Robert Morse
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 the 1967 film adaptation of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, for which he won a Tony Award, and as Bertram Cooper in the critically acclaimed AMC dramatic series Mad Men (2007–2015).[1][2][3][4] He won his second Tony Award for playing Truman Capote in the 1989 production of the one-man play Tru. He reprised his role of Capote in an airing of the play for American Playhouse in 1992, winning him a Primetime Emmy Award.
Robert Morse | |
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![]() Morse at PaleyFest in 2014 | |
Born | Newton, Massachusetts, U.S. | May 18, 1931
Occupation | Actor, singer |
Years active | 1953–present |
Spouse(s) |
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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 Neighborhood Playhouse. He received an uncredited role in The Proud and Profane (1956), a film starring William Holden and Deborah Kerr. Soon thereafter, he was cast as Barnaby Tucker in the original Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker, launching his career.
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] and although he was not named on the award, he contributed to the Grammy Award-winning cast album.[7] He also starred in the 1967 movie version.
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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 which satirized the funeral business in Los Angeles, in particular Forest Lawn Cemetery. In 1967, he co-starred in Gene Kelly's 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).[8] In 1968, he guest-starred on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. 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).[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]
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. He was the voice of 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 in five episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater from 1974 to 1976.
Beginning in 2007, Morse took on a recurring role in the critically acclaimed AMC dramatic series Mad Men as Bertram Cooper, a founding 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.
Morse was cast as journalist Dominick Dunne in the critically acclaimed limited series, The People v. O.J. Simpson on FX.
At the age of 85, Morse returned to Broadway in the 2016 revival of The Front Page with Nathan Lane, John Slattery, John Goodman, and Holland Taylor at the Broadhurst Theatre. [12]
Personal life
Morse has been married twice[9] and has five children.
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Theatre Venue | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1955–57 | The Matchmaker | Barnaby Tucker | Royale Theatre, Broadway Booth Theatre, Broadway | [13] |
1958–59 | Say, Darling | Ted Snow | ANTA Theatre, Broadway Martin Beck Theatre, Broadway | |
1959–60 | Take Me Along | Richard Miller | Shubert Theatre, Broadway | |
1961–65 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | J. Pierrepont Finch | 46th Street Theatre, Broadway | |
1972–73 | Sugar | Jerry | Majestic Theatre, Broadway | |
1976 | So Long, 174th Street | David | Harkness Theatre, Broadway | |
1980 | Sugar Babies | Bobby | National Tour USA | |
1984 | Duke | Cherry County Playhouse, Michigan | ||
1985–86 | Light Up the Sky | The Old Vic, London | ||
1988 | Babes in Toyland | The Toy Maker | California Music Theatre, Los Angeles | |
1989–90 | Tru | Truman Capote | Booth Theatre, Broadway | |
2003 | Wicked | The Wizard | Curran Theatre, San Francisco | |
2016–17 | The Front Page | Mr. Pincus | Broadhurst Theatre, Broadway | |
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 Zane | |
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 | |
2019 | Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans | Santa Claus (voice) | |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1954 | The Secret Storm | Jerry Ames #1 | Unknown episodes |
1955 | Goodyear Television 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" |
1968–69 | 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 | 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 |
1982 | All My Children | Harry the Bookie | Episode: "20 July 1982" |
1982 | The Good Book | Host / Narrator / Saloon Indian | Television pilot |
1983 | Monchhichis | Moncho (voice) | 13 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" |
1986–87 | Pound Puppies | Howler (voice) | 25 episodes |
1990 | Masquerade | N/A | Television movie |
1991 | ProStars | Additional Voices | Unknown episodes |
1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Goopy Geer (voice) | Episode: "Two-Tone Town" |
1992 | American Playhouse | Truman Capote | Episode: "Tru" |
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: The Animated Series | 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 |
2007–15 | Mad Men | Bertram Cooper | 58 episodes |
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" |
2015–19 | Teen Titans Go! | Santa Claus (voice) | 9 episodes |
2016 | American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson | Dominick Dunne | 6 episodes |
2016 | Animals. | Old Phil (voice) | Episode: "Flies." |
2019 | Corporate | Terry Sales | Episode: "The One Who's There" |
Awards and nominations
Tony Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1959 | Best Featured Actor in a Play | Say, Darling | Nominated | [14] |
1960 | Best Actor in a Musical | Take Me Along | Nominated | |
1962 | Best Actor in a Musical | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Won | |
1973 | Best Actor in a Musical | Sugar | Nominated | |
1990 | Best Actor in a Play | Tru | Won | |
Primetime Emmy Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1969 | Outstanding Variety Series | That's Life | Nominated | [15] |
1993 | Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie | Tru | Won | |
2008 | Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Mad Men | Nominated | |
2010 | Nominated | |||
2011 | Nominated | |||
2013 | Nominated | |||
2014 | Nominated | |||
Screen Actors Guild Award
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Mad Men | Nominated | [15] |
2010 | Nominated | |||
2011 | Won | |||
2013 | Nominated | |||
References
- Fear, David (May 27, 2014). "Mad Men's Robert Morse on Dancing Into the Sunset". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- Simonson, Robert (July 11, 2014). ""Mad Men" and In Your Arms Star Robert Morse on Making Jon Hamm Cry". Playbill. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- "Robert Morse". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- "Madmen: Bertram Cooper". AMC. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- Itzkoff, Dave (May 27, 2014). "Robert Morse on His Big 'Mad Men' Number". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- "Tony Awards: Search Past Winners". The Tony Awards. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- "1961 Grammy Winners". Recording Acacemy Grammy Awards. November 20, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- "That's Life (1968)". TV.com. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- Hutchings, David (January 15, 1990). "His Boyishness a Casualty of Age and Experience, Robert Morse Is Reborn as Truman Capote". People.
- Rawson, Christopher (November 17, 1999). "On Stage: New class of theater hall of famers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Cote, David (October 26, 2005). Wicked: The Grimmerie: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical. Hyperion. ISBN 978-1401308209.
- Gans, Andrew (October 26, 2016). "Extra, Extra: Front Page Opens on Broadway Tonight". Playbill. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- "Robert Morse". Internet Broadway Database.
- "Robert Morse". Playbill.
- "Robert Morse". IMDb. Retrieved April 7, 2020.