Iona Morris Jackson won a best director award from the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP for the multi-award winning comedy play “Sassy Mamas.”  She also won the Award for Merit from the Canadian Short Film Festival, for her short “Celeste’s Dreams” which she wrote, directed and co-executive produced.  Her short screening in 14 short film festivals around the world.  She was also nominated as best director of a comedy for the penultimate emotional episode of the ABC/Disney comedy, black-ish, “If A Black Man Cries In The Woods” by the NAACP Image Awards and the Hollywood Critics Association.  

Iona was born in Columbus, Ohio.  The first child of three for Leona and Greg Morris. Soon to follow were her 2 siblings, Phil Morris, brilliant actor and then the youngest, Linda Morris, brilliant writer and chef.  Her dad, Greg Morris played Barney Collier on the hit ’70’s series MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE and her mom Leona was a jazz singer turned housewife.  With these two creative parents, it’s no secret Iona became an actress, a VoiceOver talent and now, director.  Her first love acting took her from Los Angeles to New York and places in-between.  As an actress, Iona has won several theatrical awards – Best Solo Show, Best Ensemble work and Best Supporting actress. She played Fiona Griffin for 5 years recurring on the soap opera “As The World Turns,” 2 years recurring on “Moesha,” guest starring on “The Shield,” “The District,” “Star Trek:Voyager, “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” “Lincoln Heights,” “Cold Case,” “Love That Girl,” “Soul Man” and many other television series.  Her regional theatrical work includes “Piano Lesson,” “Home,” “Blues for An Alabama Sky,” “Cuttin’ Up” and “As Bees In Honey Drown.”  She’s been a part of the theater scene in L.A. acting in the award winning productions “Sassy Mamas,” “In The Red & Brown Water,” “Holding On-Letting Go,” “Up The Mountain,” “Two Rooms” and several other plays.  Her theatrical work in New York includes “Native Speech,” “Telltale Hearts,” “A Perfect Diamond” and other productions.

As a VoiceOver talent, Iona voiced many animated characters, but her most renowned was her voice of Storm from the ’80’s “X- Men” cartoon. 

Iona just knew she’d be an actress for the rest of her life, but there was another creative calling.  It took three months of cajoling, when a girlfriend asked her to direct her one woman show, but once Iona gave her first notes at a rehearsal, the directing bug got her.  Iona went from that one-woman show to directing many others.  She directed 2 successful solo shows for Jenifer Lewis, also adding co-writer while directing Blair Underwood’s one-man show, director and contributing monologuist for Penny Johnson Jerald’s solo show followed by several other talented artists who’s one-person shows she directed; including Kim Wayans, Tammi Mac’s award winning one-person show, funny Michael Colyar’s touring show and many others.  Her directing credits in theater include co-creating, directing and co-writing the star-studded sold out concert event “Broadway Under The Stars: 35th Anniversary of Dreamgirls” starring the 3 originals Loretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jennifer Holliday, 3 years of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival’s Awards Gala, the NAACP’s Theater Awards Ceremony and other events produced and directed.   Iona directed the 21 person musical Sheba in L.A. and at the N.Y. Musical Theatre Festival and has directed Vagina Monologues many times with star- studded casts from coast to coast along with several other theatrical productions.