Robert Morse

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Actor Robert Morse photo taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1958

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 1968 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.

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.

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 a featured role in the 1993 miniseries Wild Palms. His most recent credit was the 2000 City of Angels, a minor medical drama in which he had a regular part.

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 has been married three times and has five children.