Ralph Morgan

This article is about the actor. For the basketball administrator, see Ralph Morgan (basketball). For rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s, see Ralph Morgan (rugby).

Ralph Morgan
Born	Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann July 6, 1883(1883-07-06) New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	June 11, 1956(1956-06-11) (aged 72) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1915–1953

Ralph Morgan (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956) was a Hollywood film, stage and character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan (who played the title role in The Wizard of Oz, 1939).

Early life

Born in New York City as Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann, Ralph Morgan graduated from Columbia University with a law degree. However, he abandoned the world of jurisprudence for the vocation of journeyman actor, having already appeared in Columbia's annual Varsity Show. Morgan became so successful in stock and on Broadway that his younger brother, Frank, was encouraged to give acting a try. Frank's career would eventually overshadow that of his elder brother.

Career

Ralph Morgan made his film debut in silent films in 1915 appearing in several production made on the East Coast. In the early talkie era he played such leading roles in such productions as Strange Interlude in 1932 and Rasputin and the Empress also in 1932. He later settled into secondary character parts. His quiet, dignified demeanor on screen was often employed for murder mysteries in which, more often than not, he would be exposed in the last reel as the killer. One of his memorable roles was in the 1942 serial Gang Busters, in which he played a brilliant surgeon turned master criminal. Morgan later worked in television, frequently in religious dramas filmed for Family Theater.

Among off-camera activities, he was also a founder, charter member and onetime president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Children

Morgan was the father of Claudia Morgan (1911–1974), an actress best known for creating the role of Vera Claythorne on Broadway in the original production of Ten Little Indians, and for her portrayal of Nora Charles on the radio series The Thin Man.

Selected filmography

• Charlie Chan's Chance (1932)
• Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
• Strange Interlude (1932)
• The Power and the Glory (1933)
• Doctor Bull (1933)
• The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
• No Greater Glory (1934)
• Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (1934)
• Stand Up and Cheer! (1934)
• Star of Midnight (1935)
• Condemned to Live (1935)
• Magnificent Obsession (1935)
• Speed (1936)
• The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936)
• Anthony Adverse (1936)
• General Spanky (1936)
• Crack-Up (1936)
• The Outer Gate (1937)
• The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
• Mannequin (1937)
• Wells Fargo (1937)
• Army Girl (1938)
• Wives Under Suspicion (1938)
• Mother Carey's Chickens (1938)
• Out West With the Hardys (1938)
• The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939)
• Man of Conquest (1939)
• Fast and Loose (1939)
• Forty Little Mothers (1940)
• The Mad Doctor (1941)
• Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941 serial)
• Gang Busters (1942 serial)
• Night Monster (1942)
• Hitler's Madman (1943)
• Jack London (1943)
• The Great Alaskan Mystery (1944 serial)
• Strange Confession (1944)
• Weird Woman (1944)
• The Monster Maker (1944)
• The Monster and the Ape (1945 serial)
• Black Market Babies (1945)
• Hollywood and Vine (1945)
• Song of the Thin Man (1947)
• Sleep, My Love (1948)

External links

• Ralph Morgan at the Internet Movie Database
• Ralph Morgan at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ralph Morgan at Find a Grave