Robert Morse
| Robert Morse | |
|---|---|
 Morse at The Paley Center For Media's PaleyFest 2014 Honoring Mad Men | |
| Born |
May 18, 1931 Newton, Massachusetts, United States |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1953–present |
| Spouse(s) |
|
Robert Alan Morse (born May 18, 1931) is an American actor and singer best known as the star of both the 1961 original Broadway production and 1967 film adaptation of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and as Bertram Cooper, from 2007 to 2015, in the AMC dramatic series Mad Men.[1][2][3][4]
Early life
Morse was born on May 18, 1931 in Newton, Massachusetts, the second child of Charles Morse and Mary SIlver. He attended a number of different schools until finding his inspiration in Henry Lasker, a drama teacher at Newton High School. "He knew what I had burning in me and wanted to express." Upon graduation, he left home for New York City to fulfill his ambition of becoming an actor, joining his elder brother Richard who was already studying acting at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse. With almost lightning speed he wound up with a role in The Proud and Profane (1956), a film starring William Holden and Deborah Kerr (although uncredited, he did manage to work for five to six weeks on the film at the lofty sum of $500 a week). Soon thereafter, he was cast as Barnaby Tucker in the original Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, and his career was off and running.
Career
Morse has earned multiple nominations and wins for Tony, Drama Desk and Emmy awards over a period of five decades. He is well known for his appearances in musicals and plays on Broadway, as well as roles in movies and television shows. Perhaps best known for his role as young 1960s New York City businessman J. Pierrepont Finch in the 1961 Broadway production and 1967 film version of the Frank Loesser and Abe Burrows musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Morse gained new prominence in the late 2000s for his recurring role of elder 1960s New York City businessman Bertram Cooper on the AMC television show Mad Men.[5]
Having already played Barnaby on Broadway, Morse reprised the role in the 1958 film adaptation of The Matchmaker, this time opposite Shirley Booth. That same year, he won the Theatre World Award and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for Say, Darling. What was considered the final step toward full stardom was his performance as J. Pierrepont Finch in the Pulitzer Prize-winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. It won him the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical in 1962.[6] He also starred in the 1967 movie version.
In 1964, Morse co-starred in the comedy film Quick, Before It Melts. In 1965, Morse appeared in the black comedy film The Loved One, a movie based on the Evelyn Waugh novel of the same name that satirized the funeral business in Los Angeles, in particular the Forest Lawn Cemetery. In 1967, he co-starred in A Guide for the Married Man, opposite Walter Matthau. In 1968, he appeared in the comedy Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? opposite Doris Day. In the same year, he appeared in the 1968 television series That's Life, which attempted to blend the musical genre with a situation comedy centered on newlyweds "Robert" and "Gloria" (played by E. J. Peaker).[7] In 1987, Morse also appeared in the movie The Emperor's New Clothes, which starred Sid Caesar and was part of the Cannon Movie Tales series. Morse was in the original Broadway cast of Sugar, a 1972 musical stage adaptation of Some Like It Hot, for which he was nominated for another Tony. He won a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Tru (1989).[8] In 1992, he recreated his performance for the PBS series American Playhouse and won the Emmy Award as Best Actor in a Miniseries or Special. In 1999, Morse was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame for his long career as a stage actor.[9] In 2002, Morse was cast in the role of the Wizard of Oz in the San Francisco run of the musical Wicked, but quit the show before it opened on Broadway. He was replaced by Joel Grey.[10]
Morse joined other performers, including Marlo Thomas, in creating the 1972 Free to Be... You and Me children's album.
He also provided the voice for the cartoon character Howler in Hanna Barbera's Pound Puppies.
Another famous role he played was Jack in the 1979 animated Rankin/Bass special Jack Frost. In The First Easter Rabbit, also by Rankin/Bass, he was the voice of the main character, Stuffy.
Morse has appeared in dozens of TV shows going back to the live days of television with the Kraft Theatre and General Electric Theatre. He appeared as Boss Hogg's devious nephew, Dewey Hogg, in The Dukes of Hazzard sixth-season episode "How to Succeed in Hazzard" (1984). He had featured roles in the 1993 miniseries Wild Palms and the 2000 medical drama City of Angels. He also appeared in five episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater from 1974 to 1976.
Beginning in 2007, Morse took on a recurring role in the AMC dramatic series Mad Men as Bertram Cooper, a partner in the advertising agency Sterling Cooper, for which role he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014.
