Beginnings and film roles (1992–2010) upfronts in 2008 Morrison started her career as a
child model, appearing in print advertisements for
JCPenney and
Montgomery Ward, and commercials for
Rice Krispies and Mondo. She was featured on the cover of
Sports Illustrated for Kids with basketball star
Michael Jordan in May 1992. Morrison made her feature-film debut at the age of 14 in the 1994 film
Intersection, and later appeared as Samantha in
Stir of Echoes (1999). Morrison's first leading role came in the 2000 film
Urban Legends: Final Cut, and she has since gone on to appear in films including
Grind (2003),
Surviving Christmas (2004), and
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). In 2004, Morrison was cast as
immunologist Allison Cameron on
House. She played the role for the first six seasons of the show, from 2004 to 2009. Morrison's character left in the 2009 episode "Teamwork", but returned in the 2010 episode "
Lockdown" to conclude Cameron's story. Morrison returned for the series finale "
Everybody Dies" in 2012. In 2006, Morrison starred in and produced the
independent film Flourish. She is also one of the producers who found
Glee during its early draft and brought it to attention of writer
Ryan Murphy, who adapted it into a television series. Morrison did not stay involved creatively, but is credited as an associate producer on the first season for her involvement in finding it and helping it get into the right hands. In 2007, Morrison appeared as Kirce James in the computer game
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, a character who frequently interacts with the player during the course of the GDI campaign. Her film projects that year included
Big Stan and
The Murder of Princess Diana, a television film based on the book of the same name by
Noel Botham. Produced by
Lifetime and
Working Title Television, Morrison portrays an American journalist who witnesses
the car crash in which
Diana, Princess of Wales was killed. 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. After her contract on
House was not renewed, it was announced in December 2009 that Morrison had been cast in the role of Kate Keller,
Helen Keller's mother, in the Broadway-bound revival of
The Miracle Worker.
Once Upon a Time and television (2011–2018) In the fall of 2010, Morrison appeared as a guest star in the fourth episode of
NBC's
Chase. She played the role of Faith, a single mother-turned-fugitive, who embarks on a bloody killing spree across
Texas with her little daughter. She then joined the cast of
CBS's
How I Met Your Mother as recurring character Zoey Pierson, a mischievous architecture nerd and love interest of main character
Ted Mosby's, and "the biggest female character we've maybe ever added to the show in Ted's life", according to executive producer
Craig Thomas. In 2011, Morrison appeared in
Warrior, a film about two estranged brothers who enter a
mixed martial arts tournament and are forced to confront their struggling relationship with each other and with their father. Morrison plays the wife of
Joel Edgerton's character, struggling to keep her family together. named after the apartment she shared with her friends during her time at
Loyola University Chicago. She directed her first feature film,
Sun Dogs, under this label during the summer of 2016. In March 2017, it was announced that Morrison was cast as Stephanie in an off-Broadway revival of the play
The End of Longing. The performance lasted from May 18 to July 1, 2017. On May 8, 2017, Morrison announced via social media that she would not be returning to
Once Upon a Time as a series regular for season seven, while also noting that she had agreed to return as a guest for one episode. That episode was the season's second, which aired in October 2017. However, she ultimately returned for the series finale, which aired in May 2018. Morrison co-starred in
Amityville: The Awakening as Candice. Originally shot in 2014, the film was released on
Google Play on October 12, 2017, with a limited theatrical release on October 28, 2017. In 2017, she made her feature film directorial debut with
Sun Dogs, starring
Michael Angarano,
Melissa Benoist, and
Allison Janney. In June 2019, Morrison was confirmed to join the cast of
This Is Us in a recurring role for the fourth season as Cassidy Sharp, an alcoholic and Marine veteran grappling with her return to civilian life. She returned to guest star in season 5 and 6. ==Personal life==