Jason Morkel

Jason Peter Morkel (born February 1, 1980) is an American actor. Morkel was born and raised in. He is the son of cartoonist Nicholas H. Morkel and the brother of animator/cartoonist Phelan Morkel and writer/producer/actress Julie Morkel.

Morkel began his career as a voice actor in the 2000s, starring as Jack Boring in the TBS animated sitcom The Boring Life of Jack (2001–2006) and eventually having roles in various Morkel & Associates productions. His first popular live-action role was Kevin Lawford in the RKO comedy-drama series Small World (2005–2010), and he made a return to voice acting when he starred as George Stardust in the animated series Inner Space (2011–2018). He has also been part of the cast of the RKOx sketch comedy series Joyride Theater since 2013. Morkel is currently a writer and executive producer of the RKO comedy-drama series The Morkels (2023–present).

Early life
Jason Peter Morkel was born on February 1, 1980 in. He is the son of Nicholas H. Morkel (born August 16, 1931) and Argentine-born Cassandra Morkel (née Bergamo; May 2, 1930 – February 11, 2014). He has Afrikaner, German, and Irish ancestry on his father's side and Italian and Spanish ancestry on his mother's. His older brother, Phelan Thomas Morkel (born October 25, 1975) is an animator and cartoonist, and Jason has starred in several of his productions. His sister, Julianne Shannon "Julie" Morkel (born August 21, 1978), is a writer, film and television producer, and actress.

Film career
Morkel's first film role was the title character in the 2007 independent comedy film Jimmy Pope. He would later portray Eduardo Guerrero in the 2008 drama film 24th Avenue. Morkel also made a cameo appearance alongside Phelan Morkel in the 2010 comedy film Cartoonists, directed by his girlfriend (now wife) Mariana Fabiano.

Morkel returned to cinema for the 2014 science fiction comedy film Jeffrey 51, in which he portrayed antagonist Ken Antonelli. He also portrayed Michael Forrest in the television film Son of the Invaders, which aired later that year. He played Eric "Chip" Sherman in Lemongrass II: The Next Generation, a 2015 direct-to-video sequel to the 2002 comedy film Lemongrass. Morkel also appeared in Mariana Fabiano's 2018 animated film Everything in the Universe, and his performance earned him two nominations and the MFTA Award for Best Voice Actor in a Foreign Film.

Television career
Morkel's first role was the voice of Jack Boring in TBS's adult animated sitcom The Boring Life of Jack in 2001. Morkel had originally auditioned for the role of Jack's best friend, Malcolm Neverland; however, casting director Jean-Michel Bernard felt his calm, higher-pitched voice was better suited for Jack. (The role of Malcolm was given to English-born actor Kearney Forbes.) He stayed with the show's cast until its 2006 cancellation. He later had minor roles in episodes of Mole Miner and Trisha's Way, both produced by Morkel & Associates.

Morkel claims his first "major" television role was Kevin Lawford in the RKO Network comedy-drama series Small World (2005–2010). In 2009, Morkel also appeared as Kevin in the pilot episode of the spin-off series The Boom, which aired for one season from 2009 to 2010.

One of Morkel's most famous roles is George Stardust in the adult animated science fiction series Inner Space, which ran for seven seasons from 2011 to 2018 on. The series was critically acclaimed, and Morkel won several awards for his performance including two.

From 2012 to 2014, Morkel guest starred as George Bennett in five episodes the  legal drama series Case Open. He also portrayed defense attorney Lorenzo Capaldi in the 2014 crime drama miniseries The Trial of Victor Trent, based on the 2005 novel of the same name by J.J. Quincy. In 2016, Morkel began voicing Toby Baffier in 's Living on an Edge, which was created by Phelan.

In May 2022, it was confirmed that Morkel would be a writer and executive producer of the RKO comedy-drama The Morkels, his first time in both roles. The series premiered in September 2022.

Relationships
Morkel lives in. He began dating filmmaker Mariana Fabiano in 2007, and the two got married in June 2013. After meeting Kearney Forbes on the set of The Boring Life of Jack, Forbes and Morkel have been close friends, and Forbes attended Morkel and Fabiano's wedding.

In 2018, Morkel told News.org that he is a close friend of Campuzanos lead singer Lorenzo Campuzano and guitarist Fernando Campuzano. He sang "I Am Human" with Lorenzo at an outdoor performance in in June 2018.

Beliefs and activism
Morkel is an atheist. He said in a 2016 interview with XYZ News that the Morkels are a "very monotheistic family" and he "respect[s] people's belief in God, including those of my family and my friends", but he believes that the concept of is "out of this world", and he refuses to believe in "some big, invisible sky man who toys around with the world at his will". Morkel's statements drew criticism from for purportedly promoting. Phelan Morkel defended him, saying "He is entitled to his own belief in whether or not God exists, and I respect that." Meanwhile, Julie called such critics "dumbasses" for jumping to conclusions and "trying to tarnish [Jason]'s reputation".

Morkel has been an outspoken critic of, an amendment to the which solely defined marriage as being a union between a man and a woman. He raised roughly $6,000 in opposition to the amendment, but the bill still passed. After it was overruled in 2013, he "Bye-bye, Prop 8", accompanied by the. The tweet has since evolved into a.

Morkel has stated that he voted for in the  and  United States presidential elections,  in the, and  in the.

Morkel has also been critical of 's, calling him "a huge power abuser" and "not competent enough to run the website". He announced in May 2023 that he was "leaving" Twitter; his account shall remain open, but he will not be posting anything new. He cites Musk's "absolute stupidity" as the reason for his leave.