He will be in the Broadway revival of The Front Page at the Broadhurst Theatre starting on September 20, 2016.[11]
Personal life
Morse has been married twice[8] and has five children.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The Proud and Profane | Casualty | Uncredited |
| 1958 | The Matchmaker | Barnaby Tucker | |
| 1963 | The Cardinal | Bobby | |
| 1964 | Honeymoon Hotel | Jay Menlow | |
| 1964 | Quick Before It Melts | Oliver Cromwell Cannon | |
| 1965 | The Loved One | Dennis Barlow | |
| 1967 | Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad | Jonathan | |
| 1967 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J. Pierpont Finch | |
| 1967 | A Guide for the Married Man | Edward L. Stander | |
| 1968 | Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? | Waldo Zirrer | |
| 1970 | The Boatniks | Ensign Garland | |
| 1987 | Hunk | Garrison Gaylord | |
| 1987 | The Emperor's New Clothes | The Tailor | |
| 2002 | It's All About You | Dr. Flowers | |
| 2012 | The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez | Burt | |
| 2016 | Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie | Walter Hoving | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | The Secret Storm | Jerry Ames #1 | Unknown episodes |
| 1955 | Goodyear Playhouse | N/A | Episode: "Man on Spikes" |
| 1956 | The Alcoa Hour | Jiya | Episode: "The Big Wave" |
| 1956 | Matinee Theatre | Larry | Episode: "Eye of the Storm" |
| 1957 | Matinee Theatre | Frank Wilson | Episode: "Rain in the Morning" |
| 1959 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Phil | Episode: "Touché" |
| 1959 | Play of the Week | Gustave | Episode: "Thieves Carnival" |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Len | Episode: "Hitch Hike" |
| 1960 | Play of the Week | Professor Pearson | Episode: "The Velvet Glove" |
| 1961 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | Drum Carpenter | Episode: "Rebel Gun" |
| 1961 | Naked City | Richy Wilkin | Episode: "Sweet Prince of Delancey Street" |
| 1968–1969 | That's Life | Robert Dickson | 26 episodes |
| 1971 | Alias Smith and Jones | Fred Philpotts | Episode: "The Day They Hanged Kid Curry" |
| 1971 | Night Gallery | Roger Blacker | Episode: "Marmalade Wine" |
| 1971 | Love, American Style | N/A | Episode: "Love and the Ledge" |
| 1974 | Love, American Style | Everett | Episode: "Love and the Forever Tree" |
| 1976 | The First Easter Rabbit | Young Stuffy (voice) | Television movie |
| 1978 | The Stingiest Man in Town | Young Scrooge (voice) | Television movie |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island | Barney Shore | Episode: "The Island of Lost Women" |
| 1979 | Jack Frost | Jack Frost (voice) | Television movie |
| 1979 | Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July | Jack Frost (voice) | Television movie |
| 1982 | All My Children | Harry the Bookie | Episode: "20 July 1982" |
| 1982 | The Good Book | N/A | Unknown episodes |
| 1983 | Monchhichis | Moncho (voice) | Unknown episodes |
| 1983 | One Day at a Time | Frank Sampson | Episode: "Worried Heart" |
| 1983 | Masquerade | N/A | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1984 | Calendar Girl Murders | Nat Couray | Television movie |
| 1984 | The Fall Guy | Sky Kelly | Episode: "Rabbit's Feet" |
| 1984 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Dewey Hogg | Episode: "How to Succeed in Hazzard" |
| 1984 | Tales of the Unexpected | Stephen Shaw | Episode: "Sauce for the Goose" |
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Marc Faber | Episode: "Broadway Malady" |
| 1985 | Trapper John, M.D. | Honest Wayne McIntyre | Episode: "A False Start" |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone | Cupid | Episode: "Ye Gods" |
| 1986 | You Again? | Officer Morton | Episode: "The Lush Life" |
| 1986–1987 | Pound Puppies | Howler (voice) | 25 episodes |
| 1990 | Masquerade | N/A | Television movie |
| 1991 | ProStars | N/A | Unknown episodes |
| 1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Goopy Geer (voice) | Episode: "Two-Tone Town" |
| 1992 | American Playhouse | Truman Capote | Episode: "Tru" Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1993 | Wild Palms | Chap Starfall | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Dootch (voice) | Episode: "Where Have All the Monsters Gone?" |
| 1995 | Here Come the Munsters | Grandpa | Television movie |
| 1997 | Rugrats | Mr. Koch (voice) | Episode: "Faire Play" |
| 1997 | Superman | Desaad (voice) | Episode: "Father's Day" |
| 1997 | Union Square | Santa Claus | Episode: "Jack Gets a Hot Tip" |
| 1998 | Suddenly Susan | Uncle Bert | Episode: "The Thanksgiving Episode" |
| 1999 | The Wild Thornberrys | Jake (voice) | Episode: "Two's Company" |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Edwin O'Malley | 14 episodes |
| 2006 | I Did Not Know That | Nick Rabinowitz | Television movie |
| 2007–2015 | Mad Men | Bertram Cooper | 58 episodes Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (2008, 2010–11, 2013–14) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2008, 2011, 2013) |
| 2007 | Jeff Ltd. | Ron | Episode: "Too Many Hens in the Foxhouse" |
| 2014 | Sofia the First | Marshak / Gnuckles (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | The Legend of Korra | Governor (voice) | Episode: "After All These Years" |
| 2015 | Teen Titans Go! | Santa Claus (voice) | Episode: "The True Meaning of Christmas" |
| 2016 | American Crime Story | Dominick Dunne | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Animals. | Old Phil (voice) | Episode: "Flies." |
References
- ↑ Fear, David. "Mad Men's Robert Morse on Dancing Into the Sunset". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X.
- ↑ Simonson, Robert. ""Mad Men" and In Your Arms Star Robert Morse on Making Jon Hamm Cry". www.playbill.com. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ↑ "Robert Morse". Ibdb.com. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ↑ "Bertram Cooper". Amctv.com.
- ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (May 27, 2014). "Robert Morse on His Big 'Mad Men' Number". New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ↑ "TonyAwards.com – The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards – Official Website by IBM". IBM Corp., Tony Award Productions. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
- ↑ TV.com entry for That's Life
- 1 2 Hutchings, David (January 15, 1990). "His Boyishness a Casualty of Age and Experience, Robert Morse Is Reborn as Truman Capote". People.
- ↑ "On Stage: New class of theater hall of famers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ↑ David Cote (2005). Wicked: The Grimmerie: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical. Hyperion. ISBN 1-4013-0820-1.
- ↑ "Extra, Extra: Full Cast and Theatre Announced for Broadway Front Page | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
