of a Night" (64), die Serie "Dr. Kildare: Dolly's Dilemma" (64) und die Serie "Cimarron Strip: Without Honor" (68).

Auf der grossen Leinwand tauchte er in diesen Jahren nur noch selten auf, so in "Unchained" (55) und "The She-Creature" (56).
Die Premiere seines letzten Kinofilmen "The Great White Hope" (70) mit James Earl Jones und Jane Alexander erlebte er nicht mehr. Chester Morris verstarb 1970 an einer Überdosis Schlafmittel.
 

Weitere Filme mit Chester Morris: 
Loyal Lives (23) Fast Life (29) Woman Trap (29) The Show of Shows (29) Second Choice (30) She Couln't Say No (30) Playing Around (30) The Case of Sergeant Grischa (30) The Bat Whispers (30) Corsair (31) Cock of the Air (32) The Miracle Man (32) Sinners in the Sun (32) Breach of Primise (32) Blondie Johnson (33) Tomorrow at Seven (33) Golden Harvest (33) King for a Night (33) Let's Talk It Over (34) Gift of Gab (34) Embarrassing Moments (34) The Gay Bride (34) I've Been Around (34) Society Doctor (35) Princess O'Hara (35) Pursuit (35) Moonlight Murder (36) They Met in a Taxi (36) The Devil's Playground (37) I Promise to Pay (37)  Flight From Glory (37) Law of the Underworld (38) Smashing the Rackets (38) Pacific Liner (38) Five Came Back (39) Thunder Afloat (39) The Marines Fly High (40) Girl from God's Country (40) No Hands on the Clock (41) Confessions of Boston Blackie (41) Canal Zone (42) Alias Boston Blackie (42) I Live on Danger (42) Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (42) After Midnight with Boston Blackie (43) Aerial Gunner (43) The Chance of a Lifetime (43) Tornado (43) Gambler's Choice (44) One Mysterious Night (44) Double Exposure (44) Rough, Tough and Ready (45) Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion (45) Boston Blackie's Rendezvous (45) A Close Call for Boston Blackie (46) Boston Blackie and the Law (46) Trapped by Boston Blackie (48) Serie "Cameo Theatre: The Great Merlini" (50) Serie "Starlight Theatre: Act of God Nonwithstanding" (51) Serie "Danger: The Undertaker Calls" (51) Serie "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars: Billy Budd" (52) Serie "Tales of Tomorrow: The Exile" (52) Serie "Lights Out: The Intruder" (52) Serie "Lux Video Theatre: Welcome Home, Lefty" (52) Serie "Tales of Tomorrow: The Glacier Giant" (52) Serie "Robert Montgomery Presents: The Law-Abiding" (52) Serie "Robert Montgomery Presents: The Big Night" (53) Serie "Kraft Television Theatre: Final Edition" (53) Serie "Suspense: Point Blank" (53) Serie "Danger: Towerman" (53) Serie "The Web: Rock-Bound" (54) Serie "Robert Montgomery Presents: The Greatest Man in the World" (53) Serie "The Philip Morris Playhouse: Walk in the Night" (54) Serie "Studio One: Jack Sperling; Forty-six" (54) Serie "Studion One: The Death and Life of Larry Benson" (54) Serie "Studio One: Blow Up at Cortland" (55) Serie "Appointment with Adventure: Time Bomb" (55) Unchained (55) The She-Creature (56) Serie "Kraft Television Theatre: Time Lock" (56) Serie "Studio One: The Arena" (56) Serie "Zane Grey Theatre: Black Is for Grief" (57) Serie "Kraft Television Theatre: Man of Prey" (57) Serie "Playhouse 90: Child of Trouble" (57) Serie "Oldsmobile Music Theatre: Too Bad About Sheila Troy" (59) Serie "The United States Steel Hour: Whisper of Evil" (59)Serie "Rawhide: Incident on the Road to Yesterday" (60) Serie "Diagnoses: Unknown" (60) A String of Beads (61) Serie "Checkmate: Portrait of a Man Running" (61) Serie "Ben Casey: An Expensive Glass of Water" (61) Serie "The Defenders: The Empty Chute" (62) Serie "Alcoa Premiere: The Contenders" (62) Serie "The Eleventh Hour: AlongAbout Late in the Afternoon" (62) Serie "The Defenders: The Bagman" (63) Serie "Alcoa Premiere: The Glass Palace" (63) Serie "Route 66: Soda Pop and Paper Flags" (63) Serie "East Side/West Side: The Name of the Game" (64) Serie "Espionage: Castles in Spain" (64) Serie "Kraft Suspense Theatre: Knight's Gambit" (64) Serie "Suspense: The Hunger" (64) Serie "Mr. Broadway: Don't Mention My Name in Sheboygan" (64) Serie "The Defenders: A Matter of Law and Disorder" (65) Serie "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre: The Fliers" (65) Serie "Coronet Blue: A Time to Be Born, a Time to Die" (67) Serie "Gentle Ben: Busman's Holiday" (69)