A life of stories. – Wilton Morley

Wilton Morley outside the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne — Wilton outside the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. From *Bars & Stars*, page 50.

For Wilton Morley, stories have always had a place at the table—and behind the curtain.

The son of actor Robert Morley and grandson of Dame Gladys Cooper, Wilton grew up close to theatre and film. His own career took him to Australia, where he spent two decades working as a theatrical producer. Mad Dogs & Englishmen’s history credits him with giving Russell Crowe his first two theatre jobs.

From the stage to South Tampa

Wilton is the founder of Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which he established with Colonel Rick Craig in 1991. The restaurant became another setting for conversation, characters and a generous sense of occasion. Wilton’s story is inseparable from the conversations and community that grew around Mad Dogs.

The stories behind the host

Bars & Stars brings together family memories, theatre encounters and the bars Wilton has owned. Its opening returns to his mother’s home movies and childhood summers in Venice: famous names encountered at the intimate scale of family life.

Middle Class Fantasies follows the personalities, productions and practical complications of theatre and hospitality. Alongside these memoirs, Wilton’s novels and short stories explore lives shaped by history, chance meetings and the unfinished past.

Begin with Bars & Stars → Find your first book

Biography drawn from Bars & Stars and Mad Dogs & Englishmen’s history.