Her father, David L. Morrison, is a retired music teacher who was named Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education in 2003. She played clarinet in the school’s marching band, sang in the choir and was a cheerleader with the school’s pep squad. She attended Loyola University Chicago where she majored in Theatre and minored in English, graduating in 2000. She studied with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television. in May 1992, she was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids with basketball star Michael Jordan. Her first leading role came in the 2000 film Urban Legends: Final Cut, and she has since gone on to appear in films including Grind with Adam Brody, Surviving Christmas with Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in 2003, 2004 and 2005, respectively. in 2009 Morrison returned to the big screen, appearing in the opening scene of J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot as James T. Kirk’s mother, Winona.
