Robert Morse

For other people named Robert Morse, see Robert Morse (disambiguation).

Robert Morse
photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1958
Born	May 18, 1931 (1931-05-18) Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Actor/Singer
Years active	1954–present
Spouse	Carol Ann D'Andreá (1961-1981) Elizabeth Roberts (1989-present)

Robert Morse (born May 18, 1931) is an American actor and singer. Morse is best known for his appearances in musicals and plays on Broadway. He has also acted in movies and television shows. His best known role is that of J. Pierrepont Finch in the 1961 Broadway musical, and 1967 film How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He is currently known for his recurring role as Bertram Cooper on the show Mad Men.

Early life

Morse was born on May 18, 1931 in Newton, Massachusetts. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, Morse appeared on Broadway as an actor.

Career

He created the role of Barnaby in The Matchmaker on Broadway in 1955 opposite Ruth Gordon and reprised the role in the 1958 film adaptation, 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. Morse had to lobby David Merrick for a role in Take Me Along, as there was a question if he could, at 28, play a convincing 16 year old. He could and did. 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 for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical in 1962. He also starred in the 1967 movie version

In 1964, Morse co-starred in the comedy Quick, Before It Melts. In 1965, Morse appeared in the black comedy The Loved One, a movie based on the Evelyn Waugh novel 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 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).

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). 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 quit the show before it opened on Broadway. He was replaced by Joel Grey.

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.

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 1995, Robert portrayed Grandpa in the Fox telefilm Here Come the Munsters.

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 an Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor in 2008, 2010 and again in 2011.

Personal life

Morse has married twice and has five children.

External links

• Robert Morse at the Internet Broadway Database
• Robert Morse at the Internet Movie Database