Morris was one of the first black actors in a television dramatic series. "Was I a role model? Probably," he said in a magazine interview earlier this year. "Did I set out to be one? No."
He starred in the CBS spy series for seven years, from 1966 to 1973. From 1979 to 1981 he supported Robert Urich in ABC's Vega$. In 1989, he reprised his role as Barney in the revived MI series, co-starring with his son Phil, who played Barney's son Grant. Morris called the Tom Cruise remake an "abomination" that he walked out on after 40 minutes.
A longtime smoker, Morris was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1990. The following year doctors removed a brain tumor. The actor continued to smoke, however, and admitted to being a recovering alcoholic. And in 1981 he required five hours of plastic surgery to restore his face following a severe car crash. "I'm in great health," Morris said in a May interview in which he also dismissed tabloid reports that he was homeless and broke as "total lies."
Born in Cleveland in 1934, Morris headed to Hollywood in the 1960s, appearing on series like Dr. Kildare, The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Twilight Zone, before landing the role on Mission: Impossible.
His 38-year marriage to Lee Morris ended in 1995. They had three children: Phil, Iona, an actress, and Linda, a film production executive.