| Robert Morse | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Actor Robert Morse photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1958 |
||||||
| Born | May 18 1931 Newton, Massachusetts U.S. |
|||||
|
||||||
Robert Morse (b. May 18 1931, Newton, Massachusetts) is an American actor. Morse is best known for his appearances in musicals and plays on Broadway, and has also acted in movies and TV shows. He served in the US Navy in the Korean War. Morse created the role of Barnaby in The Matchmaker on Broadway in 1955 opposite Ruth Gordon, and reprised the role in 1958 in the filmed version, this time opposite Shirley Booth. That same year he won the Theatre World Award and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Say, Darling. His most famous role was that of J. Pierpont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, for which he received the Tony. He also starred in the 1967 movie version. In 1965 he appeared in the black comedy The Loved One, a movie based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh that satirized the funeral business in Los Angeles, in particular the Forest Lawn Cemetery. In 1968 he appeared in the comedy Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? opposite Doris Day. 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 Actor in Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One Person Show/Solo Performance for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Tru (1989). 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 2002 Morse was cast in the role of The Wizard in the San Francisco run of the musical Wicked, but was replaced by Joel Grey when it opened on Broadway. Morse joined other performers, including Marlo Thomas, in creating the 1972 Free to Be... You and Me children's album. Morse has appeared in numerous TV shows, beginning in 1955 with the soap opera The Secret Storm and including mysteries, comedies, and variety shows. He had featured roles in the 1993 miniseries Wild Palms and the 2000 medical drama City of Angels. In 2007 Morse appeared on the AMC Channel series Mad Men as Bertram Cooper, a partner in the advertising agency Sterling Cooper. Morse has been married three times and has five children.
| Preceded by Richard Burton for Camelot |
Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical 1962 for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying |
Succeeded by Zero Mostel for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum |
| Preceded by Philip Bosco for Lend Me a Tenor |
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play 1990 for Tru |
Succeeded by Nigel Hawthorne for Shadowlands |
