David Morrissey
About David
British actor David Morrissey has been supporting UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency since 2014 and was announced as a Goodwill Ambassador in March 2017 after visiting Syrian refugees in Lebanon - at the time the country hosting the highest number of Syrian refugees per capita in the world. You can read about the trip, and David's reflections, here.
David has also visited Syrian families in Zaatari refugee camp and Amman in Jordan, and in 2015 travelled to the Greek island of Lesvos to meet refugees who have made the perilous journey across the Aegean to seek safety in Europe. David has supported key UNHCR events and campaigns and fundraising initiatives. In September 2016 addressed the Refugees Welcome rally in London's Parliament Square.
In June 2018 David performed in the Houses of Parliament for World Refugee Day alongside other Goodwill Ambassadors for UNHCR. He stated ‘we need to keep working all the time with the general public and with our Members of Parliament to make sure they are focussing on a situation that most people think have gone away’.
David worked with writer Amy Raphael on the fundraising book A Game of Two Halves: Famous Football Fans Meet Their Heroes, after the pair travelled to see UNHCR’s work with Syrian refugees in Lebanon. David interviewed his football hero Steven Gerrard for the book, which pairs some of the biggest names in football with their celebrity fans. Other pairings include Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp and comedian John Bishop; David Lammy MP and England defender Eric Dier; musician and former guitarist with The Smiths Johnny Marr and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. David launched the book with Amy Raphael and Garry Lineker.
David also travelled to Cairo with UNHCR in November 2019 where he met refugees from Syria, Somalia and Sudan and wrote about his trip. A passionate champion for refugees’ rights, David continues to shine a light on refugees’ stories and the work of UNHCR, encouraging people to ‘spare a thought for refugees’ and to ‘take action, no matter how small’.
