Robert Morse - Career

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 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." Morse had to lobby David Merrick for a role in "Take Me Along," as there was a question as to whether 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 Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, 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 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 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).

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 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.

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 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. He also appeared as Boss Hogg's devious nephew, Dewey Hogg, in The Dukes Of Hazzard sixth season episode How to Succeed in Hazzard.

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.