Whether or not you know the name Keith Morrison, or what the Canadian journalist looks like, his signature voice is known across the world as the one behind the long-running series Dateline NBC (1992-present). Morrison has appeared both on screen and as narrator of the popular magazine/true crime show.
Who is Keith Morrison?
Keith Morrison started his early broadcasting career in local reporting, across various small TV networks in his home nation of Canada. In 1973, he joined the nationwide daytime news show Canada AM as a news reporter covering international conflicts. In 1976, Morrison transitioned to late-night reporting, as an anchor and National Affairs Correspondent on CTV National News. Later, he joined the nightly Canadian news series The Journal.
Morrison’s first major break into American television came in the late 1980s when he joined the NBC network, working dually on the daytime Today Show and late-night series NBC Nightly News. In 1995, Morrison joined Dateline as a correspondent, typically covering the series’ uncovering of crime, often unsolved murder cases. The series is considered Morrison’s signature work, most exemplary of his reporting and investigative style.
Often on Dateline, Morrison interviews loved ones of the deceased, as well as persons of interest in true crime cases. His flair for dramatic narration, paired with his inquisitive nature and smooth-as-butter Canadian dialect quickly made Morrison a household name internationally. In more recent years, Morrison has taken more of a backseat on Dateline, appearing off-camera as a narrator.
His style of broadcasting has also been subject to multiple parodies, most famously by comedian Bill Hader on Saturday Night Live. Hader, a noted fan of true crime shows, has stated multiple times that he considers Morrison his “idol”, and that his impression comes from a place of deep respect and admiration. Morrison later met with Hader, letting his biggest fan do a side-by-side impression of him.
Keith Morrison’s personal life
Since 1981, Keith Morrison has been married to Suzanne Perry (née Langford), a fellow journalist and once press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau. The couple have four children together. Through his marriage to Perry, Morrison is step-father to actor Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends (1994-2004).
Morrison has been Perry’s step-father from the age of 12, and the pair have been open about their close familial bond.
“[Matthew]’s an intense, talented, focused character. He’s very bright,” Morrison told People. “That was always the case as he was growing up.”
In Matthew Perry’s 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry described Morrison as a supportive figure from an early age, treating him as one of his own children. Perry also revealed that Morrison had been supportive with his long-running struggle with substance abuse and addiction.
